Heat mat question

[Aussiedeb]

Hi,
I'm new to the group and a new tortoise owner, I've rehomed a spur thighed Greek tortoise and she needs a much bigger indoor set up.
I have a large set up that I will modify to be able to give her a much bigger indoor space but my question is does she need to have a heat mat in her new enclosure bedroom area? She currently has a small one in the existing set up and she is 6yrs old, I've read on the web via searches that she probably actually only needs one if she's sick ? Is this the case? And if so I can incorporate one into her new set up, she does have a uv heat lamp also, many thanks

 

[TeamZissou]

Heat mats aren't good for tortoises. They can get extremely hot and actually burn their skin. Tortoises need heat from above that emulates the sun.

What are the actual bulbs and other lighting that you have? UV bulbs need to be tube style rather than screw-in style. The screw-in style are not good for tortoises as they tend to cause eye problems.

Your setup will need to be decently large for a full grown, full time indoor Greek, on the order of 4 x 8 feet. Here's the best care info:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[ZenHerper]

Heat mats are dangerous for tortoises because tortoises burrow into the ground to get away from excess heat in the environment. They have evolved to instinctively seek cooler conditions under the ground surface (so their brains are not considering and processing what to do, they just dig).

When a tortoise sitting over a heat mat gets too warm, it burrows. And gets warmer...so it burrows deeper...and so on, until it is sitting directly on the too-hot bottom of the habitat.

Reptile heating is best provided from above, to mimic the sun's radiation. The care sheet @TeamZissou linked has all the relevant heating and uvb information for your tort's species.

 

[Tom]

Hi,
I'm new to the group and a new tortoise owner, I've rehomed a spur thighed Greek tortoise and she needs a much bigger indoor set up.
I have a large set up that I will modify to be able to give her a much bigger indoor space but my question is does she need to have a heat mat in her new enclosure bedroom area? She currently has a small one in the existing set up and she is 6yrs old, I've read on the web via searches that she probably actually only needs one if she's sick ? Is this the case? And if so I can incorporate one into her new set up, she does have a uv heat lamp also, many thanks

Hello and welcome. Good tips from the previous posters.

Your questions are welcome.

 

[Aussiedeb]

Heat mats are dangerous for tortoises because tortoises burrow into the ground to get away from excess heat in the environment. They have evolved to instinctively seek cooler conditions under the ground surface (so their brains are not considering and processing what to do, they just dig).

When a tortoise sitting over a heat mat gets too warm, it burrows. And gets warmer...so it burrows deeper...and so on, until it is sitting directly on the too-hot bottom of the habitat.

Reptile heating is best provided from above, to mimic the sun's radiation. The care sheet @TeamZissou linked has all the relevant heating and uvb information for your tort's species.

Hi,
Thank you for replying, its much appreciated.
Her current set up has the mat on the wall with a glass screen divider so she's not in contact with the mat itself, she came in a vivexotic starter set up, im assuming its more for hatchlings? The equipment has arrived today so I can build her new indoor enclosure which will be 3ft x 5ft her outside enclosure is currently 4ft x 7ft but I'm looking to double that at least.
I'm guessing then the heat source in the bedroom area isn't needed at night time ? I keep my house warm especially in the colder months anyway as I feel the cold so I'm guessing she would be ok?

 

[Aussiedeb]

Heat mats are dangerous for tortoises because tortoises burrow into the ground to get away from excess heat in the environment. They have evolved to instinctively seek cooler conditions under the ground surface (so their brains are not considering and processing what to do, they just dig).

When a tortoise sitting over a heat mat gets too warm, it burrows. And gets warmer...so it burrows deeper...and so on, until it is sitting directly on the too-hot bottom of the habitat.

Reptile heating is best provided from above, to mimic the sun's radiation. The care sheet @TeamZissou linked has all the relevant heating and uvb information for your tort's species.

Hi, thank you very much for your reply and info sheet, I will have a look at that today ?

 

[ZenHerper]

Hi,
Thank you for replying, its much appreciated.
Her current set up has the mat on the wall with a glass screen divider so she's not in contact with the mat itself, she came in a vivexotic starter set up, im assuming its more for hatchlings? The equipment has arrived today so I can build her new indoor enclosure which will be 3ft x 5ft her outside enclosure is currently 4ft x 7ft but I'm looking to double that at least.
I'm guessing then the heat source in the bedroom area isn't needed at night time ? I keep my house warm especially in the colder months anyway as I feel the cold so I'm guessing she would be ok?

Wall-placed mats can help bring temps up in a confined area...only your thermometers (placed at tortoise level) will tell you if the temps are appropriate in any one area of the habitat.