# sleeping in the kitchen



## ashned7 (Jul 18, 2012)

My male hermanns has learnt how to climb back inside the house when he is outdoors and walks straight into a wooden floored kitchen. I think he thinks its a game, as soon as we put him out, he comes right back in. So as we cant get a heat source outside atm, we placed a towel with a basking light over it in the kitchen. He now comes inside when it goes grey and basks on this towel. Before this set up, he simply stayed outside and went to sleep until we brought him to his indoor tortoise table to warm up. 
Now clearly the best option would be this heat source outside, but as we rent this is currently impossible. *So my question is this: what would be the concensus on allowing the tortoise to sleep on this towel at night, which would mean he could go outside as and when he chose in the morning, instead of being in his tort table?*

Please remember this is a hypothetical question at the moment, Im just curious as to the response really. He still wakes up and goes to bed in his table, with both his lights and his soil and plants. And also, I live in the county with the most rainfall in england every year, and so when we have weeks of bad weather he would certainly be back in his table.


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## wellington (Jul 18, 2012)

How cool is that My only concern would be him being able to get to something on the floor that would be dangerous. Like a electric cord, dust bunnies, food that may not have been found that fell. Things like that. Also that he could also roam the rest of the house while everyone was sleeping. If you can 100% safe guard against those things mentioned, I say go for it.


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## ascott (Jul 18, 2012)

If you have an area that is able to be secured during the night when everyone else is asleep (like a baby gate or something, or a small dog crate with a door?) and you do not have any pets that live in the house as well that could cause harm...then a sleeping spot in the kitchen under a subtle night heat source should be fine, although I would hesitate to make this normal for the tort --as they take in a days activity and make it their routine and if there is a time that this behavior has to change, he may be, well, a bit pissed off....

I know it is fun and cute and all the cool stuff...but safety and security and well being of the tort should be the starting point for your housing care....


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## lynnedit (Jul 18, 2012)

Yes, as long as he is safe, it sounds like he would be very satisfied with this arrangement, and it would allow him to have a place to warm up, but go outside when the sun comes out (which can be intermittent).
Later Fall and early Spring in the table?


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## Terry Allan Hall (Jul 19, 2012)

ashned7 said:


> My male hermanns has learnt how to climb back inside the house when he is outdoors and walks straight into a wooden floored kitchen. I think he thinks its a game, as soon as we put him out, he comes right back in. So as we cant get a heat source outside atm, we placed a towel with a basking light over it in the kitchen. He now comes inside when it goes grey and basks on this towel. Before this set up, he simply stayed outside and went to sleep until we brought him to his indoor tortoise table to warm up.
> Now clearly the best option would be this heat source outside, but as we rent this is currently impossible. *So my question is this: what would be the concensus on allowing the tortoise to sleep on this towel at night, which would mean he could go outside as and when he chose in the morning, instead of being in his tort table?*
> 
> Please remember this is a hypothetical question at the moment, Im just curious as to the response really. He still wakes up and goes to bed in his table, with both his lights and his soil and plants. And also, I live in the county with the most rainfall in england every year, and so when we have weeks of bad weather he would certainly be back in his table.



My 1st tortoise, also a Hermann's (presumably an Eastern) had the run of my various apartments, and had a specific sleeping cushion with a basking light over it, w/ a timer, in the living room. This was the case for 19 years, and the previous 32 years she had a similar arrangement w/ my Grandfather.

Seemed to work out fine.


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