Outdoor house size

RacingSnake · 03-05-2013, 04:12 PM

Ok,
we're still not settled on the replacement house.
The issue is the size of it (when isn't that the problem!

).

The torts are outside all year, so when they are 'locked in', it's the only space they have.
Currently their house is approx. 2ft by 4 ft, with the enclosure being 4ft by 10ft.

I was thinking to increase the house to approx. 2.5ft x 4.5ft, as the overall increase in ground area would be approx. 40% increase in floor space.

My wife is looking at 4ft x 7ft 'playhouse', which although will give a monster space for them, it will leave them with virtually no outdoor space and (IMO) look far too big for our garden

- not to mention cost a small fortune in heating.

So, what would be sensible?
it's for 2 (male) hermans approx. 15cm each.

burnt toast · 03-05-2013, 05:30 PM

I would say outdoor space is of more value to the torts racing snake. I have four adult THB living happily in a 4 x 4 x poultry house, admitedly this is attached to a greenhouse 8 x 6 of which they have half but then they have a large outdoor space.

To be honest they have a small ottoman in the greenhouse, which they last owner advised me to do & they all happily pile into that everynight, on top of each other! I just pick them up & transfer them to their secure house which I have spent ages insulating & kitting out for them!

RacingSnake · 03-05-2013, 05:34 PM

thanks... that's my thinking too, but the counter argument (certainly last year) was that they spent a lot more time in their house than they did out of it

I've found this which is probably a good compromise between the 'house' my wife wants and the practical size I think is necessary. (about 3.5ft x 4.5ft internal space)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/3683682.htm

burnt toast · 03-05-2013, 05:41 PM

Yes thats a good point to consider. I have changed their enclosure as the last owner was very oldschool & insisted I keep them the same way she did in a bubblewrapped greenhouse. Which was Ok, until the depths of winter, just before hibernation & I just couldnt get the temps up. So demolished that & built new set up whilst they were hibernating (I wouldnt have been able to keep them warm enough when they woke up either

)

So your playhouse would be better than glass. As to size you would also need to consider if both being male might need extra space? Although I believe if there are no females around then two males can get on ok?

RacingSnake · 03-05-2013, 05:44 PM

and your last point is quite pertinent, as we are having a lot of domination going on at the moment.
with much humping and now they've started biting each other too.

It doesn't look too rough at the moment, but I am worried it'll escalate and they'll start getting injured.

I will be expanding the outdoor enclosure too, but they're not getting any more than maybe another 5 square feet in total area.

burnt toast · 03-05-2013, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingSnake

and your last point is quite pertinent, as we are having a lot of domination going on at the moment.
with much humping and now they've started biting each other too.

It doesn't look too rough at the moment, but I am worried it'll escalate and they'll start getting injured.

I will be expanding the outdoor enclosure too, but they're not getting any more than maybe another 5 square feet in total area.

Then I would look to the playhouse & split it in half - half each & maybe split outside area, but you might get away with a lot of sightbreakers/ hides etc. With males I think it depends on their individual personalities. I think this time of year is worse for fighting, hormones at their highest, but they might settle down once top tort is established. But im guessing you cant wait that long to sort housing + will be aware of the possability & want to keep your options open for seperating?

RacingSnake · 03-05-2013, 05:52 PM

Yes I was thinking it'd be easy to bolt a sheet down the middle and still leave approx. 2x4 each - and I guess I could do a small mezzanine to give some more space.

Ok, I think I'll go with that, as I say, it give the 'house' that my wife wants and a compromise on the amount of space with a better option if they start to scrap more seriously.

Cheers

Will show my progress in a different thread when I make some headway

Pussygalore · 03-05-2013, 07:00 PM

you obviously need something big enough to insulate and ideally walk into, my torts had the floor of a small shed where we lived before, and it was nice to be able to walk inside. The floor was divided in two with a opening at each end out into the side garden, I found a tubular heater on a thermostat would easily heat the shed at night and two hanging combined bulbs worked through the day. The insulation though is the most important and that incudes double glazing any windows and don't forget the door and floor. A ramp at each opening also doubled as the means of shutting them in by raising it. When we moved here the adults had a large kennel type house each with a combined bulb and ceramic heat bulb however they were hibernated.

