Heater Suggestions

Boccus

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Any suggestions for a heating set up for her outdoor enclosure for when temps dip this winter? The enclosure is roughly 4ft x3ft and the top is hinged to swing open. I was thinking of a Stanfield Piggy Heat Pad 2ftx3ft attached to the roof with a temperature controller to maintain a constant temp and it is supposedly water-resistant. I live pretty far south so there is no worry about extremely cold temperatures (freezes are pretty rare).

 

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Yvonne G

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I've had better luck with having the Stanfield pig pad on the floor. Even on a wall down near the floor is better than on the ceiling.
 

Markw84

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There is no way you can heat that night house to 80° in the winter. You need a very well insulated night box with some type of insulated door. Keep in mind the tortoise gets most of its heat from the ground temperatures as well. SO you need the floor insulated too. Many places you will see people maintaining that their sulcata is just fine and they never heat it to 80° overnight. Those people are going to loose their sulcata sooner or later. They are very resiliant and can withstand a great deal of poor conditions. But their metabolism and gut microbiome is dependent upon temperature being above 80° or they will suffer. Might make it one year, three years, ten years, but why have your tortoise struggle?

You need something like this:

 

Maro2Bear

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I would add a proper wooden/insulated floor with a pig mat on the floor. To the ceiling roof I would add a radiant heat panel (or two). All heating devices connected to a thermostat.

During the Summer, our Sully is outside with a night box, and just one 18x18 Kane mat. Once it gets cold here in Maryland - our Sully comes inside into Winter quarters complete with a separate night box, kane matt and two RHPs that cover the entire ceiling of her large night box.

How cold does it get in Gretna in Winter & are they offset by nice sunny days?

At a minimum, heating mat on the ground with a thermostat.

Good luck
 

Tim Carlisle

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I just use a simple oil-filled heater in my outdoor insulated house. Keeps it nice and toasty even in sub-zero temps.
 

Maggie3fan

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I just use a simple oil-filled heater in my outdoor insulated house. Keeps it nice and toasty even in sub-zero temps
I also use an oil filled radiator heater it keeps my tortoise shed at a steady ambient temp of 85 degrees even in freezing weather.
Inside there are 4 tortoises. We'll describe how Mary Knobbin 's side is...
This is the shed taken from my house.
100_5453.JPG
It has it's own electric circuit, it's 20'x12', insulated floor, walls and ceiling, she has a 4' square sleeping box with a Stansfield pig blanket, she has a che hanging for some basking heat and a 100 watt incandescent bulb for other basking/light. The other tortoises have all the same stuff except for no pig blankets.
The 2 tortoises on the floor both have doggie doors I open every day rain or shine...they are happier when they can go out and decide for themselves if they are gonna stay out or not...
this is Mary's new ramp as she has gotten so fat she broke thru the old ramp...rotten board
100_0460.JPG
her sleeping box...
100_6293.JPG
 

Tom

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Any suggestions for a heating set up for her outdoor enclosure for when temps dip this winter? The enclosure is roughly 4ft x3ft and the top is hinged to swing open. I was thinking of a Stanfield Piggy Heat Pad 2ftx3ft attached to the roof with a temperature controller to maintain a constant temp and it is supposedly water-resistant. I live pretty far south so there is no worry about extremely cold temperatures (freezes are pretty rare).


 

tortlvr

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There is no way you can heat that night house to 80° in the winter. You need a very well insulated night box with some type of insulated door. Keep in mind the tortoise gets most of its heat from the ground temperatures as well. SO you need the floor insulated too. Many places you will see people maintaining that their sulcata is just fine and they never heat it to 80° overnight. Those people are going to loose their sulcata sooner or later. They are very resiliant and can withstand a great deal of poor conditions. But their metabolism and gut microbiome is dependent upon temperature being above 80° or they will suffer. Might make it one year, three years, ten years, but why have your tortoise struggle?

You need something like this:

The pictures are no longer associated with this thread. Can you update it? Thanks
 

Blackdog1714

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Yeah you need a shed with a nightbox inside if your indeed in Omaha! Fearful winters
 

tortlvr

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There is no way you can heat that night house to 80° in the winter. You need a very well insulated night box with some type of insulated door. Keep in mind the tortoise gets most of its heat from the ground temperatures as well. SO you need the floor insulated too. Many places you will see people maintaining that their sulcata is just fine and they never heat it to 80° overnight. Those people are going to loose their sulcata sooner or later. They are very resiliant and can withstand a great deal of poor conditions. But their metabolism and gut microbiome is dependent upon temperature being above 80° or they will suffer. Might make it one year, three years, ten years, but why have your tortoise struggle?

You need something like this:

I use small space heaters mounted above my sulcatas reach in my 2
( 27"x36") night boxes with a container of water to create a little humidity. I plan to replace one box soon. What heat source would be less costly. Stay with space heaters ot switch to oil filled radiant heat?
 

Markw84

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I use small space heaters mounted above my sulcatas reach in my 2
( 27"x36") night boxes with a container of water to create a little humidity. I plan to replace one box soon. What heat source would be less costly. Stay with space heaters ot switch to oil filled radiant heat?
In the San Diego area you are dealing with much different temperatures, and more importantly, much different ground temperatures below your night box, than in Nebraska in winter. Those are very small night boxes for a sulcata, but will work for a while until they get bigger. At that size, and your location, I would go with a Radiant heat panel on the ceiling and a small kane heat mat on 1/2 the bottom - both on the same thermostat. If your night box is well insulated, it will be very inexpensive to run. No room for an oil filled radiator, and space heaters can be quite desiccating.
 
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tortlvr

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In the San Diego area you are dealing with much different temperatures, and more importantly, much different ground temperatures below your night box, than in Nebraska in winter. Those are very small night boxes for a sulcata, but will work for a while until they get bigger. At that size, and your location, I would go with a Radiant heat panel on the ceiling and a small kane heat mat on 1/2 the bottom - both on the same thermostat. If your night box is well insulated, it will be very inexpensive to run. No room for an oil filled radiator, and space heaters can be quite desiccating.
The house I'm replacing is 36x32. I'm designing a new one about 48x48. Thanks for your input. I will look into heat panels and i already have a kane mat. The other house is 44x30. My 2 sullys are about 95 lb. What size do you recommend? I'm hoping they won't get much bigger.
 

Tom

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The house I'm replacing is 36x32. I'm designing a new one about 48x48. Thanks for your input. I will look into heat panels and i already have a kane mat. The other house is 44x30. My 2 sullys are about 95 lb. What size do you recommend? I'm hoping they won't get much bigger.
You could do a double box like this so you only have one box to heat, but separate enclosures:
 

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