Heating a 6x3x2 AP cage and whatnot

britsip

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Hey guys,

I was wondering if any of you have used a 6'long x 3'wide x 2' high Animal Plastics cage or something similar for their tortoise? I've stumbled upon a rather good deal for one and am thinking of snatching it up, but am wondering how to heat a beast this size without using CHE's. Currently, I use an 80 watt radiant heat panel and a flood light in a 4x2x18 and it works great. I'm housing a 3 year old, approximately 4inch male Sri Lankan Star tortoise.
On a side note...at what size should a tort be moved from a 6x3x2 enclosure?
 

Kapidolo Farms

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That same radiant heat panel will work well in the AP cage, no problems. Maybe even a lower wattage would do the trick. If not ceiling mounted you can set it on bricks large enough so the tortoises can be underneath. The bricks will act as heat sink, for more radiant heat. There is rarely a too soon to move an animal up to a larger cage, only a too late. I'm too late on a few of mine.

I'm not a big fan of CHE's, burnt myself on them more than once.
 

tortoise5643

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I can't really answer the heating question, although I use heat tape on a thermostat for most of my cages. But, even the tiniest tortoise can go in a large cage, just as long as they know where their food and water is.
 
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