# Building outdoor sheds



## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm thinking about moving my mice to an outdoor shed, I just worry about temperature extremes. I'm not that worried about the cold, since I live in southern California, and it rarely gets below 50F here... Since they'd all be on wire-rack shelves, I could just throw an electric blanket over them at night. What I do worry about is the heat. During the summer we're often in the high 90's, and even over 100 for weeks at a time.

For those who are experienced with outdoor sheds, what are some on the musts and must-nots of sheds? Do you use wood, plastic, aluminum? Do you have skylights, windows, gaps between roof and wall for ventilation? Is anyone in a hot climate, and how do you keep your mice cool? Is a window AC unit enough for a shed? What size shed do you use and how many mice do you use?

Any pictures would be great too! :mrgreen:


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## sys15 (Nov 26, 2011)

i have my mice in my garage. they are fine currently, i haven't had a summer out here, so i'll have to see if the temps stay manageable or if i have to bring them inside.

during cooler temps i usually give them a few extra sunflower seeds, keep at least 3 mice per cage, and make sure they have cotton or something similar to construct well insulated nests. i've never kept mice outside in truly hot temps, but i've had ones that were fine at 85 or so (temp at their cage, not the daily high, which sometimes was much higher). fertility supposedly drops at warmer temps, but i can't say i've ever noticed that among my mice.

if you had them on wire shelves, i'd consider putting a board or cardboard on top of the wire during the winter, to help insulate the cage floor. but really, 50 as a nighttime low isn't very cold, they should be fine.

in terms of shed construction. if you are building from scratch, just build one as tall as you can, and install some ventilation up high. you just want the hot air to be able to get out in the summer so the temps don't build up. insulating the roof and putting it under a tree or an awning or something would help a lot too.


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## mouselover01 (Nov 1, 2011)

When we lived in Arizona we had a "shed" for our animals in our yard. It had mice, rats, and rabbits.

We found a place giving away an old walk in freezer.

We built a wooden platform. 4x4 treated lumber as skids, 2x4's and plywood. Sealed the ply wood where it met the other pieces. 
Then we built the freezer on top of that.

When that was done, we sealed up the freezer.

Then we started construction on a wall on the outside of the freezer (like you'd frame any wall). We used 2x4's and built that around the freezer, nailed it to the floor and put house siding (the wood kind) all around it. We built a pitched roof as well so water didn't pool.

We used roofing material to finish the roof.

I tiled the floor inside.

Then, we cut hole in both the wall and the freezer for a good window AC (it gets about 120 in the valley in Arizona).

Vent holes with fans (my bf wanted heat exchangers as well but we never had time to get them) were needed as well as a circulation fan.

At night, when it was cool, the AC was shut off, door was propped opened, and a fan was in the doorway circulating the air.

During the day when it was hot, it was nicer to be in there than outside!

It gets to about 30-32 at night some nights and we used a space heater when needed, one with a thermostat.

Photo of the freezer box


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## Autumn2005 (Apr 21, 2010)

Okay, thanks for the pics and stuff. As a little update, I'm getting a 8X12 foot Tuff Shed. It has 2 windows in the long walls, 2 vents near the top, and a turbine on the roof. The inside has reflective silver stuff that is supposed to reflect the heat.

So... 2 windows, 2 vents, 1 turbine, do you think that will be enough ventilation?

Also, to protect against temperature extremes, I'm also planning on putting insulation on the inside walls... But do I need insulation on the roof as well? Would it be stupid NOT to put insulation on the ceiling, since I'm already doing the walls, or do I not need it with the reflective stuff already there? Do you think I'll need an AC unit during the summer? Temperatures can easily reach 100+ during the hot months.


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