help needed/suggestions for outdoor enclosure for leopard tortoises

[liz thomas]

help!
my husband and i are planning an outdoor enclosure for our leopard tortoise bernie. we are also considering rehoming another so he is not alone.

idea 1.
we have a greenhouse that is 8ft by 6ft which we would fully insulate and heat, and in summer he can wonder out into a large paved are where we would put out a section for grazing.

idea 2.
we have another patio are that is walled and secure, and would get an outdoor shed/wendy house that is about 6 by 4, insulate and heat the same way as greenhouse and let him wonder around the area whenever he wants.

they are kind of the same but im worried the greenhouse wont hold the heat.

the main issue we are worrying about is winter. would he be ok in the heated enclosures or do we need to have indoor area as well? its because of the size of the areas provided, will this be adaquate? he is only a little boy at the moment (150mm) so has a bit to grow still!

ive looked throught other threads and seen some examples, but its not really mentioned about winter....help!!

[Paulg1]

Terry has a great shed and so does Kelly. Get with them.

[Laraine]

Our Leopards are all juveniles, and are kept indoors in a large table top enclosure in winter. You will soon discover, Leopards dont generally have the sense to come in out of the cold, and will just stop where they are and tuck their legs in. Terry warned me about this when we got our guys almost 2 years ago, and he was right. So you have to be careful of the temperatures so that they dont get cold. Our summer last year was awful, and we had to keep a close eye on the temps and any wandering Leos.

[terrypin]

Originally Posted by liz thomas

help!
my husband and i are planning an outdoor enclosure for our leopard tortoise bernie. we are also considering rehoming another so he is not alone.

idea 1.
we have a greenhouse that is 8ft by 6ft which we would fully insulate and heat, and in summer he can wonder out into a large paved are where we would put out a section for grazing.

idea 2.
we have another patio are that is walled and secure, and would get an outdoor shed/wendy house that is about 6 by 4, insulate and heat the same way as greenhouse and let him wonder around the area whenever he wants.

they are kind of the same but im worried the greenhouse wont hold the heat.

the main issue we are worrying about is winter. would he be ok in the heated enclosures or do we need to have indoor area as well? its because of the size of the areas provided, will this be adaquate? he is only a little boy at the moment (150mm) so has a bit to grow still!

ive looked throught other threads and seen some examples, but its not really mentioned about winter....help!!

hi i use an insulated shed for my leopards all year they have 2 heatlamps suspended overhead for basking and are allowed between 2 and 4 hours warm up depending on outside temperatures then allowed into their outdoor enclosure through a hatch.during the summer they spend all day outside but winter time on really cold days often it is only 1/2 hour before they wind down ,i know it doesnt sound worht the effort but they really do benefit from the oppurtunity to graze and of course even winter sunshine is beneficial.winter 2007 i tried to use one of my greenhouses to encourage my female to nest but i had real problems keeping the ambient temperature up and had to resort to a nesting box indoors in the middle of winter.you will find it easier to heat a shed overnight and certainly a lot cheaper.whatever heating you use i found they are more active with a good bright flourescent light and more likely to go out when they are warmed up.any questions or if i can help please just say if you want to see pictures of my enclosures or shed please just ask.
terry

[liz thomas]

thanks terry thats really helpful! if you could show images of the enclosures that would be fab, and maybe the dimensions to give us an idea of length x width. thanks again!

[sarah]

Here is mine last summer
Cold frame now removed


The front of the shed there little walk way- grass seed has been planted


First door open and you hit another, this is so that you can leave the first door open all day on nice days and all the heat does not escape (hot air rises)





Inside sorry ran out of hemp





On a nice day

[dugy]

wow, what a great garden sarah!! i wish i had the space to create somehting like that... i think next week i am going to find time to start planning my outdoor enclosure =] i've just had percy out for half an hour, his very first time.. he seemed to love teh openess and constant fresh air!!!

[terrypin]

Originally Posted by liz thomas

thanks terry thats really helpful! if you could show images of the enclosures that would be fab, and maybe the dimensions to give us an idea of length x width. thanks again!

hi my adults live in their shed with daily access to their enclosure.the juveniles and hatchlings are kept seperate but in the cellar overnight and winter time and in the summer they have their own pens outside when the weather is reasonable.
ADULTS







JUVENILES



HATCHLINGS.

[liz thomas]

WOW!!!!!

those are some really lucky leos!!
thanks for adding them, they have added to our ideas.

liz