First time Sulcata owner in the UK

Emmawilly

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These are the closest to the Kane mats that I can find, sold as livestock mats, mostly for rearing pigs by the looks of it but they do the same thing as the Kane mats.


Everywhere I find Standfield and Kane mats they are in dollars or are very very expensive indicating shipping from the US
Hi there, I've looked up piglet mats but they are pretty expensive in the UK when you purchase one. The chipper site was about £118 with tax. This one I can get on amazon for under 40 quid. The temp range is 25 to 55 degrees C and the cover is washable, plus it can be delivered by Wednesday this week so he'll be warm for Thursday night.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W5KCN81/?tag=

Is there an obvious draw back (that I can't see) to purchasing this one in lieu of the more traditional pig mat?
Sorry for troubling you with all these questions.
I won't be able to fit the radiant heat panel inside the inside hut without some adjustment, so I'll need to wait until the weekend when my husband can do some measuring and investigations.
I think the radiant heat panel is a more long term solution once we've scraped the inner hut to provide more space.
 

Yossarian

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Hi there, I've looked up piglet mats but they are pretty expensive in the UK when you purchase one. The chipper site was about £118 with tax. This one I can get on amazon for under 40 quid. The temp range is 25 to 55 degrees C and the cover is washable, plus it can be delivered by Wednesday this week so he'll be warm for Thursday night.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W5KCN81/?tag=

Is there an obvious draw back (that I can't see) to purchasing this one in lieu of the more traditional pig mat?
Sorry for troubling you with all these questions.
I won't be able to fit the radiant heat panel inside the inside hut without some adjustment, so I'll need to wait until the weekend when my husband can do some measuring and investigations.
I think the radiant heat panel is a more long term solution once we've scraped the inner hut to provide more space.

I dont have a sulcata, and I am aware that you can get heating pads much cheaper, however there is a reason that pig farmers dont use a dog heating pad, they are little more than a heating blanket in a water resistant cover. While I dont have a need for one I also assume that there is a reason that the sulcata owners here that live in the US use expensive Kane mats rather than dog heating pads that they can get for a fraction of the price as well. I dont honestly know what would happen if you use a cheap one though, worth finding out.

@Tom your thoughts?
 

Tom

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Hi there, I've looked up piglet mats but they are pretty expensive in the UK when you purchase one. The chipper site was about £118 with tax. This one I can get on amazon for under 40 quid. The temp range is 25 to 55 degrees C and the cover is washable, plus it can be delivered by Wednesday this week so he'll be warm for Thursday night.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W5KCN81/?tag=

Is there an obvious draw back (that I can't see) to purchasing this one in lieu of the more traditional pig mat?
Sorry for troubling you with all these questions.
I won't be able to fit the radiant heat panel inside the inside hut without some adjustment, so I'll need to wait until the weekend when my husband can do some measuring and investigations.
I think the radiant heat panel is a more long term solution once we've scraped the inner hut to provide more space.
In the old days, heat mats, heat pads and heat rocks used to get really hot and burn reptiles. We all had to learn the hard way back then. You don't. You can benefit from the hard lessons of yesteryear.

Any old heat mat is not suitable. You need the type made to be water proof and stand up to heavy hoofed animals walking, laying, defecating and urinating on it. These more expensive pads also now have multiple built in safety mechanisms to prevent overheating. These pig pads are more expensive for a reason and your tortoises life literally depends on the product working correctly and safely.
 

Emmawilly

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In the old days, heat mats, heat pads and heat rocks used to get really hot and burn reptiles. We all had to learn the hard way back then. You don't. You can benefit from the hard lessons of yesteryear.

Any old heat mat is not suitable. You need the type made to be water proof and stand up to heavy hoofed animals walking, laying, defecating and urinating on it. These more expensive pads also now have multiple built in safety mechanisms to prevent overheating. These pig pads are more expensive for a reason and your tortoises life literally depends on the product working correctly and safely.
That is what I needed to hear.
Thank you Tom.
I'll order the pig mat now. Thank you Yossarian and Vladimir too for helping me reach this decision. I'm so impressed with the help from people on this forum who really care.
I'll see if I can order tonight or tomorrow and let you know what happens.

