Overnight heat

Use this forum to discuss any aspect of tortoise housing and enclosures. Upload and show pictures of your set ups (enclosures).
Post Reply
Tarajane77
Posts: 50
Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

Overnight heat

Post by Tarajane77 » 10 Oct 2020, 22:30

Regarding Jemima...again, :roll: :roll: :lol:

So I'm asking about overnight heat for her tortoise table. She's in the vivexotic one where theres a lidded compartment at one end. I am lead to believe 13° is the minimum for the Mediterranean species. I've been monitoring the temps and its dropping to around 16.5°, so I'm wanting to get heating in place. It will eventually drop lower than the 13° recommended.

In the meantime I put Sphagnum moss in her humid hide and her lidded hide area to help with the temperature drop....she ultimately refused to use either until it was removed. :roll: Is there any other bedding I could use in the interim like shredded paper, or could this go mouldy with the moisture of the soil??

Im aware I'll need a ceramic bulb which emits no red light, and a ceramic socket fitting for fire safety and a pulse thermostat.....AND a bank loan :cry:
So as ive seen not to use a dome clamp how an earth do I attach it to my table?? I've got a fixed light reflector for her day heat but obvs i don't want to switch out bulbs, and its opposite end to where she sleeps now its cold.

ALSO as its dropped colder shes gone into her small lidded hide area to sleep, which only has an opening for her to fit through. Therefore is a bulb the best option, as shes concealed, or would I hang the ceramic bulb over the entrance.There is a small glass partition inside of this to insert a heat mat between the glass and the wood, but I've heard horror stories about heat mats.

Also I've got a green house 1ft heater with built in thermostat/safety guard on short legs, could I just sit this on top of the box??

Ooh im all drained even writing this. I'm actually not sleeping weighing up the options.

So if you could help me I'd be SO grateful, else I'll break out in hives and my hair will resemble a badgers. I'm even considering putting her in my pant drawer to sleep :lol:.

HELP ME
JODY from WIRKSWORTH
Jody K

User avatar
lin
Posts: 1034
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: Overnight heat

Post by lin » 10 Oct 2020, 23:17

Could you send a quick photo Jodi. So I can take a look to see if there can be adjustments made and how.
Lin

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Overnight heat

Post by Nina » 11 Oct 2020, 16:01

Hi Jody,

I'm not sure Lin saw your photo of Jemima's set up in your previous thread, but I remember it and I think it's fine.

There are a couple of options. Sitting the 1' greenhouse heater (is it one of those electric oil-filled ones?) on top of the box could work well, especially if it was on a thermostat so that it came on if the temperature drops below a certain level. The ceramic heat emitter bulb on a thermostat is also an option, and that can hang just outside the sleeping area, but I don't think you need both at night, unless it is super cold (do I remember you telling me that you are in an old house without central heating?). Are you thinking that you will need both at night? Regarding the dome clamp -- what were you going to use it for, and why do you think you can't use it?

In her hide she should just have the ordinary substrate, and there is no need for anything else. Think of what she would have in the wild -- just the sandy soil substrate that would be natural to the area she is living in, so nothing else is necessary. And if it is cold then you don't want her substrate to be very damp, because tortoises don't do well with cold and damp.

Regarding heat mats. They are fine to use on the ceiling of a sleeping area, or on a wall above where a tortoise could touch it. The only place that you can't use them is underneath a tortoise (and not even underneath the substrate). Tortoises sitting on heat mats -- even if there is substrate between the mat and the tortoise -- can get burned, but they should be completely safe if the heat mat is mounted above them, or to the side but where they cannot touch it.

Ha, ha don't panic, don't pull out all your hair (although if you do you could perhaps use it as a substrate :shock: ) and lets take it step by step. And don't worry, we're with you all the way!

Nina

Tarajane77
Posts: 50
Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

Re: Overnight heat

Post by Tarajane77 » 11 Oct 2020, 18:51

Ooh crikey ladies, TTT is not cooperating today...its on a go slow :evil: So I cant upload you any current pictures, unless I can email them to you??

So thankyou for both responding, just a bit more info about the options;

I've got a 40w tubular greenhouse heater, with built in thermostat what stands on short non existent legs on standby.

Jemima has slinked off in the den area, and sits like a queen on a giant mound of top soil. I barely ever add a spritz of water in here for the reasons you mentioned, just to stop any dust. So she sleeps in the back of this, so a heat mat would be directly above her. Would this be safe put straight onto the laminate wood/ what type of thermostat would it need if so.

There is a glass panel at the front where a clamp could be affixed or the lid of the den, above the opening.

Oooh I think there would be too much hair to offer her for a nest.

Thankyou NINA and LIN,
JODY from WIRKSWORTH
Jody K

Tarajane77
Posts: 50
Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

Re: Overnight heat

Post by Tarajane77 » 11 Oct 2020, 19:50

You can see from the 14 + replies its acting up :oops:
Jody K

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Overnight heat

Post by Nina » 12 Oct 2020, 17:35

Hi Jody,

Yes, there were big problems yesterday. Our hosting company said there was an odd glitch, and all of their websites that started with the letter 'T' were not functioning properly (now that's a first -- the letter 'T'???). Anyway, it's back now and I've deleted all your excess posts.

Regarding the heat -- maybe just try things and see. If you have one of those thermometers with the probe on the end of the long cord, and the digital display unit that sits separately, you could tape the probe to the inside of her sleeping area and then you would know the temperature in side it. A heat mat on the roof of her sleeping area is fine, and I don't think it's a problem putting it onto laminated wood (but I don't know for sure). And I've never used a heat mat with a thermostat, so again I'm afraid I don't know. Why not have a go and see what sort of temperatures you are getting with just the heat mat without a thermostat. It won't be that hot, I don't think (but you would have to turn it on and off or put it on a timer I guess). I can't remember if you have one of those thermometers that I'm talking about, but they are like this (there are lots of different ones available), and the Max/Min function is good because you can see how hot or how cool it got since you last re-set the function (so you could see how warm or cool it got overnight): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Freeze ... B071WKGTJL

Nina

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 27 guests