Cold Tortoise

[Beverly Kerbow]

How cold can my tortoise get at night when the heat light is off? We keep our house chilly around 50-55 during the winter and I live in the NE. Is that too cold for my tortoise?

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

What species of tortoise are we talking about?

 

[Yvonne G]

Why, yes. . . yes it is.

You, a mammal and warm blooded creature have a body temperature of 98.6F. That's almost 100F degrees. You are able to do that all by yourself.

Without a heat source (the sun, a light, etc) a tortoise's body, including inside his body where the food is trying to be digested, is only as warm as the room he's in. This means if he eats, which he won't because he'll be too cold, the food will just sit in his gut and rot, eventually killing him.

Also, at those temperatures, he'll get a respiratory infection, and eventually die.

 

[JoesMum]

Ability to withstand cooler temperatures very much depends on the species.

A mature Russian can go down to 60-65F at night without a problem. A younger one needs 80F. Below that it will start trying to hibernate, as will any of the other Testudo (Greeks, Hermanns, etc)

The non hibernating species like Sulcatas, Leopards and Redfoots must never get that cold and will get very sick indeed.

Please tell us which species you have and then we can advise you on the temperatures necessary for good health.