# Heating for outdoor CDT



## Kcoward (Jun 4, 2013)

Hello, I'm a a new custodian of two desert tortoises. We think they are about a year old each. I live about a quarter mile from the ocean in San Diego. The weather is mild and usually around 70+, however, we do get the coastal fog every morning that sometimes never burns off all day. Currently, the tortoises stay in a nice big outdoor enclosure during the day and I bring them in at night. I recently purchased an outdoor heating pad but I'm not sure how or when to use it. They have an outdoor house but I'm uneasy about putting the pad directly under the house. I need some guidance here. When should I have the heating pad on and where should I put it? Thanks for your help and suggestions.


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## Yvonne G (Jun 5, 2013)

Hi Kcoward, and welcome to the Forum!

I also have desert tortoises. I think bringing your yearlings in at night for a year more or so is a good idea. I don't leave mine outside 24/7 until they're about 3 years old. Of course, my weather here is quite a bit different from yours (Central Calif - inland), but once my night time temps stay at a continuous 50F degrees, I leave my tortoises outside all the time. But the youngsters get to come inside at night until they're about 3 or 4 years old (depends upon their size).

If your tortoise habitat is placed in a protected area I don't think you'll need to worry about a heat pad. Get yourself one of those point and shoot temperature checker thing-a-ma-bobs and see what the ground temp is in their habitat during the day and on an overcast day. If its in the 70's I think your tortoises are ok outside without a heat pad.


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## Tom (Jun 5, 2013)

Hello and welcome. Glad you found us, but I have bad news.

You are in the wrong environment to house CDTs outdoors. I started my career in the pet industry in the mid 80s right down near the beach. I worked in Hermosa Beach for a while which is a similar environment to where you are now. I can't even count how many sick CDTs we were given because people kept them in their backyards down in that coastal area. The cure? No medicines, no vitamin injections, no heat pads or bulbs... We simply sent them inland a bit and they'd get all better within a couple of weeks or months, depending on how bad they were. Many people didn't want to give up their tortoises, so they went to the vet, spent lots of money on the above mentioned treatments and eventually their tortoises died.

It is too cool and clammy too much of the time for them to thrive in that environment.

If you are determined, you can try to set up a large box of some sort that has basking bulbs during the day and either an oil heater or CHE's on a thermostat to maintain ambient 24/7. Something like this might work:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-20527.html

A heated box like this will give them a hot dry place to hang out during the cold clammy mornings and nights, and then they can come out and sun when and IF the sun breaks through in the warmer afternoons.

Good luck. Let us know how it all works out for you.


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## 65redroses (Jun 5, 2013)

I too have two CDTs. Does this mean if we live in Ca. on the Central Coast we shouldn't have CDTs? Or will we always to to take them outside on sunny days and bring them in every night.


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