In my original (very long winded, sorry!) post, I was also concerned about his diet and ability to feed him well during winter. Any advice on this is greatly received, although I appreciate you need to share your expertise with other new beginners too.
 

Sarah2020

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Welcome and what a lovely tortoise Rodney is, i think your in for a lot of fun. I am in the UK but mine are inside and outside is just too cold, The shed is lovely but full of glass If you leave it like that you will heat the outside as all heat is escaping. Suggest you have a look at kingspan insulation thick foam panels that can be cut and positioned maybe with some velcro type attachment on all windows and on his inner house roof even double layers on there to retain that heat and removed in summer and stored away. If you have not already get a remote thermostate that you can see clearly inside your house to monitor temps inside Rodneys house. Really like his bath and glad you have done it and seen the benefits :)
 

Emmawilly

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Welcome and what a lovely tortoise Rodney is, i think your in for a lot of fun. I am in the UK but mine are inside and outside is just too cold, The shed is lovely but full of glass If you leave it like that you will heat the outside as all heat is escaping. Suggest you have a look at kingspan insulation thick foam panels that can be cut and positioned maybe with some velcro type attachment on all windows and on his inner house roof even double layers on there to retain that heat and removed in summer and stored away. If you have not already get a remote thermostate that you can see clearly inside your house to monitor temps inside Rodneys house. Really like his bath and glad you have done it and seen the benefits :)
Thank you Sarah, I appreciate you responding.
I bought an infrared thermometer gun last week that was recommended on here, but you're right, I could do with something inside my house so I don't have to wander up the top of the garden at 3am in the morning when I can't sleep because I'm worried about him! ?
The hut he has on the inside has those thick insulation blocks built into the roof and the sides. My hubby has put clear plastic flaps on the inside of the glass, across every join to prevent as much heat loss as possible. We went for glass as we thought in the spring and summer, it will be like a greenhouse for him and increase his UV intake on cooler days, but I see your point at this time of year! I've just ordered a pig heat mat to put inside his inner hut which I'm hoping will keep him warmer at night until we can make some more fundamental adjustments.
Wow, who knew how expensive tortoises are to look after properly! I don't long for diamonds fortunately, just want healthy happy animals. My poor long suffering husband though... I convinced him £500 would cover everything, we're currently at over £2000 and counting!
 

Sarah2020

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Thank you Sarah, I appreciate you responding.
I bought an infrared thermometer gun last week that was recommended on here, but you're right, I could do with something inside my house so I don't have to wander up the top of the garden at 3am in the morning when I can't sleep because I'm worried about him! ?
The hut he has on the inside has those thick insulation blocks built into the roof and the sides. My hubby has put clear plastic flaps on the inside of the glass, across every join to prevent as much heat loss as possible. We went for glass as we thought in the spring and summer, it will be like a greenhouse for him and increase his UV intake on cooler days, but I see your point at this time of year! I've just ordered a pig heat mat to put inside his inner hut which I'm hoping will keep him warmer at night until we can make some more fundamental adjustments.
Wow, who knew how expensive tortoises are to look after properly! I don't long for diamonds fortunately, just want healthy happy animals. My poor long suffering husband though... I convinced him £500 would cover everything, we're currently at over £2000 and counting!
Worth the investment to get it right. once in place then it will pay back over the years. Try the heat mat but I really recommend in addition the insulation over the windows and his hut roof to retain the heat you provide. Let us know how you get on. Share more pics of bath time and through the year as a delight to see.
 

Emmawilly

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Worth the investment to get it right. once in place then it will pay back over the years. Try the heat mat but I really recommend in addition the insulation over the windows and his hut roof to retain the heat you provide. Let us know how you get on. Share more pics of bath time and through the year as a delight to see.
I will definitely do that Sarah, thank you for your recommendations, I totally agree with you about it being worth the investment upfront. I'll look into insulating as you suggest and come back to this forum. ?
 

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Yossarian

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We went for glass as we thought in the spring and summer, it will be like a greenhouse for him and increase his UV intake on cooler days,

Glass blocks almost all UV light, The greenhouse effect will provide heat but the Tort won’t get any UV through glass.
 

