Where to put enclosure?

[ewam]

Well it is just about the time where I can't take Bing outside for exercise anymore so he won't be able to stay in his small tank for the winter so i need a much bigger enclosure. Well my ideas where to put 2 under bed storage things together and put it on a table in the garage so nothing can get to it. The problems with that is it can get down to a minimum of 50 degrees and my parents think it would to hard and expensive to keep it warm, and the garage door opening about 10 times a day and cars pulling in.
The second idea is to put tarp on the floor of kinda of an unused closet. The problems of this is that there isn't that much air flow which is an easy fix though because the space at the bottom of the door so I can block with wood around it so that air can get in easy and this is kinda weird with lighting and stuff.

So any other ideas to put an enclosure or ideas to fix them would be great, Bing is a 4 in leopard tortoise just you know.

Thanks

 

[DixieParadise]

I am thinking that the closet might be the best idea. If it has a light fixture, you can buy one of those screw in adapters for more plugs. This will allow you to connect your lights with less wiring and extension cords going everywhere. Not sure how the airflow would effect this.

Good luck and let us know what you decide. I just have my 3 cherry's sharing a Tortoise House. It doesn't take anymore room than a regular table. I was able to get them outside for a few hours today. But I don't like to take them out when it dips below 70. So they are inside now for the most part....day and night.

 

[ewam]

Oh it isn't a small confined closet or anything it is a nice walk in closet but for some reason it has no light fixtures given the reason it is pretty much unused. But there is a rack that I think I could probably hang a UVB light but the other half has a big slope in the ceiling so it is kinda awkward, and I was thinking I can put a hook in and put a heat lamp there.

The reason why I thought down on the closet is probably because how it has always been dark and not look very nice to me, but I am sure with lights it will look good. Still up for new ideas too if anyone has one.

 

[jackrat]

I think the closet is the way to go.

 

[Tom]

I vote closet too. I'd build a box to fit inside the space. I don't think a tarp will hold up very well. Lack of air flow is usually a good thing. It means your humidity will stay up and your heat will be more efficient.

A cold garage with car fumes is no place for a tortoise.

 

[ewam]

Ok thanks for the replies. It was kinda weird because when I was typing the thread and seeing how much problems there were in the garage compared to the closet, I started to see that the closet was best.

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I vote closet too. I'd build a box to fit inside the space. I don't think a tarp will hold up very well. Lack of air flow is usually a good thing. It means your humidity will stay up and your heat will be more efficient.

A cold garage with car fumes is no place for a tortoise.

What would I make the box out of? Wood maybe and if it is what do I put on it so water doesn't damage it?

 

[lynnedit]

Depends on what works for you. Two decent sized underbed containers connected together is fine too. Or three; I think the idea is get the enclosure as large as you can. If wood is not an options, why don't you use the container idea in the closet, might be neater?
You may have seen this thread at the beginning of the enclosure section: very nice use of plastic containers:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-New-Setup-Good-read-for-beginners#axzz1bQQvrdH2
The 3 prong extension cord is a good idea, you could also get one of those multiplug timers to set day/night lighting. Also, you can hang the light fixtures from the clothes rod by a chain, to allow you to adjust as needed, and keep it secure.
I think there have been a couple of other posts about setting up an enclosure in a closet, you might do a search.