New Outdoor Enclosure
Posted: 28 Apr 2017, 13:10
Hi
This is my first post after failing to hibernate my horsfield Pastie a few months ago. Hoepfully this project will be more successful.
I have started work on a new outdoor enclosure which is going to be just over 10ft x 6ft. It faces south and is exposed to the sun all day. Dappled shade will be provided in the afternoon by a tall Rowan tree that is pretty close by. 8 new sleepers will form the sides. Using two layers of sleepers will produce sides 16" tall and will be filled with 2 tons of top soil with play sand mixed in, so the substrate depth will be approx 10" deep. 15 slates that are 2ft square will cover the bottom to stop him digging out or other things getting in. Am going to construct an apex style roof to hopefully provide enough height so as the plants mature they have enough room to grow reasonably tall. the roof will consist of 3 identical sections. Each just over 3ft long with hinged panels that will open either upwards or sideways ( have not decided on that yet ), so there will be 6 panels in total allowing easy access to the entire enclosure. Each panel will simply be a wooden frame with galvanised 12mm steel wire mesh inside so no predators can get through.
I want to keep him outside from spring to autumn, so need to construct a suitable hide and this is the MAIN reason for THIS POST. I have done research on what is needed inside the hide, but many people post pictures of what they have constructed and unfortunately I am unable to see the detail as my eyesight is quite poor. Therefore advice on what others have used and recommendations for suitable products would be most welcome.
I am planning to use a 75W ceramic heater controlled through a thermostat which will be set to come on if the temperature drops below 15 degrees. A heat lamp of undetermined wattage will be set through a timer to come on in the morning for a few hours to encourage him to come out of the hide. do others use this sort of setup? What wattage heat lamp would you recommend.
As pastie is a horsfield he wont grow all that large so was thinking a hide that is about 600mm long x 400mm deep x 600mm high would suffice?
Will use exterior plywood to construct the hide with cavity walls having polystyrene pieces to insulate and maybe some kind of loft insulation in the hide roof to insulate that. Will clad the outside with pine pieces that are ship lapped like on a shed which will help insulation and also make it look more attractive.
The hide will basically be a rectangular box so the bottom will be permanently sitting on the soil. So I think pinning roofing felt to the underside should help preserve it from deterioration. The soil in the hide will stay pretty dry, although I think spraying it from time to time just like in an indoor enclosure would not hurt? What do others use in their outdoor hides for bedding?
The roof will be an apex style with a rake of either 45 or 30 degrees and covered with roofing felt. The roof will also be removable to allow easy access.
Attached to the front will be a cold frame which I will construct from wood with acrylic sheets to form the top and sides. I found these on Amazon a while back and used an A4 size one in a frame I constructed to make a little cold frame in his old outdoor enclosure. This cold frame will be slightly larger and as it will be joined to the front of the hide it should stop any cold draughts going straight into the main hide entrance.
So that's my plan and any advice or criticism is most welcome.
Darren.
This is my first post after failing to hibernate my horsfield Pastie a few months ago. Hoepfully this project will be more successful.
I have started work on a new outdoor enclosure which is going to be just over 10ft x 6ft. It faces south and is exposed to the sun all day. Dappled shade will be provided in the afternoon by a tall Rowan tree that is pretty close by. 8 new sleepers will form the sides. Using two layers of sleepers will produce sides 16" tall and will be filled with 2 tons of top soil with play sand mixed in, so the substrate depth will be approx 10" deep. 15 slates that are 2ft square will cover the bottom to stop him digging out or other things getting in. Am going to construct an apex style roof to hopefully provide enough height so as the plants mature they have enough room to grow reasonably tall. the roof will consist of 3 identical sections. Each just over 3ft long with hinged panels that will open either upwards or sideways ( have not decided on that yet ), so there will be 6 panels in total allowing easy access to the entire enclosure. Each panel will simply be a wooden frame with galvanised 12mm steel wire mesh inside so no predators can get through.
I want to keep him outside from spring to autumn, so need to construct a suitable hide and this is the MAIN reason for THIS POST. I have done research on what is needed inside the hide, but many people post pictures of what they have constructed and unfortunately I am unable to see the detail as my eyesight is quite poor. Therefore advice on what others have used and recommendations for suitable products would be most welcome.
I am planning to use a 75W ceramic heater controlled through a thermostat which will be set to come on if the temperature drops below 15 degrees. A heat lamp of undetermined wattage will be set through a timer to come on in the morning for a few hours to encourage him to come out of the hide. do others use this sort of setup? What wattage heat lamp would you recommend.
As pastie is a horsfield he wont grow all that large so was thinking a hide that is about 600mm long x 400mm deep x 600mm high would suffice?
Will use exterior plywood to construct the hide with cavity walls having polystyrene pieces to insulate and maybe some kind of loft insulation in the hide roof to insulate that. Will clad the outside with pine pieces that are ship lapped like on a shed which will help insulation and also make it look more attractive.
The hide will basically be a rectangular box so the bottom will be permanently sitting on the soil. So I think pinning roofing felt to the underside should help preserve it from deterioration. The soil in the hide will stay pretty dry, although I think spraying it from time to time just like in an indoor enclosure would not hurt? What do others use in their outdoor hides for bedding?
The roof will be an apex style with a rake of either 45 or 30 degrees and covered with roofing felt. The roof will also be removable to allow easy access.
Attached to the front will be a cold frame which I will construct from wood with acrylic sheets to form the top and sides. I found these on Amazon a while back and used an A4 size one in a frame I constructed to make a little cold frame in his old outdoor enclosure. This cold frame will be slightly larger and as it will be joined to the front of the hide it should stop any cold draughts going straight into the main hide entrance.
So that's my plan and any advice or criticism is most welcome.
Darren.