Heating & Heat Mat Question

[JoshyP]

Around 8:30 you're comparing the wattages, suggesting that the lower wattage isn't enough compared to the 115w of the stanfield, why does that matter when you're running it through the rheostat? The mat isn't working at 115w after that point.

How are you determining the setting for the rheostats; how are you measuring and maintaining the temperature of the enclosures? If tonight is 20* warmer or colder than last night, how are you ensuring that the enclosures stay in the correct temperature range? Or if there a steep temperature drop during the night.

Thermostats are essential because they control the heating equipment in response to the temperature. Ambient heating should always go through a thermostat, rheostats are good for bottom heat/mats since they typically heat above ambient. And if you're controlling the ambient with a thermostat, you're indirectly controlling the mat as well.

I'm not sure about @EppsDynasty, but the thermostat/rheostat I have has a temperature probe, and so works almost the same way a thermostat would, expect the way the power is distributed is different. Rather then turning off, then on again at 100%, it just reduces the power output to the heat mat. That way, if the temperature does drop significantly overnight, it can get hotter and warm the tortoise up.

Personally, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I prefer using thermostats to control the ambient temperature, and then am leaning towards using the thermostat/rheostat in the way as described above. Only because, the other heating sources throughout my torts enclosure for ambient heat don't have the ability to burn him as he's not physically able to get to them, but he can get to the heat mat. If it's on a thermostat going at 100% as it's trying to heat the rest of the enclosure up, I worry that this could (not 100% sure about the possibility of this) end up burning my tort. Letting the other heating elements get the enclosure temperature up for me seems safer.

That said, it does raise a point of why it's suggested to get a higher wattage heat mat as I presume a lower wattage heat mat might not be able to get hot enough to burn the tort, whereas a higher wattage one could? I think for my situation (I have a higher wattage heat mat) it works, but I imagine for other people it might not.

I'm far from an expect on this and hopefully EppsDynasty can share their thoughts, but just thought I'd share mine as well.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Around 8:30 you're comparing the wattages, suggesting that the lower wattage isn't enough compared to the 115w of the stanfield, why does that matter when you're running it through the rheostat? The mat isn't working at 115w after that point.

OK ..... When you have a 96 watt heat mat on a Rheostat at 60% you are creating less heat than a 115 watt mat at 60%. The reason I state (for a fact) that the 96 watt mats are not enough is because when dimmed down to not burn the tort they just cannot produce enough heat to heat the space...ambient temp. The 96 watt mats need to be at 80% to achieve the temps that can be achieved with a 115 watt mat at 60-65%. Yes the mat is not using 115 watts BUT it is using more power than a less wattage mat at the same setting.

How are you determining the setting for the rheostats; how are you measuring and maintaining the temperature of the enclosures? If tonight is 20* warmer or colder than last night, how are you ensuring that the enclosures stay in the correct temperature range? Or if there a steep temperature drop during the night.

Most nights are within 5-10 degrees of the night before and allows a median temp to be achieved without major adjustments. But just like your example of 20 degree swing it does happen, especially when rain is coming or wind events. In these cases you simply adjust the rheostat up or down in a 10%-15% range. Now most people just don't get this because it doesn't tell you a temp, well thermostats burn period, no way around that it is just the nature of the beast. Last night was 15 degrees warmer so I add 5+% to the rheostat so from 6.2 ish to about 7 on the dial .... (dial has 0-9 on it). Once you consistently check temps in your house(s) you get a good idea of how much or less heat is needed to achieve a 75-82 degree ambient temp. With a Rheostat style thermostat what you risk is it either producing way to much and burning OR it is turned down and you don't produce enough...which can also burn very easily. If your tort is cold on top burning the bottom is pretty easy.

Thermostats are essential because they control the heating equipment in response to the temperature. Ambient heating should always go through a thermostat, rheostats are good for bottom heat/mats since they typically heat above ambient. And if you're controlling the ambient with a thermostat, you're indirectly controlling the mat as well.

