Winter enclosure size

[steppingonlegos]

Moving soon from Houston to Michigan with our 8 yo Sulcata. Right now he free ranges year round and has a heat and UVB controlled shed that he can use when needed. In the winter he stays in there for weeks with fresh hay and veggies but can leave if he wants. Even keeping that temp controlled in Houston has been stressful to me so I’m worried about setting something up for Michigan winters. Our setup in terms of free ranging and cold weather access to a tempt controlled space will continue but I want to rethink what we use for winter Our Rubbermaid resin shed seems unnecessarily big and also too tall for efficient heating. I guess what I’m wondering is for Sulcatas who can free range but obviously won’t for prolonged periods of time in winter, how much space do they really need? Would a smaller (like 6x3) shed be sufficient during those cold months because that would be much easier to keep at proper temps. Or do they get active in there and need real roaming space?

Obviously we can bring him inside if needed but I would prefer to find a good outside solution as he’s too heavy for me to carry and too stubborn to motivate to go where we want.

 

[Tom]

Moving soon from Houston to Michigan with our 8 yo Sulcata. Right now he free ranges year round and has a heat and UVB controlled shed that he can use when needed. In the winter he stays in there for weeks with fresh hay and veggies but can leave if he wants. Even keeping that temp controlled in Houston has been stressful to me so I’m worried about setting something up for Michigan winters. Our setup in terms of free ranging and cold weather access to a tempt controlled space will continue but I want to rethink what we use for winter Our Rubbermaid resin shed seems unnecessarily big and also too tall for efficient heating. I guess what I’m wondering is for Sulcatas who can free range but obviously won’t for prolonged periods of time in winter, how much space do they really need? Would a smaller (like 6x3) shed be sufficient during those cold months because that would be much easier to keep at proper temps. Or do they get active in there and need real roaming space?

Obviously we can bring him inside if needed but I would prefer to find a good outside solution as he’s too heavy for me to carry and too stubborn to motivate to go where we want.

They need at least 50x50 feet if they are going to be confined in a heated indoor space for months. It's fine to confine them in a shed for a few days in a warm climate like Houston. It's not done to confine them that way for weeks or months over a frozen winter. They need locomotion, and lots of it, to keep their bowels moving and prevent urate build up. There is no practical way to house them in the frozen north. If you have a mllic dollars laying around, you can build an insulated warehouse with heated floors and extensive lighting with a back up generator on it, but outside of something like that, its not a good situation for a giant tropical tortoise. Most of them are stunted, and many of them die. This is not a good species for people who don't live in a warm climate where they can walk around outside in a large pen daily.

 

[RandyTortoise]

What does your basement look like up north? That may be your only option.