Night barn build

[kevantheman35]

Hi all. I thought I would share some photos of my sulcata Leonidas's new night barn in hopes of keeping him in the pasture a little longer this year. It measures about 4'x3'. Insulated with 3" foam all around between two layers of 1/4" plywood. It is heated with a 3 foot Stanfield heating mat attached to a wall and placed on a controller set to 82F. In order to monitor this temp remotely and have a little piece of mind during colder nights I added an IP camera inside the barn equipped with infrared. This way I can look to see both of he has entered the barn, and the temperature at any time. It even gives my phone a notification when he walks into the barn at night and trips the motion detection in the camera. He has entered on his own the last three nights and temps have maintained 75-82F when night temps outside reached 40-50F. Attached are a few pics of the setup as well as ip cam screen shots during the day and night.

 

[Hutsie B]

Looks really cool, as in cool, not cold!

 

[Pia B]

really nice !! this forum has giving me so many awesome ideas !! Speedbump will spend this winter indoors but for next winter I have something build like this . My wheels are turning !

 

[wellington]

Job nicely done. Just an FYI, adult sulcatas can go out into the cold and even snow. A few members have posted pics of theirs in the snow. If you build a bigger enclosure, like an insulated shed, you could open his door in the mornings and let him come and go as he pleases thrn lock him in at night. Then on those really cold nasty days when he shouldn't or doesn't want to go out, he would have enough room in a shed to get exercise and to have his food and water. You could even put this barn box inside the shed and have that be the warmest part of the shed and heating the actual shed to a cooler tell to help keep electric bills down.

 

[kevantheman35]

@willington thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm in northern Indiana where temps can reach the negatives in the middle of winter so I don't feel comfortable leaving him in an insulated shed. I'm in the process of building him a large indoor enclosure about 20'x 10' for this winter which I'll post photos of when I'm done. The last 9 years I have kept him through the winters in an 8x8 enclosure in a heated garage however he in much too large these days.

 

[kevantheman35]

@willington thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm in northern Indiana where temps can reach the negatives in the middle of winter so I don't feel comfortable leaving him in an insulated shed. I'm in the process of building him a large indoor enclosure about 20'x 10' for this winter which I'll post photos of when I'm done. The last 9 years I have kept him through the winters in an 8x8 enclosure in a heated garage however he in much too large these days.

I hope to have room for a large barn and it is a high point in the next house I look to buy

 

[wellington]

@willington thanks for the info. Unfortunately I'm in northern Indiana where temps can reach the negatives in the middle of winter so I don't feel comfortable leaving him in an insulated shed. I'm in the process of building him a large indoor enclosure about 20'x 10' for this winter which I'll post photos of when I'm done. The last 9 years I have kept him through the winters in an 8x8 enclosure in a heated garage however he in much too large these days.

I'm in Chicago, pretty much same weather. My leopards and a Russian lives in a insulated heated shed all winter. Yes, it has to be heated and I use a portable oil filled radiator type heater.

 

[wellington]

Btw, most of your photos from photobucket are not showing. Better if you can use the forum to upload pics right from your photo library.

 

[Gillian M]

A really well-done job! Congrats and thanks for posting the lovely pics.

 

[teresaf]

What kind of cameras are you using and where did you get them? I'm looking for something for mine as well but mine are further away from the house and I don't want to run wires... But then again I'm worried that the Wi-Fi signal wouldn't reach that far either...

 

[kevantheman35]

What kind of cameras are you using and where did you get them? I'm looking for something for mine as well but mine are further away from the house and I don't want to run wires... But then again I'm worried that the Wi-Fi signal wouldn't reach that far either...

Im using a Motorola orbit ip wifi camera. It has an internal batter that says it can last up to 3 months so no chords at all, however I opted to plug it in. I chose this model because it is weather proof and alerts my phone when he walks into the box. It can also be connected to the nest thermostat if you have one in your house for temperature alerts. I have no idea on wifi distance unfortunately but pm me if you want my login info to play around with the camera and see how you like it. I picked it up at Walmart for $150 but there was other much cheaper models
https://www.motorolastore.com/home-monitoring/smart-monitoring/motorola-orbit.html

 

[kevantheman35]

I'm in Chicago, pretty much same weather. My leopards and a Russian lives in a insulated heated shed all winter. Yes, it has to be heated and I use a portable oil filled radiator type heater.

Sounds like a cool setup I'm in Chicago a couple times a year it would be cool to see it sometime maybe. Strange that the photos weren't showing I uploaded them straight the the forum as I will never use photobucket again after they switched policies.

 

[kevantheman35]

A really well-done job! Congrats and thanks for posting the lovely pics.

Thanks!

 

[wellington]

Let me know when your coming. If I'm in town we can set up a meet and greet. It's not pretty, but it works. The outside is pretty, the inside not so much. I always use scraps of wood when ever possible.

 

[Big Charlie]

Sounds like a cool setup I'm in Chicago a couple times a year it would be cool to see it sometime maybe. Strange that the photos weren't showing I uploaded them straight the the forum as I will never use photobucket again after they switched policies.

Your barn is gorgeous! I think you were using photobucket for a photo in your signature line. That is where we are seeing the photobucket default picture.

 

[kevantheman35]

Your barn is gorgeous! I think you were using photobucket for a photo in your signature line. That is where we are seeing the photobucket default picture.

Ah thanks for the heads up. I haven't logged into this account in probably 5 years

 

[Pia B]

you inspired me . Speedbump is getting a nightbox this year a friend and I will build it . I also live in cold climate and noticed you used the 3 inch foam insulation instead of the 1 1/2 inch . I really like you camera idea !

 

[kevantheman35]

 

[kevantheman35]

you inspired me . Speedbump is getting a nightbox this year a friend and I will build it . I also live in cold climate and noticed you used the 3 inch foam insulation instead of the 1 1/2 inch . I really like you camera idea !

Haha glad I could help inspire you. I just uploaded some other photos of the construction to give you a better idea of how I built it but let me know if you have any questions

 

[Pia B]

THANK YOU !! I love the picture with your son My wheels are turning . I have a outdoor building all walls are insulated because some of my dogs stay in there during the night . I have a 10x8 space I am really not using for much The building does get heated but not enough to keep a tortoise warm may be an option to convert this space for those harsh winter months instead of a pen in the house you can imagine the cleaning I have do to keep the smell away . First is first and that is a night box Thank you for taking the time to post the pictures . I make sure I post pictures once I get r done