Well as some of you know I'm a new sulcata owner. Winter is fast approaching us in sierra vista, AZ and I'm stuck.
So he has an underground burrow I built for him. Here's the pic
So it a about 5 ft deep 7 ft in and 5 ft wide the ceiling is only about 3 ft from where he sleeps. All summer temps were in the 70's to 80's with no help.
Ok so my plan was to build him a winter box inside the shed (in the back of the pic) similar to toms. Where I am we can see winter temps in the teens at night to the 50's in the day. Most years lows stay in the twentys at night.
What I am proposing is to just semi seal up his burrow opening with the plastic they use for freezers ( keep the draft out) and other stuff but also put in a radiant heater or an oil heater down in the burrow. Temp controller all that jazz.. I guess I could try it but would love all of your thoughts..
Talking to some people around here in sv. One person has 5 sulcatas. He just let's them burrow and that's it.. he's had them for 15 yrs.. another person built an shallow adobe house with a heater in there and that's it. " If they wanna go out in the winter they do.." is what one told me..
So I'm stuck not sure what to do.. the cheaper less labor intensive option of putting a heater down in his burrow or building him a night box in the shed...
Right now night temps are low 50's with day time temps in the 80's burrow hasn't dropped below 70 yet.. but when I go down into the borrow you can feel a draft kicking around when the wind blows..so gotta get something soon.
Thanks all for your help!
So he has an underground burrow I built for him. Here's the pic
So it a about 5 ft deep 7 ft in and 5 ft wide the ceiling is only about 3 ft from where he sleeps. All summer temps were in the 70's to 80's with no help.
Ok so my plan was to build him a winter box inside the shed (in the back of the pic) similar to toms. Where I am we can see winter temps in the teens at night to the 50's in the day. Most years lows stay in the twentys at night.
What I am proposing is to just semi seal up his burrow opening with the plastic they use for freezers ( keep the draft out) and other stuff but also put in a radiant heater or an oil heater down in the burrow. Temp controller all that jazz.. I guess I could try it but would love all of your thoughts..
Talking to some people around here in sv. One person has 5 sulcatas. He just let's them burrow and that's it.. he's had them for 15 yrs.. another person built an shallow adobe house with a heater in there and that's it. " If they wanna go out in the winter they do.." is what one told me..
So I'm stuck not sure what to do.. the cheaper less labor intensive option of putting a heater down in his burrow or building him a night box in the shed...
Right now night temps are low 50's with day time temps in the 80's burrow hasn't dropped below 70 yet.. but when I go down into the borrow you can feel a draft kicking around when the wind blows..so gotta get something soon.
Thanks all for your help!