16/06/2021
Over the past month, I built Leo a new home. I was told that other tortoise owners might benefit from my building plans so I wanted to share!
It always takes a while to get Leo used to a new home and this one had its fair share of lessons learned. The ramp was too high for Leo to climb, even with the skid tape, (he got stuck and just wiggled his legs around..super cute and funny), so I had to make a make shift ramp until I can complete a nicer half-octogon shaped ramp built. Also, the house is only in the sun for 2 hours in the day from 4-6pm... when the desert sun is the hottest. So I had to add an old Gazebo curtain to hang from the patio blocking the evening sun.
Update: I've lowered the doorway by 3 inches and Leo is far more willing to actually go into to the house at night.
Originally, I hired a contractor to build the home in a week (according to his estimate) but after 4 months of excuses I was done with him and with Leo living in the laundry room at night. So... I took my plans and went out for supplies. Everything was purchased from Lowes or Amazon and totalled about $700 and It took a total of 6 days (8 hour weekend days). Its not perfect but I saved $1500 in labor costs by building myself 😊.
Here is the house info:
6' wide x 4' deep x 3.5'/4' tall, insulated and heated, removable door that turns into ramp, hooks for UVB light during winter, ventilation holes as well as drainage hole for easy spray cleaning, FRP plastic interior for durability against scratching and for easy cleaning.
Materials:
Frame: 3"x2" rough cut wood
Insulation: 2" poly foam boards (Looking back, I should have gotten thinner boards, i.e. 1.5-1.75". The 2" was too thick for the wood frame)
Backing: Thin plywood (for roof and floor), Hard board (for walls, to save on costs from plywood expenses)
Interior wall protection: White FRP panels
Exterior walls: Bead board
Trim: 1"x2" boards
Roof: Tuftex plastic panels
Heater: Dog house heater (Amazon)
Hardware: Piano hinges, eye and hook for roof, tuftex foam and screws, construction deck screws 1" and 2", 1.25" nails with nail gun for trim and beadboard, hooks for interior hanging items.
Glue: waterproof silicone, loctite pl3 premium glue, FRP fast grab
Paint: standard outdoor primer, mistinted blue paint (lol), and outdoor white for trim
