I've cleared a big enough space to have a perminant home outside for my russian tortoise rather than doing the out in the morning in at night thing because he seems so much happier outside. I've read the sticky - 'tort enclosure info' so I know the basics, however, it does not specify what I would need for my tortoise to be outdoors at night. What type of night-time heating should I use? Would a dog kennel be ok or would I need something more solid like an actual insulated brick building?

Any information would be really welcome, even if it is to tell me that it's a bad idea and be advised against it!

I'd of thought night time heating would be unnessary (provided there is no frost).

For my guys I use a wooden dog kennel type of thing. It was a home made one so it's a bit more complicated than a normal kennel. It's got double walls with a layer of polystyrene in between as insulation (and on the floor too). Inside it has an electric heater (the kind used for rabbit hutches) which has it's own protective grill but just to be safe we sectioned off that area with a wood/wire barrier so there is no way Wurtle can touch it. That's got a thermostat attached to it so it just keeps the temperature from going too low.

I hope that made sense!

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Wurtle and Bob

I know, but i'm covering all bases, I don't want to go out one morning to discover that Donatello has frozen to death, it gets pretty cold some nights

I was thinking about making my own tortie house with insulation because it will probably work out cheaper.

Yeah it definitely is. We just used ply basically, then treated it several times to make it nice and waterproof. We added in a ramp too and a little cloth door to keep the draft out! I was going to take a photo but it's pouring with rain here so I can't!

The house we use isn't actually open to the elements completely. The whole enclosure is kind of like a big rabbit run - i.e. got a wire/wood cover and the house area has a plywood lid to open for access to the house and on the other side a perspex sloped roof to give a little area of covered but "outdoor" space. So it's kinda a like a little sloped roof area, then the rest of the run is flat "roofed" with wire and wood. God I'm so bad at explaining this - sorry!

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Wurtle and Bob

providing your garden is ecure its a great idea! to heat the house you decide on you will need a cheap thermostat and a ceramic heater or a small tubular heater. it can be as complicated or as simple as you would like and depends just on you and your budget. good luck and let us know what you decide on!

If it's not raining tomorrow I'll take a shot of my tortoise house so you can see the way I've set up the heater - it's nothing special but seems to work ok for Wurtle

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Wurtle and Bob

I'll probably build it myself because we have a few sheets of ply-wood in the shed also my husband can get sheets of polystyrene or insulator and all the bracketing to make the frame of the house free from work (advantage of having a plumber - u can build almost anything from copper/uni-strut and... free insulation!) All i'll have to pay for is the water-proofing stuff.

I've found some tube heaters on screw-fix direct that are bargain price, will they do the job?

I'll let you all know how i'm getting on - and if my husband's gunna co-operate because he doesn't know about my plans yet ha ha!

Cheers for all your comments