Sucata's sleeping Habits

Warren

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Just curious if my tortoise sleeping 2 to 3 days in a row without coming out of his hide is normal in the winter time. My Sammy lives inside all years round, he gets outside in nice weather, usually he get up everyday to eat and a soaking. But for the last couple of weeks he has been sleeping more. I've been checking on him and he get mad if I try to take him out. When I get him out, he eats like a pig, soaks and want to go back to his hide. Sammy is very healthy and active when he's not sleeping and all of his body functions are all working fine, nothing backed up. Just turned 4 yrs old, weighing 44lbs. He is showing no signs of any illness, I believe he knows that he's safe and warm and there's someone to feed him when he decide to come out. He has me trained, must be nice. My animals eat before I do most of the time.
 

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Yvonne G

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Check the temperature. When mine don't come out I check the temp and it's usually colder than required. I've had trouble with the smaller RHPs failing.
 

Warren

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Check the temperature. When mine don't come out I check the temp and it's usually colder than required. I've had trouble with the smaller RHPs failing.
Thank you for your reply, the temperature is on average of 82f degrees in his hide, I have 2 CHE in his hide. If I turn both CHE's on and the temperature will get to about 90f degrees. He has a basting light outside of his hide at a temperature of around 99f degrees. I keep my heat for my house on 76, and in his room he has a space heater set at 80f degrees. I believe he is enjoying the humidity of his hide, alway above 80%. My house is heated with natural gas, dry heat.
 

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Thank you for your reply, the temperature is on average of 82f degrees in his hide, I have 2 CHE in his hide. If I turn both CHE's on and the temperature will get to about 90f degrees. He has a basting light outside of his hide at a temperature of around 99f degrees. I keep my heat for my house on 76, and in his room he has a space heater set at 80f degrees. I believe he is enjoying the humidity of his hide, alway above 80%. My house is heated with natural gas, dry heat.
CHEs and heat lamps are no good for larger tortoises like yours. They will burn the carapace. Time to change to Kane mats and radiant heat panels over head in the hide box.

The temps you've got there are just barely making the minimum. Bump temps up about 5 degrees all around and see if he doesn't get more active.
 

vladimir

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Vlad has some slow days after the seasons change and he comes back inside also. As Tom said, increasing the temperature may get him to be more active.

His carapace is beautiful - I'd definitely look into a radiant heat panel so it stays that way and doesn't get any damage from the CHE- https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
 

Warren

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Vlad has some slow days after the seasons change and he comes back inside also. As Tom said, increasing the temperature may get him to be more active.

His carapace is beautiful - I'd definitely look into a radiant heat panel so it stays that way and doesn't get any damage from the CHE- https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
Thank you for your comments, I'll be shopping online today to purchase Sammy a radiant panel and a Kane mate. Hopefully they are available, thought about buying them last year.
 

Warren

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Vlad has some slow days after the seasons change and he comes back inside also. As Tom said, increasing the temperature may get him to be more active.

His carapace is beautiful - I'd definitely look into a radiant heat panel so it stays that way and doesn't get any damage from the CHE- https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels
What wattage would you suggest me buying, the website you suggested has all but 80 watt. Would the 120 watt be OK
 

vladimir

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You'll want to run it via a thermostat to control the exact temperature, so I suspect as long as the 120 watt one fits in the enclosure where you need it, you should be okay. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 

Warren

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Hello TFO members, want to thank the advice I received. Just finished ordering Sammy a Kane mat 13 1/2" × 36" and a rheostat. Also a 120 watt Radiant heating panal. Total money spend, $272.91. Money well spent!
 

Sue Ann

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Just curious if my tortoise sleeping 2 to 3 days in a row without coming out of his hide is normal in the winter time. My Sammy lives inside all years round, he gets outside in nice weather, usually he get up everyday to eat and a soaking. But for the last couple of weeks he has been sleeping more. I've been checking on him and he get mad if I try to take him out. When I get him out, he eats like a pig, soaks and want to go back to his hide. Sammy is very healthy and active when he's not sleeping and all of his body functions are all working fine, nothing backed up. Just turned 4 yrs old, weighing 44lbs. He is showing no signs of any illness, I believe he knows that he's safe and warm and there's someone to feed him when he decide to come out. He has me trained, must be nice. My animals eat before I do most of the time.
He is gorgeous! Beautiful shell
 

Tom

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Hello TFO members, want to thank the advice I received. Just finished ordering Sammy a Kane mat 13 1/2" × 36" and a rheostat. Also a 120 watt Radiant heating panal. Total money spend, $272.91. Money well spent!
Also get a thermostat. You can run the Kane mat and the RHP on the same thermostat. Keep the thermostat's probe way over on the other side away from the heat sources.
 

