Lg sulcata indoor enclosure??

[Tony the tank]

Does anyone keep a large sulcata indoors during the winter month...I have a room in my basement that's 15x20 I intend to use the entire room for the enclosure..( has it's own access to the back yard).. I intend to use plywood on the walls 18" up from the floor.. And plywood on the floors... Then I was going to paint it to seal it...thoughts??

Now need advice on the substrate.. Linoleum covered with hay..indoor outdoor carpet covered in hay.(will they try and eat the grass like carpet?) or painted floor covered in hay.. Thoughts??

Now lighting.. The UVB/UVA boobs do they need to cover the entire area or just a section of the enclosure?? And how would I go about setting the lights up?? aren't they supposed to be so many inches away.?? I am only familiar with the florescent bulbs?? Do they have something better??

Anyone have any pics of a large indoor enclosure??

 

[Yvonne G]

Do a search for Bob's Shed.

 

[ascott]

uuuuu, what exactly is a "UVB/UVA boobs" ? LOL

 

[Laura]

use the horse stall matts. They are rubber, easy to clean, insulate the floor a bit. if the basement has a door to the outside,, its doable. if not.. and you had to go up and down stairs.. I would not do it. they are hard to carry.
15x20 is ok for a while.. how bad are your winters? They can get ver destructive.. he will want out.. and mine still go out when its cold, but not for long.

 

[Tony the tank]

I'm im in mass...long cold wnters..as for there Destructive nature..the only thing that will be in there pen is water & food... And they will also be secured..
All electrical, Heat included will be wired from above...

Only thing I can't figure out is how to get the UVB lights close enough and should the entire enclosure be covered in UVB???

Thanks in advance

 

[tyler0912]

Not sure but ill' just put it at the top again!

 

[lynnedit]

Can you fix a metal or wood cross piece above the enclosure along the width or length? Then you can hang the light fixture hanging straight down using a sturdy chain so you can adjust height. Wrap the cord around the cross piece too for extra support. Or, you might be able to hang a chain from the ceiling? Obviously you want it very secure and adjustable.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

They make light stand's and you can hang them from the stand. We use one in our big leopards enclosure. The lights are to be 12 inches away from the carapace, or whatever it say's on the box. We use power sun mvb bulb's.

 

[Yvonne G]

It would be best to have eye hooks in the ceiling and hang the lights/heat from a chain. Quite a few folks back east make use of their basements for tortoises during the winter. No, you don't need UVB across the whole habitat. Just having it hang down in one spot is fine.

 

[Tony the tank]

12" from the tortoise.. Was thinking maybe florescent sun tubes on the sides angled towards the ground?? 4 sets of double 36" fixtures .. Hooded and angled towards the ground??

Thoughts??

If I did that they would 18 -19" from the ground??

 

[coreyc]

I would use the florescent tubes for additional light not for the main source of UVB / UVB source they do not put enough for a sully I would get a couple 100 watt MVB's or a 160 watt for main source