Heating mat

Spyderguy18

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Hi there i'm new to this forum and a new sulcata owner. I recently acquired a sulcata tortoise which I believe is about 6-8 months. It is still small, about 4 in. I was wondering if a heating mat is necessary. I have a 100 watt UVA uvb bulb on one side of the aquarium and a 24 in. long Uvb bulb and was told that a heating mat under one of the hide aways would be necessary for my tortoise to stay warm at night when the light is off. As of right now my tortoise "Porunga" is in a glass aquarium L30"xW12"xH18" with a wire mesh lid/top.
 

Torta-geddon

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I think a ceramic heat emmiter or a radiant heat pannel are better options for night heat control, you should post pics of the enclosure if you want the best advice. Welcome to the forum.
 

Spyderguy18

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Maro2Bear

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Tom

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Looks like you found a lot of the old wrong info. You are not alone...

The tank is much too small for a tortoise that size. Four times that size would still be too small.

Heat mats are not the way to go. That 100 watt bulb is going to dry out the carapace and make that pyramiding worse. This should help:

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them.
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes or LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height.
Read through these and then come back with all your questions:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

Ray--Opo

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Hello and welcome. You have just been given info from some of the most knowledgeable members here.
The CHE gives off no light just heat.
Also there is a lot of info. One of the important ones is to soak Porunga everyday for 1/2hr. Warm water depth to where the top and bottom shell meets. Dont let the water cool down. Also don't be surprised if Porunga poops while soaking. It stimulates the bowels.
 

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