Heat mat

[chris1810]

Can I place a heat mat under my RT substrate?

 

[Spn785]

You can, but you shouldn't need to. Russians don't need as much heat as many tortoises. They should have a basking spot at 90-100F, and a cool end in the low 70s and it should drop to the low 60s or upper 50s at night. What kind of substrate are you using? What temps do you have now?

 

[chris1810]

I use coir as a substrate and the temps are 95 under the basking spot and 70 in the cool end.But I live in England and it cold at night for him.

 

[Spn785]

Unless it drops below 58 in his enclosure, he doesn't need it, if it does you could use a black or red bulb for heat or a CHE. The heat mat should work fine too.

 

[chris1810]

Thank u I was unsure if I could place It under the substrate,I can't really put it under his table cause the heat would not go through the wood.

 

[lynnedit]

It doesn't sound like you necessarily need it. Russians can really cool off at night as Spn785 mentions, and they may actually be more active when they do this.
They just need to be able to warm up under a nice basking/uv area in the am and during the day.

 

[skottip]

A tortoises lungs are towards the top of the shell, therefore, overhead heating is much more affective.