Flower's new outside housing

[Elizabeth Patti]

(Original thread: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/anyone-live-in-the-phoenix-areas.148937/ )

well, today i finished with Flower's housing for outside. Right now I am really short on money so I had to use what we already had here at home. (My job sucks, i have been out of work for a little over three weeks, and not scheduled to go back to work until Dec. 1st)- I filled in her burrow, and cleaned the dogloo that i have had, there is a heat lamp inside of the dogloo, and i shoveled in alot of clean dirt inside it for her and also all around the outside so it stays warm, I then cut a piece of tarp and taped it over the front opening so she is able to come and go when she wants, and to also keep the warmth in... I then placed her food on a thin tile inside and put her inside there, so that she knows it is warm in there and there is food and safety for her. I took some pictures of her and the new home and also the size of her part of the back yard. I hope they upload when i am done here. i am open to thoughts, just wanted to update you all since that was my main reason for logging into this website. thanks to you all for your ideas and comments and concerns.

 

[Elizabeth Patti]

well, today i finished with Flower's housing for outside. Right now I am really short on money so I had to use what we already had here at home. (My job sucks, i have been out of work for a little over three weeks, and not scheduled to go back to work until Dec. 1st)- I filled in her burrow, and cleaned the dogloo that i have had, there is a heat lamp inside of the dogloo, and i shoveled in alot of clean dirt inside it for her and also all around the outside so it stays warm, I then cut a piece of tarp and taped it over the front opening so she is able to come and go when she wants, and to also keep the warmth in... I then placed her food on a thin tile inside and put her inside there, so that she knows it is warm in there and there is food and safety for her. I took some pictures of her and the new home and also the size of her part of the back yard. I hope they upload when i am done here. i am open to thoughts, just wanted to update you all since that was my main reason for logging into this website. thanks to you all for your ideas and comments and concerns.

those tiles are 18 by 18 inches, just comparing her to the tile size. she was born oct 2010, and weighs 28 pounds. is that normal size for her ? and how can you tell a tortoises age by their shell? someone said you can but just wondering.

 

[BILBO-03]

They all grow at different rates there's not a "normal" growth rate but I would say he is a little small. But he looks good

 

[BILBO-03]

Also I would give him a soak and clean his shell off

 

[Tom]

The danger of your set up is that the heat lamp will be too hot on the top of the shell, and still not warm up the box enough. They also need it dark at night.

How far is the lamp from the top of the tortoises carapace?
What type and wattage lamp are you using?
What is the temperature directly under the lamp at tortoise level and what is the air and floor temp in there on a cold night?

Your tortoise is within the "normal" growth range for a 6 year old, and the carapace looks great.

 

[Yvonne G]

Flower is awfully pretty.

You wouldn't think so, but the heat light can actually burn the tortoise's shell. That's the trouble with using things like Dogloos for shelters - you can't get the light up high enough to be safe.

What kind of cold temperatures are we talking about here?

 

[Speedy-1]

Flowers looks great Elizabeth ! I understand your financial problems , but at the risk of being told I am wrong , I think she would be better off inside temporarily , until you can afford to do it properly than being toasted in that igloo !
Maybe you could keep her in a box to sleep , and try to "tortoise proof" an area of your Arizona room temporarily ? Again , I am no expert I am just trying to help you do the best you can for Flowers in your present financial condition .

 

[Elizabeth Patti]

The danger of your set up is that the heat lamp will be too hot on the top of the shell, and still not warm up the box enough. They also need it dark at night.

How far is the lamp from the top of the tortoises carapace?
What type and wattage lamp are you using?
What is the temperature directly under the lamp at tortoise level and what is the air and floor temp in there on a cold night?

Your tortoise is within the "normal" growth range for a 6 year old, and the carapace looks great.

Tom, when you say carapace- are you referring to her shell? sorry, didn't know it had a different name. lol
I am using a 75 watt heat lamp bulb, and its approximately 1 foot above her, and the floor temp, I dont know - I put extra dirt in there for her incase she wanted to dig some, but not sure how to go about heating the ground or dirt for her. I have a heating pad that humans would use on their backs, but would it be okay to lay that down and put dirt over it, that way she warms up from her belly area as well... i could set it at the medium temp. (when she was a lot smaller and i kept her in a big aquarium, i used the heating pad by setting it underneath the aquarium and she stayed pretty warm in there....

 

[Elizabeth Patti]

Flowers looks great Elizabeth ! I understand your financial problems , but at the risk of being told I am wrong , I think she would be better off inside temporarily , until you can afford to do it properly than being toasted in that igloo !
Maybe you could keep her in a box to sleep , and try to "tortoise proof" an area of your Arizona room temporarily ? Again , I am no expert I am just trying to help you do the best you can for Flowers in your present financial condition .

