I am in the process of building a new indoor enclosure for my 5 yr old sulcata. He is outside most of the year but as long as I can still carry him inside during the worst part of the winter I would still like to do that. It will be an enclosed enclosure to help hold in the humidity and heat. The size will be 8'x16' with a hide. In the hide I will be using an oil filled radiator that I now use for his outside hide.For he rest of the enclosure I am not sure what to use heat panels, another oil filled radiator, or CHE. His outdoor enclosure is 70'x36'.
HEATING ENCLOSURE
- Thread starter SULCY
- Start date
Hello and welcome. What size tortoise are we talking about? This will influence the heating advice.
The oil-heater should do a good job of maintaining ambient for you, but your tortoise will still need a warm area to go to and raise his body temp above ambient. You have to be very careful with over head bulbs on larger tortoises because they usually end up slow-burning the carapace. I prefer to use other methods. You could use a kane heat mat with a couple of florescent tubes over it. A combo of a daylight bulb in the 5000-6500K color range and a 12%HO tube mounted about 24 inches over the top of the carapace would work nicely. You can get those lights here: http://www.lightyourreptiles.com
Thanks for the info I was going to use those type of bulbs which I already have and used in his smaller indoor enclosure in the past.. Can the heat mat be on top of orchard mulch which is what I wanted to use for bedding. I will then use the oil filled heater in his hide. I use your hide box design for him outside and it works really well. He just needs more room indoors for the winter.
Also can I use my temp controller with these mats it is a Zilla controller for 1000 watts or do I need a contoller just for the mat. Thanks again for your help and all the links you have posted on this site. My guy went from a totally dry environment in the past to now a more humid environment and soaks.thanks to all the reading I have done on this site.
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
The Zilla controller should work fine on a heat mat. My Stanfield piglet mat is only 75 Watts. I got the controller made for it ( f1911) & it has a dial from o-9. The Matt will not get over 100% no matter what. It’s not as cold here, so works great in an insulated night box. I just turn the Matt to 8 before I go to bed.
Alaskamike
Well-Known Member
They recommend you not put anything on top of them. I don’t think it would start a fire - they don’t get that hot. But the Matt has an internal temp control also , so they can’t burn piglets ( or torts ). Anything on top of them gives a false reading of the air temps & will shut the Matt off.
They are easy to clean, very durable , & my Aldabra sits right on it
They are easy to clean, very durable , & my Aldabra sits right on it