Warren

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Also get a thermostat. You can run the Kane mat and the RHP on the same thermostat. Keep the thermostat's probe way over on the other side away from the heat sources.
Thank you, been looking on line, haven't decided which one to buy. What do you recommend.
 

Tom

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Thank you, been looking on line, haven't decided which one to buy. What do you recommend.
There are many now. The Inkbird ones seem to work well. I'm using a hodge podge of a dozen of them.
 

Maggie3fan

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Osborne Industries...I got a triangle shaped mat with a rheostat about 14 or so years ago...several bigger Sulcata has lived here..
100_6258.JPG
A sleeping box with the pig blanket, they all have used for sleeping and hanging out...Mary K. is about 40 lbs...room to stay in the box but off of the mat...100_0451.JPG
100_0782.JPGThere's a c h e and a basking lights randomly placed throughout the shed.100_6300.JPG

The walls ceiling and floor are insulated...There's five tortoises in there actually in there now... The ambient air caused by oilfield radiator type heater keeps the air no matter how cold it is outside between 85 and 90°... there's a basking light of 100° or better... there's a couple of CHE's placed around on the floors...Mary will go in and lay on her mat to go to sleep on... but in the middle of the night she moves off the mat and stays in the sleeping box I don't know if my setup is approved by TFO tortoises or not but it sure works good for me and my tortoises
100_6289.JPG
 

Warren

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There are many now. The Inkbird ones seem to work well. I'm using a hodge podge of a dozen of them.
Hello Tom, is this one ok. If so, I will cancel the rheostat that I ordered with the Kane mat. They are both about the same price.
 

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Tom

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Hello Tom, is this one ok. If so, I will cancel the rheostat that I ordered with the Kane mat. They are both about the same price.
Yes. I just order two of that same one to have extras on hand.
 

Maro2Bear

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Yes, thats what I do as well for our Sully in her nightbox. I have two RHPS mounted to the ceiling, & a Kane heat mat located far left. Entrance to the night box is far right.

The Kane matt & RHPs are all on one thermostat & the probe is located opposite end of the Kane matt & about tortoise height. I have a remote Acu Rite temp sensor right with the probe - it’s reading 84 right now.

Not using the rheostat option, the thermostat is controlling all of the heat. Outside the nightbox, the lights are all on timers.
 

Warren

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Good morning TFO, just wanted to update on Sammy's Hide temperature. Received my RHP, Kane mat with rheostat. Could not cancel rheostat, order was shipped already. Still waiting on the thermostat I've ordered, delivered date has been changed twice from Amazon. At this time using RHP with rheostat until I receive my thermostat, temperature reading is about 86°f. Checked his temperature yesterday evening before his soaking, body temp. was 88°f, carapace temp. was 91°f. I had to pull him out of his hide again, once he's out he will eat, soak, and eat some more and goes back to bed. On average he's up about 2 hrs. Will wait to use Kane mat in his hide, Sammy enjoys his Cypress munch. Sammy loves to dig and bury himself with the munch. Didn't realize it couldn't be use with the Kane mat, will fine a place in his room for him to lay on as long as the RHP works for him in his Hide. Munch looks a little dry, Sammy get mad if I spray his munch when he's in his Hide. Took this picture last night before getting him out after 2 days of sleeping, what a hard life.
 

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Maro2Bear

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Darn it ? I had a long response all ready to “post“ and lost it.

My bottom line - we are in the middle of Winter - no real sunshine, no real basking out in the ?? and food intake is limited. Humidity much lower. Ogh… and no real sunshine.

Our 100# Sully is in her indoor “ nightbox” at a comfy 84. Comes out, basks, eats, walks about. Then back into “snugdom” burrowed into Cypress mulch and in proximity to (not on) the Kane mat.

Bring on Summertime heat & humidity for our Sullys.
 
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