Heat mat issues

[TinyGreenNinja]

Hi, I bought a 2 and a half year old redfoot and he came with an enclosure, a uvb bulb and a heat mat. I want to get rid of the heat mat and get a heat bulb but until I do where should the mat be placed? Its under his shelter at the moment but shoukdnt his shelter he kept cool and dark? Also do I turn the heat mat off at night when I turn the bulb off?

Thanks in advance

 

[TommyZ]

I put my heat mat under the water dish, it keeps the pool warm for the tort. Also, that is the "wet" part of the tank, meaning i pour water in that corner to seep down the substrate and get heated by the mat to add humidity. I have a hide on both the hot and and cool sides, this way the tort can hang out in which ever temp it feels best at the time.

I never turn my mat off, i put it on a thermostat, pretty inexpensive. Model 500r by zoomed. That will keep the temp where u want it. It took me a solid month of tinkering to get it right, but its easy to manage once you get acclimated.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using TortForum mobile app

 

[JoesMum]

I don't recommend heat mats for tortoises. They are no replacement for a basking bulb. A tort needs a direct spot lamp from above to bask without which your tort cannot digest its food properly. Low heat from underneath is not a substitute.

The vast majority of heat mats are not designed for tortoises or for wet environments. They are aimed at snakes and lightweight lizards. Torts have sharp claws and like to dig down... combine that with an electrical mat, especially in a wet environment and you have an electrical risk and/or a fire hazard.

You MUST check the instructions for a heat mat that you have to make sure it is safe in your enclosure... don't put yourself, your home and your tort at risk.

If you need additional heat without the spot lamp, then use a Ceramic Heat Emitter.

 

[zman7590]

if you use heat mat put it under sheolter

 

[TommyZ]

My heat mat, from zoomed also, affixes to the underside of the tank. Like Joesmum said, the lamps are best used to heat the enclosure. No risk of shock with mine though since its under the tank. For me the benefit is it keeps the humidity up for me. And it helps a bit with heat gradience. Some folks on here use heat ropes, but i have no experience with those.

 

[TinyGreenNinja]

Thanks everyone, I think I'll move the mat to the middle so its not in his hide and not too close tothe water. He's digging right down to it already but I can't take it out and we can't afford a bulb and uv light yet (theres a uvb bulb in now but only space for one bulb so we'll need a seperate uv light)
Today I put him in a large old plastic dog bed filled with compost in and some water, he loved playing in the mud I kept an eye on him so he wouldn't eat the compost and made sure he had some shade. I'm feeding him every 3 days, is that right?

 

[TommyZ]

I would have food available every day, and fresh water too. A few supervised walks in the sun for a few hours would be good while you situate your lamps.

 

[JoesMum]

You should feed him every day to ensure good health. I cannot think who told you every 3 days was enough!

If your tort does not have a basking lamp, it will not be able to digest what it eats and it will rapidly get sick and die. You must get one. It doesn't need to be expensive, a standard 100W household bulb will do the job. A 60W in a small enclosure.

UVB is also essential. Your tort uses it to make Vitamin D3, which it uses to process the calcium in its diet to makes its bones and shell strong. If you can only have one bulb, use a basking lamp and then take your tort outside for an hour a day to get the UVB.

If you continue as you are, your tort will be sick very soon.

 

[Tom]

You should feed him every day to ensure good health. I cannot think who told you every 3 days was enough!

If your tort does not have a basking lamp, it will not be able to digest what it eats and it will rapidly get sick and die. You must get one. It doesn't need to be expensive, a standard 100W household bulb will do the job. A 60W in a small enclosure.

UVB is also essential. Your tort uses it to make Vitamin D3, which it uses to process the calcium in its diet to makes its bones and shell strong. If you can only have one bulb, use a basking lamp and then take your tort outside for an hour a day to get the UVB.

If you continue as you are, your tort will be sick very soon.

I agree with Joes mum. Your tortoise does not know or care about your financial woes. It needs a proper enclosure with the proper temperatures RIGHT NOW.

No one can tell you what heating and lighting equipment to use. Every tortoise enclosure and every house is different. Only your thermometer and hygrometer can tell you if you are doing it right. Just like in Tommy's case, some tinkering and adjustment is always needed. This should ideally be done before the tortoise comes home.

 

[TinyGreenNinja]

I'll get one soon as I can I'm sure I can find a cheap one. It was a book and internet research that says feed him every 2-3 days, there's so much conflicting information, he already has some pyramiding and I don't want to make this worse.

 

[JoesMum]

Pyramidding is a sign of a poor environment. Please read the threads on our Redfoot forum to find out more about their care. We have some very experienced keepers on here who know their stuff.

Don't be afraid to start more threads if you need to understand exactly what your tort needs.

You need to know:
The temperatures in the enclosure: warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum.
You need to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity day and night... cool and damp is bad, warm and damp is good, but the actial temperature must be correct.
You ned to feed the correct foods and do it every day
You need to provide constant access to water. A shallow terracotta plant saucer is the best water bowl.

Weeds are free and grow outside. All it costs is your time to find out what they are pick them and wash them. But your tort can also have some fruit and needs a small amount of protein twice a week.

Keeping a tortoise is not cheap and it is easy to get things wrong. Only you can say whether you can afford to keep your pet healthy... it should live for 50-100 years... so it is a long term commitment.

You have found us. Now start asking lots of questions. It doesn't matter if they seem stupid, we will try to make sure that you tort gets the care it needs.

 

[TinyGreenNinja]

Thankyou for the help, so warm and damp and cool and dry. I got him on Monday and he already had the pyramiding I just don't want to make it worse. I'm doing a lot of research on him I want to keep him as healthy as possible. We werent goin to get him yet but the guy we bought him from was moving so we had to get him then. Thanks for he advice ill keep reading and asking questions x x