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Old 06-07-2018, 01:38 PM   #1
Smeg
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Default Insulated outdoor hide/house

Hi all,

Am redoing my tort enclosure after a house move with a much bigger (and south facing) garden.
Have been looking at a plastic insulated one like shown below.
Can get the door hole custom made so it's sized appropriately with a closable door.

I have a similar wooden one already but it's seen better days and with the extra insulation the plastic one can have they can be out longer as the heat/UV lamp in there will be more efficient so they can still come and go on colder days.
Not cheap but am never going to get round to building my own one.
Anyone got something similar?

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Old 06-07-2018, 02:31 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Smeg View Post
Hi all,

Am redoing my tort enclosure after a house move with a much bigger (and south facing) garden.
Have been looking at a plastic insulated one like shown below.
Can get the door hole custom made so it's sized appropriately with a closable door.

I have a similar wooden one already but it's seen better days and with the extra insulation the plastic one can have they can be out longer as the heat/UV lamp in there will be more efficient so they can still come and go on colder days.
Not cheap but am never going to get round to building my own one.
Anyone got something similar?

I dont know if this is of any help, I use coldframes for my tortoises housing as well as a greenhouse. My glass coldframes are still standing after ten years or more. The plastic one (not fragile) lasted around three years because of the sun and heat:0)
I would go for wood rather than plastic but thats me:0)
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Old 06-07-2018, 04:49 PM   #3
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Round here the rats would live underneath, so you would need to think about the gap. Also if one of the torts could go underneath could you get to them.

Would you make a ramp up? We had to do this for the shed, but made sure it was a long and wide gentle slope so they couldn't fall off.
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Old 13-07-2018, 10:54 PM   #4
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Thanks for the input.
I wouldn't usually go for plastic but this plastic is durable stuff so should last many years. Easy to clean and no wood to retreat. My old one was almost the same but wooden and the roof rotted after 5 years and it was easily damaged when I dismantled it for the house move.
Got several neighbours cats always in my garden to take care of any mice or rats but it'd be on top of some paving slabs to prevent the torts from digging down. They'll have other places in the enclosure for that.
Am looking at a cold frame to put in also but not to use for their heated hide on days that are too cold for them to be out (but they could come and go as they please.)
Can add a stable ramp for the torts or can even get the legs shortened or removed completely.
Need to get a proper hide sorted for when temps start to drop and they need artificial heat and UV and these houses take a couple of weeks as they're apparently made to order (or shipped from China lol!)
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Old 14-07-2018, 10:25 PM   #5
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Look forward to seeing your final arrangements. It is so good to share as gives us all ideas.
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Old 15-07-2018, 07:21 PM   #6
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Mines not insulated so your one is ideal. I love dog houses they are so good for the larger tortoise and you can adapt it. think this one could house a great dane and is used purely as a second home by one big Tortoise. Congratulations on your new home and south facing ! its scorchio at the moment so I have also invested in a 'bar' umbrella for the little creeps. don't forget to post photos would love to see any set ups!



Mice galore ! I did rescue these as felt soooo sorry for them. They were wild. Wild they were livid. I even fed them via a syringe...they grew...big...and bigger...bye bye mousey into the fields....CB
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Old 17-07-2018, 08:40 PM   #7
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Mice galore ! I did rescue these as felt soooo sorry for them. They were wild. Wild they were livid. I even fed them via a syringe...they grew...big...and bigger...bye bye mousey into the fields....CB
Awww, would probably have done the same! Well done!

Am ordering a load of wood and wire mesh panels to put an enclosure together.
Need to have it covered properly as there a a few cats along with magpies and Jays who have shown an interest.
Foxes in the area too, one was attacked a few years ago after I forgot to put the roof back on their enclosure. He lost a nail and there are a few small gouges in his shell. Was a bit bloody when I found him on his back in the middle of the lawn in the morning. Fortunately they didn't get infected or rot!
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Old 19-07-2018, 02:02 PM   #8
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Wow. poor torty. I think you can just be unlucky sometimes. We have foxes, cubs, voles, buzzards and even baby badger, but there is only so much security you can do with some of the larger torts during the day.
I love having all the birds in the garden but what I find a bit frustrating is the birds use all the water bowls to drink and wash and they end up dirty or dried out with dead snails where they have knocked them out on the dish and devoured them.....nice....CB
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Old 15-04-2019, 12:49 PM   #9
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It's been a while but got the new enclosure sorted not long before the two spurs went in to their hibernation.
It's 12ft by 6ft with the kennel mentioned above. It's been lined with Styrofoam sheets all round top and bottom and a lining of silver bubble wrap that I had lying around.
The floor and and 6" up the side is pond liner for easy wiping out.
At the time, there was one of these Kennels going 2nd hand less than half the price of new and it was only 10 miles from me so I snapped it up! It was pretty much "as new" condition.
Their Arcades D3 bulb is in the kennel and there is a clear plastic flap over the entrance to keep in the heat. This is turned off on warm days. They come and go through this flap just fine. No issue clambering up and down the temporary small brick steps!
It has a hinged door as well to keep closed. There's the wooden and perspex cold frame next to it to give them options.
The wire frame panels are sitting on wooden sleepers.
Can't help thinking I could/should have gone bigger!





Last edited by Smeg; 15-04-2019 at 12:57 PM.
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Old 15-04-2019, 03:09 PM   #10
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The enclosure is looking good:0)
And you should have gone bigger, as with the two boxes inside it does not leave a lot of room for roaming. But with a little thought you will be able to adjust later on:0)
The one thing I would say is, you need more earth area inside the enclosure. As if they sit on damp grass a lot, then there is a chance of shell rot. And they prefer to bask on soil/slabs not grass:0)
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