RacingSnake · 03-05-2013, 07:39 PM

I would argue that I don't need to walk into it, so heating 6ft height of space is (imo) a waste of energy and space!. I have no issues with crouching down to get in and clean it all

But yes, I would insulate the inside as I've done to the existing house.
I was hoping to reuse my existing ceramic heater as it's been faultless since we've had it.
Similarly I'd run a couple of UV strips which I've always found worked ok, and would probably then supplement with a daylight bulb just to up the ambient lighting.

That's the plan anyway!

kazzabb · 04-05-2013, 11:28 AM

Hi Racing Snake, did you check out the website Northumberland Joinery, they have some duck/geese/dog houses which might suit, and the prices are very reasonable. The ones with two doors are useful if you need to split the house inside to allow for separation of torts. A lot of the houses I found are made with 12mm tongue and groove, but some are only 10mm. I managed to find one at 19mm but it was pricey and I should have done a bit more research.
http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co....abin-Playhouse
the larger size cabin of this style is too large for the area I wanted it, is 28mm, which is really chunky.
I've also recently found wooden double dog kennels, like the one below, this is no longer available but they're such a good idea, wish I'd thought of this before I got my shed.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giant-Double.../dp/B004YM55R8
Found this too, another double.
http://www.easyanimal.co.uk/wooden-d...nt-double.html

There's this one too, but it's quite expensive.
http://www.ideas-4-pets.co.uk/richmo...rce=googlebase
http://www.ideas-4-pets.co.uk/richmo...rce=googlebase

03-05-2013, 04:12 PM	#1
RacingSnake Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Reading Posts: 582	Outdoor house size Ok, we're still not settled on the replacement house. The issue is the size of it (when isn't that the problem! ). The torts are outside all year, so when they are 'locked in', it's the only space they have. Currently their house is approx. 2ft by 4 ft, with the enclosure being 4ft by 10ft. I was thinking to increase the house to approx. 2.5ft x 4.5ft, as the overall increase in ground area would be approx. 40% increase in floor space. My wife is looking at 4ft x 7ft 'playhouse', which although will give a monster space for them, it will leave them with virtually no outdoor space and (IMO) look far too big for our garden - not to mention cost a small fortune in heating. So, what would be sensible? it's for 2 (male) hermans approx. 15cm each. __________________ Code: .~~~. _ .~~~. _ ./____/'_) ./____/'_) {_}-{_} {_}-{_}

03-05-2013, 05:34 PM	#3
RacingSnake Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Reading Posts: 582	thanks... that's my thinking too, but the counter argument (certainly last year) was that they spent a lot more time in their house than they did out of it I've found this which is probably a good compromise between the 'house' my wife wants and the practical size I think is necessary. (about 3.5ft x 4.5ft internal space) http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produc...er/3683682.htm __________________ Code: .~~~. _ .~~~. _ ./____/'_) ./____/'_) {_}-{_} {_}-{_}

03-05-2013, 05:44 PM	#5
RacingSnake Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Reading Posts: 582	and your last point is quite pertinent, as we are having a lot of domination going on at the moment. with much humping and now they've started biting each other too. It doesn't look too rough at the moment, but I am worried it'll escalate and they'll start getting injured. I will be expanding the outdoor enclosure too, but they're not getting any more than maybe another 5 square feet in total area. __________________ Code: .~~~. _ .~~~. _ ./____/'_) ./____/'_) {_}-{_} {_}-{_}

