Heat pad verses heating lamp

[LibbyCecil]

This thread will help me make his future outdoor enclosure the best ever

Thank you for posting that link, Sarah! I have been trying to get a handle on how these work and wasn't exactly sure where to start looking.


Just curious...would this option need to be mounted on wood or glass, or is it something that would work in a plastic tub set up?

Great thread, Libby!!

Oh great question, I have some large cattle troughs I could rig up for my baby. So if they can safely attach to them that would be awesome!

 

[TracyD]

Hi Libby:

I never use heating pads of any kind for babies. They don't understand the concept of being able to move off of them if they get too hot. If you mount the pad on the wall it would be ok, but not on the floor.

The bigger tortoises don't have this problem. I use Stansfield heat mats for all my larger tortoises.

What is considered large? I inherited a three year old Sulcata and he has always been inside with a heat lamp but we are building him an outdoor home and wondering about heating for his house

 

[Tom]

What is considered large? I inherited a three year old Sulcata and he has always been inside with a heat lamp but we are building him an outdoor home and wondering about heating for his house

Living outside is large enough. To put a number on it, I'd say anything over 8-10inches is large enough to live outside with a heat mat and over head radiant heat panel.

Here is an example:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[jsheffield]

I use waterproof seedling heat mats run through thermostats in my indoor enclosures to help the enclosures reach their baseline temperatures.

I use spotlight/basking bulbs on timers to help bring the heat up during the daylight hours.

Jamie