I finished the winter box for my outdoor blackthroat enclosure. It measures 7' long, 4' wide and 2' tall.

It was constructed from 1/2" plywood with 3/4" foam insulation on all sides, top and bottom. the inside was then finished off with 1/4" plywood to keep her from clawing up the insulation.

The bottom was covered with a 1" or so layer of dirt. Yes I know, not enough to burrow in, but she never really burrows anyway.

There is a breezeway with a clear damper (doggy door) to keep the colder drafts out.

There is dual 45 watt halogen floods in one corner so she can access her basking temps. To maintain ambient temps, I bought a 1500 watt blower heater from Wal-Mart, installed in one corner. This is controlled with a remote thermostat set to 75*.

I know what your thinking, A BLOWER HEATER!!!! Well, it is all plastic construction, non conductive. It has many safety features, overheat, tip cut-off, reset etc.

It is securely mounted with plenty of airspace around it. I held my hand directly touching the heater and never even got close to being too hot, even after several minutes. Plus it is mounted up higher, so she can't lay directly on it anyways. I do plan however to cage it in for safety for extra precaution.

Right now it is 58* here during the night. With this setup her inside temp will never fall below 75, with a daytime basking area of a maximum (if she lays directly under it) of 145*, ambient 75*. I have been monitoring her minimum lows, and everything is working out great.

She still has access to her outside pen, which she still takes advantage of. She is all over the place, basking in her box, hiding outside in her man-made burrows, and hide boxes, laying in the natural sun, and sleeping at night in her toasty box.

We are experiencing a cold front here in this part of Florida right now. Normally this is January/February weather. With the average winter here of 75-80 daytime, 40-50 night time, I feel this system will be perfect for her for the 3 months of this cooler weather.

The only trouble I can see is the space heater drying the box out. I plan on adding a zone to my sprinkler system directly to the box, with a small mist head that will mist a few times daily.

Sorry for rambling on!!! Just wanted to share with you all.

Pics will be up at some point.


jeff

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