03-05-2013, 05:52 PM	#7
RacingSnake Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Reading Posts: 582	Yes I was thinking it'd be easy to bolt a sheet down the middle and still leave approx. 2x4 each - and I guess I could do a small mezzanine to give some more space. Ok, I think I'll go with that, as I say, it give the 'house' that my wife wants and a compromise on the amount of space with a better option if they start to scrap more seriously. Cheers Will show my progress in a different thread when I make some headway __________________ Code: .~~~. _ .~~~. _ ./____/'_) ./____/'_) {_}-{_} {_}-{_}

03-05-2013, 07:39 PM	#9
RacingSnake Member Hatchling Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Reading Posts: 582	I would argue that I don't need to walk into it, so heating 6ft height of space is (imo) a waste of energy and space!. I have no issues with crouching down to get in and clean it all But yes, I would insulate the inside as I've done to the existing house. I was hoping to reuse my existing ceramic heater as it's been faultless since we've had it. Similarly I'd run a couple of UV strips which I've always found worked ok, and would probably then supplement with a daylight bulb just to up the ambient lighting. That's the plan anyway! __________________ Code: .~~~. _ .~~~. _ ./____/'_) ./____/'_) {_}-{_} {_}-{_}

03-05-2013, 05:30 PM	#2
burnt toast Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5,246	I would say outdoor space is of more value to the torts racing snake. I have four adult THB living happily in a 4 x 4 x poultry house, admitedly this is attached to a greenhouse 8 x 6 of which they have half but then they have a large outdoor space. To be honest they have a small ottoman in the greenhouse, which they last owner advised me to do & they all happily pile into that everynight, on top of each other! I just pick them up & transfer them to their secure house which I have spent ages insulating & kitting out for them!

03-05-2013, 05:41 PM	#4
burnt toast Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 5,246	Yes thats a good point to consider. I have changed their enclosure as the last owner was very oldschool & insisted I keep them the same way she did in a bubblewrapped greenhouse. Which was Ok, until the depths of winter, just before hibernation & I just couldnt get the temps up. So demolished that & built new set up whilst they were hibernating (I wouldnt have been able to keep them warm enough when they woke up either ) So your playhouse would be better than glass. As to size you would also need to consider if both being male might need extra space? Although I believe if there are no females around then two males can get on ok?

03-05-2013, 07:00 PM	#8
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	you obviously need something big enough to insulate and ideally walk into, my torts had the floor of a small shed where we lived before, and it was nice to be able to walk inside. The floor was divided in two with a opening at each end out into the side garden, I found a tubular heater on a thermostat would easily heat the shed at night and two hanging combined bulbs worked through the day. The insulation though is the most important and that incudes double glazing any windows and don't forget the door and floor. A ramp at each opening also doubled as the means of shutting them in by raising it. When we moved here the adults had a large kennel type house each with a combined bulb and ceramic heat bulb however they were hibernated.

04-05-2013, 11:28 AM	#10
kazzabb Member Hatched Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Bedfordshire - the middle of nowhere Posts: 430	Hi Racing Snake, did you check out the website Northumberland Joinery, they have some duck/geese/dog houses which might suit, and the prices are very reasonable. The ones with two doors are useful if you need to split the house inside to allow for separation of torts. A lot of the houses I found are made with 12mm tongue and groove, but some are only 10mm. I managed to find one at 19mm but it was pricey and I should have done a bit more research. http://www.gardenbuildingsdirect.co....abin-Playhouse the larger size cabin of this style is too large for the area I wanted it, is 28mm, which is really chunky. I've also recently found wooden double dog kennels, like the one below, this is no longer available but they're such a good idea, wish I'd thought of this before I got my shed. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giant-Double.../dp/B004YM55R8 Found this too, another double. http://www.easyanimal.co.uk/wooden-d...nt-double.html There's this one too, but it's quite expensive. http://www.ideas-4-pets.co.uk/richmo...rce=googlebase http://www.ideas-4-pets.co.uk/richmo...rce=googlebase __________________ 19 TG Ibera, 3 dogs, 1 husband.

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