questions on tort sheds

[Wirewehear]

I've been reading thru threads for a couple hrs and read some things I want to ask about.
1st - I'm in the low desert and while the days are usually nice it can still get pretty cold here. Since its kinda been a cool summer I'm expecting an abnormally cold winter as well. We're planning the building of a shed ... its going to be a combo storage and tort shed. The torts get the bottom third, storage on the top. I want to either make a hatch on the floor of the storage part to be able to get into the tort area to clean or maybe better ... a lower door for me to access. The tort entry can be a dog door? I'm not too sure how wide Moe will get so not sure if a dog door will work thru-out his full grown yrs.
I'm going to go ahead and insulate the whole shed and just thought I might as well insulate the floor between the storage and tort areas. How high of space should I leave for the torts? And what is the minimum size I can get away with building this thing? Its mostly to give them a warm place to go but they will be able to use it all year. Its going to be built in their "pen" area. Meaning I need to pen them up when I let the desert torts out for a stretch on the lawn but they will be out and about at will, most of the time.
Read about the "pig blanket". Is that actually a type of heating pad or something made from a pig hide and can magically radiate heat? lol ... that sounds dumb even to me.
Tom posted something about older sullies being ok in lows around 50 ... true? Whats a danger zone for them? Moe is 31lbs around 8yrs old. Kona, half his size but may have MBD. Will she need to be kept warmer because of her possible condition?
I have other questions about different topics but will start new threads because I'm not sure if its bad manners to morph threads here and combine too many different topics in one thread.
thanks

 

[Tom]

Here's my thread showing two different types of shed:
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-12237.html

Ideally night temps should stay in the mid 60's as long as they can also get warm during the day. There have been brief cold spells where my night temps fell into the low 50's and I had no ill effects. Other keepers have shared similar stories. I know of two different people, whose bottoms I'd like to kick, who keep there big sulcatas above ground, with no shed and only an infared heat bulb in winter. They are both over 20 years old and have been kept this way for most of their lives. Temps regularly get in the 20's and 30's here in winter.

Tyler inspired me and I'm currently designing and building a 30x24" underground sulcata bunker with a thermostatically controlled Kane mat, removable lid, and a rain-proof, 3' entrance tunnel. I'm building a small scale one for Daisy's outdoor pen right now and if it all goes well and works well, I'll take what I learn and build a 4x8' one for the biggun's.

 

[Wirewehear]

Thank you Tom ... that thread is exactly what I looked for. I was all over that forum ... dont know how I missed it.
I like your wood box, simple enough and glad to hear I may not have to insulate. I'll try it that way 1st and if needed I can always line insulation on the outside and panel over it. The reason for red (or black) light for heat makes sense too. Think I will go with that.
the rubber strips over the entry, what did you use?

 

[DeanS]

Here's my thread showing two different types of shed:
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-12237.html

Ideally night temps should stay in the mid 60's as long as they can also get warm during the day. There have been brief cold spells where my night temps fell into the low 50's and I had no ill effects. Other keepers have shared similar stories. I know of two different people, whose bottoms I'd like to kick, who keep there big sulcatas above ground, with no shed and only an infared heat bulb in winter. They are both over 20 years old and have been kept this way for most of their lives. Temps regularly get in the 20's and 30's here in winter.

Tyler inspired me and I'm currently designing and building a 30x24" underground sulcata bunker with a thermostatically controlled Kane mat, removable lid, and a rain-proof, 3' entrance tunnel. I'm building a small scale one for Daisy's outdoor pen right now and if it all goes well and works well, I'll take what I learn and build a 4x8' one for the biggun's.

I'd like to see this process...remember those 2 (smooth) sulcatas from AZ...that the guy was selling on CL...he had a subterranean bunker as well...never heard from him about acquiring those two, but I sure liked the idea of having an underground bunker with heat...instead of some nasty shed.

 

[Laura]

I like Loafing Shed's as a design. Tuff shed makes them.. there is an inside area and a covered outdoor area that you can hang a heat lamp, but they can still be outside to move around and eat.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I don't know if anyone answered your question about a pig blanket...its a plastic mat that plugs in and provides heat for the tort to lay on. Suitable for large torts as long as you provide an area for them to also be off of it. photo: http://www.mccarthyboas.com/KaneHeatMat18x18.JPG You can also use over head heat bulbs.

 

[Laura]

Stanfield also makes one. Check Osborne supplies..

 

[Wirewehear]

I don't know if anyone answered your question about a pig blanket...its a plastic mat that plugs in and provides heat for the tort to lay on.

Thanks Kate .... you must be the one who catches all those little questions that get buried in posts.
I figured it out when I pulled up a site with a pic of a bunch little pigs laying out on red heat mats. lol .. I'm going to go with an overhead light for now and see how it goes.