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Converting a Rubbermaid® garden shed into a tortoise shelter
[Sulcata Station would like to thank Derek Davis for providing us with photographs and a detailed description of how he modified a Rubbermaid® garden shed into a shelter for his sulcata tortoise.]
---Derek Davis wrote:
Hi,
I wanted to thank you for all the information you've provided through your website about caring for Sulcatas. As I was perusing it, I was reminded of my own search for such help 3 years ago when we got our Sulcata, "Panzi". One of my biggest problems was designing / building or finding an appropriate heatable outdoor shelter (at 50 lbs, Panzi was never going to be in the house!). I remember at the time seeing a web-article talking about using a "Dogloo", but I was unable to find one large enough, nor did it seem like it would be all that convenient to maintain and heat.
Here's what I did instead:
1. I purchased a Rubbermaid storage shed (#3752-01-714). At 4.5 feet high x 5 feet wide x 6.5 feet deep, it's the biggest they make with 92 cubic feet. But the best attribute is that after opening the swing-out doors, one can slide the roof back and walk right into it. This makes it a LOT easier to retrieve your big tortoise from his house. Cleaning it is also a breeze.
2. Next I used a reciprocating saw to cut a tortoise-sized half-moon opening in the middle of the doors. Since the walls of the shed are hollow, I filled in the gaps exposed by my cutting with polyurethane insulating foam (comes in a can from e.g. Home Depot), trimmed off the excess, and painted it gray to match the door color.
3. I then took a couple of pieces of thick vinyl carpet runner (normally used to protect carpet in high-traffic areas), and attached one to the inside of each door to cover the torty-door. I also cut the portion directly over the opening into 2" wide vertical strips.
4. At the back of the shed, I placed an oil-filled electric room heater (with built-in thermostat) and built a wooden barrier around it. Also installed a thermometer.
5. To make it "homey", I put a layer of Bermuda grass on the floor.
After about 3 days of training Panzi (putting him in there in the evening), he figured it out. I keep it heated (if necessary) to about 68 F. He sleeps there every night without fail. During the winter, he never comes out, but I can tell when he's beginning to "wake up" because his grass bed starts to disappear.
If we lived in a colder climate (as opposed to Phoenix, AZ), I would punch holes in the walls and roof and completely fill them with polyurethane foam insulation and I would seal the joints (walls, floor, and the fixed portion of the roof).
I've attached a few JPEGs showing Panzi and his house. You're welcome to use any of these pictures and info on your website if you think it would be useful to others.
Cheers, ...Derek Davis
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