Thank you , I feel bad when she looks all depressed when i bring her in, but then outside i feel bad cause its cold. i am in a no win no win situation right now, and i dont want to freeze my poor girl and i dont want to put her in a depression.
i am thinking of different items i can use to build her a temp home inside, but of course it had to fricken pour here over night so i dont want to drag any wet dirt into my house...

 

[Tom]

Tom, when you say carapace- are you referring to her shell? sorry, didn't know it had a different name. lol
I am using a 75 watt heat lamp bulb, and its approximately 1 foot above her, and the floor temp, I dont know - I put extra dirt in there for her incase she wanted to dig some, but not sure how to go about heating the ground or dirt for her. I have a heating pad that humans would use on their backs, but would it be okay to lay that down and put dirt over it, that way she warms up from her belly area as well... i could set it at the medium temp. (when she was a lot smaller and i kept her in a big aquarium, i used the heating pad by setting it underneath the aquarium and she stayed pretty warm in there....

Yes. The carapace is the top shell, and the plastron is the bottom.

Human heating pads are not suitable for reptiles. They can burn them and if they bite the cord, which is likely, it can kill the tortoise and start a fire.

When you get those cold nights, like what you are having right now, the dogloo/heat lamp thing is not going to work. Your tortoise needs what it needs. It is a tropical species and it needs warm temps in our foreign temperate land.

You need an enclosed space that can be kept around 80 degrees and dark for night time. The threads above show safe heating equipment and how to implement it, but if that isn't doable right now, you need to come up with something else that is safe and effective. Me and lots of other people have been trying to find something cheaper and easier for a long time, but so far other things do not work and are potentially dangerous.

 

[Elizabeth Patti]

The danger of your set up is that the heat lamp will be too hot on the top of the shell, and still not warm up the box enough. They also need it dark at night.

How far is the lamp from the top of the tortoises carapace?
What type and wattage lamp are you using?
What is the temperature directly under the lamp at tortoise level and what is the air and floor temp in there on a cold night?

Your tortoise is within the "normal" growth range for a 6 year old, and the carapace looks great.

It is dark inside the dogloo, with exception to the red color from the heat light, I will take a closer picture of how high the heat lamp is from her, and how far it is from the top of the dogloo and post it in just a few minutes

 

[Elizabeth Patti]

here are the pictures i just took of Flower and the inside of her dogloo.. as well as her food i just gave her the heat lamp isnt pointing straight down onto her, but it is warm in there.

 

[Tom]

It is dark inside the dogloo, with exception to the red color from the heat light, I will take a closer picture of how high the heat lamp is from her, and how far it is from the top of the dogloo and post it in just a few minutes

Put a thermometer on top of the shell between the shell and the light and let it cook with the bulb on for an hour or two. Use some tape if need be so it will stay put. Temporary duct tape won't hurt the shell.

Then use a separate thermometer on the floor next to the tortoise, or use the same one later tonight or over night. The $10 digital ones that record a high and low are convenient for this.

Tell us these temps and we can go form there. Past experience tells me that your upper temp will be too hot and your lower temp will be too cold. Let's see if I'm right...

 

[Tom]

here are the pictures i just took of Flower and the inside of her dogloo.. as well as her food i just gave her the heat lamp isnt pointing straight down onto her, but it is warm in there.

The vent at the back there is letting all the heat out. I would close that off.

With the light pointing sideways like that, you have eliminated the risk of burning the top of the carapace, but I also don't think the tortoise will be warm enough when temps are in the 30s and 40s, like what we are having right now. These cold temps are especially bad when daytime temps are only reaching the 60s, like right now…

 

[Fredkas]

I can't give any advice cause i maybe wrong. but i am itchy to tell you that flower is so beautifull. i love her shell very much.

 

[Millerlite]

If you use the igloo I would insulate it with spray foam and then then put heavier flaps on the front. I used a dog glue for 2 winters and I had it held at 83 degrees when it was in the high 30s-low40s. We rarely get cold weather but if you insulate that dog house it won't take much to keep it at 80. I did a double door too. So the inside part of the entrance had flaps and the outside entrance. I used it for a leopard and it was a large one I believe. It was pretty big . the new box I built was cheap and easy and it also hold exactly 83 I mean I have thermostats too set up that I also recommend. You can build a box but it can get pricy and it's already winter. I would just make do with what you got. Or slowly hold one.

Kyle

 

[kalei01]

The vent at the back there is letting all the heat out. I would close that off.

With the light pointing sideways like that, you have eliminated the risk of burning the top of the carapace, but I also don't think the tortoise will be warm enough when temps are in the 30s and 40s, like what we are having right now. These cold temps are especially bad when daytime temps are only reaching the 60s, like right now…

can I use a large dog cage for a housing for a baby sulcata

 

[Tom]

can I use a large dog cage for a housing for a baby sulcata

I've never seen a dog cage that would work well as an enclosure for a baby sulcata. Can you post a pic? Then we could tell you what we think about it and why it would, or would not work well.