Emmawilly

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In this care sheet, I explain feeding, and what to do if weeds and leaves aren't available for people in wintery climates: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/t...leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/#post-1814413
Glass blocks almost all UV light, The greenhouse effect will provide heat but the Tort won’t get any UV through glass.
Hi again, whilst I’m waiting for the heat mat to arrive, should I leave his uv bulb on at night to raise the temperature or will that do more harm than good? I’ve just checked the temp in the shed and it’s 13 degrees c. I’m petrified something is going to happen to him in the week before the heat mat arrives. Thanks
 

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Just an idea but is there an indoor area near a radiator that could be used for winter to provide more warmth, heat stability and frost protection?
 

Emmawilly

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Yes, I have considered moving him indoors tonight. I could still do that but he’s asleep tucked in his shell in the corner of his hut. I could bring him in but will that stress him out to wake him and move him? He didn’t eat today.
 

Sarah2020

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Maybe tomorrow, it is very cold currently even for humans! He has a heater so no risk of frost.
In his previous home do you know what the housing arrangement was?
 

Emmawilly

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Maybe tomorrow, it is very cold currently even for humans! He has a heater so no risk of frost.
In his previous home do you know what the housing arrangement was?
Yes, he lived in Essex, in the inner hut, no shed but she did have the tubular heaters for him. He's been out for 11 winters that way and survived, but I know it's a huge risk and I don't want to gamble with his life that way. After some debate with husband (aka heated row - we also have a giant rabbit who I bring in each night into her own room, plus guinea pigs brought in for winter in the garage) we've left him outside but moved the oil filled heater to face directly in front of the inner hut plastic flaps. The temp inside has risen to 17 degrees now. Thank you Sarah, it's so nice to get others ideas and suggestions.
 

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Yes, he lived in Essex, in the inner hut, no shed but she did have the tubular heaters for him. He's been out for 11 winters that way and survived, but I know it's a huge risk and I don't want to gamble with his life that way. After some debate with husband (aka heated row - we also have a giant rabbit who I bring in each night into her own room, plus guinea pigs brought in for winter in the garage) we've left him outside but moved the oil filled heater to face directly in front of the inner hut plastic flaps. The temp inside has risen to 17 degrees now. Thank you Sarah, it's so nice to get others ideas and suggestions.
13-17 degrees is way too cold, especially in a damp climate like yours. The temp should never drop below 26C, day or night. This is a tropical species. Ground temps where they live in Africa vary between 26 and 29C all year. Never lower.

Sickness is likely if you don't get him warmed up. The heat mat alone is not going to solve this problem either. Such is the challenge with housing a giant active tropical reptile in a cold climate. You need a very large heated area that docent drop below 26 ever. 26 on the ground, not the air up higher.
 

Emmawilly

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13-17 degrees is way too cold, especially in a damp climate like yours. The temp should never drop below 26C, day or night. This is a tropical species. Ground temps where they live in Africa vary between 26 and 29C all year. Never lower.

Sickness is likely if you don't get him warmed up. The heat mat alone is not going to solve this problem either. Such is the challenge with housing a giant active tropical reptile in a cold climate. You need a very large heated area that docent drop below 26 ever. 26 on the ground, not the air up higher.
Thank you Tom. I realise that now but it's going to take me a few days to resolve. We both work full time so it will be the weekend before we can re-design his living area to get through the winter. The heat mat is coming next week, I understand that will help, but not solve the issue. I have a number of good recommendations on radiant heat panels but we need to work out how and where to site them in the shed to maximise the heat. We also need to insulate the inside of the shed better. I should have done all this BEFORE he arrived but I stumbled on this site only very recently, others I would have been better prepared.
 

Tom

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Thank you Tom. I realise that now but it's going to take me a few days to resolve. We both work full time so it will be the weekend before we can re-design his living area to get through the winter. The heat mat is coming next week, I understand that will help, but not solve the issue. I have a number of good recommendations on radiant heat panels but we need to work out how and where to site them in the shed to maximise the heat. We also need to insulate the inside of the shed better. I should have done all this BEFORE he arrived but I stumbled on this site only very recently, others I would have been better prepared.
Copy that. Understood. Hope we can help. :)
 
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