KEY WORDS .... "...control the heating equipment in response to the temperature." This is how you burn tortoises. When you are using the outside air to determine the power output burning is the only outcome, NOW controlling the output by capping how much power can be used ensures you don't get those giant spikes in temp/power. Then measure temps and determine if more or less power is needed to achieve the desired temperature range. Now I can say this with certainty ..... someone who has NOT used this method and regularly measured their temps and learned how much power is needed for their situation has real problems understanding this. The reason is they just can't get over the mentality of needing a thermostat. This is something that needs to be done, to be put into practice, to be learned by the person. This is NOT something that Google is going to teach you, by being a person that is just reading words and not practicing this in real world situations you are missing the key points and lessons learned by real world situations.

Personally, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I prefer using thermostats to control the ambient temperature, and then am leaning towards using the thermostat/rheostat in the way as described above. Only because, the other heating sources throughout my torts enclosure for ambient heat don't have the ability to burn him as he's not physically able to get to them, but he can get to the heat mat. If it's on a thermostat going at 100% as it's trying to heat the rest of the enclosure up, I worry that this could (not 100% sure about the possibility of this) end up burning my tort. Letting the other heating elements get the enclosure temperature up for me seems safer.

What you are missing her is that the heat mats ARE what controls the ambient temps. There is no need for bulbs or any other heating device if using 2 heat mats. They (with 115 watts NOT 96) will have enough energy dispersion in the form of heat to heat the entire enclosure, which is what your goal is NOT heating the tort. A 96 watt mat will get just as hot as a 115 watt BUT without as much dispersion of heat .... physics is physics a 96 watt mat is nearly 20% less energy. So it still gets 30 degrees warmer than ambient at 100% just puts out less heat. No different than any other heater, example: A 50 watt fish tank heater still gets 114 degrees just like a 100 watt one BUT it will only keep a 20 gallon water tank at 78 where as a 100 watt heater will keep a 50 gallon tank at said temps.

Anyone that is using any additional heat devices other than 2 heat mats is fundamentally not understanding the task at hand. As I said most think they are 'Heating' their tort when actually you are heating the house and your tort is in a warm environment. No different than you and your house ...... do you have heat bulbs for warm spots, or heat mats under your bed? NO ..... you heat your house inside to a comfortable temp and live in that....no different for Tortoises.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Same here. From what I've read, mainly on here, I thought that the issue with using heat lamps on larger torts is that it can burn their shells. Plus, it doesn't properly heat up their inside. I could be wrong, but that was always my understanding, hence the switch from bulbs to the panel & heat mat in his enclosure. Happy to be corrected if I've got it wrong. Just want the best for my tort. Thanks!

I can definitely understand that being the case with singular higher wattage heat bulbs, but I’m presuming with multiple lower watts raised higher, that isn’t the case. @Markw84 I’m curious whether for arguments sake, during a sulcatas growth period, in a climate where outdoors simply isn’t an option, would it be preferable to use panels/mats, until the tortoise is full grown to create a basking area with multiple lamps? I’d be curious to get some input from @Tom on the topic, I know he tends to discourage using heat bulbs for larger tortoises, I’m interested on his thoughts of using multiple bulbs to create a basking area.

It clearly works as mark has demonstrated, I guess I’m just more interested in the pros and cons of theses different heating methods for larger tortoises

 

[ryan57]

Also, you will get better performance out of ANY heating system with some thermal mass. When the mass is heated, jugs of water in the case of a greenhouse, logs in the case of a log home, brick and stone in the case of a fireplace, steel in a wood stove, etc. it smooths out the highs and lows of the heat source. In my case of using cement board and being adjacent to a brick fireplace, those objects are heated and release their stored heat more gradually as in all of the examples above. In the application of a heat mat for instance, placing a layer of mass (pavers) something heavy and non-flammable will further smooth out the highs and lows of temperature in ALL cases.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Also, you will get better performance out of ANY heating system with some thermal mass. When the mass is heated, jugs of water in the case of a greenhouse, logs in the case of a log home, brick and stone in the case of a fireplace, steel in a wood stove, etc. it smooths out the highs and lows of the heat source. In my case of using cement board and being adjacent to a brick fireplace, those objects are heated and release their stored heat more gradually as in all of the examples above. In the application of a heat mat for instance, placing a layer of mass (pavers) something heavy and non-flammable will further smooth out the highs and lows of temperature in ALL cases.

Rocket Mass Heater ...

 

[jaizei]

the thermostat/rheostat I have has a temperature probe, and so works almost the same way a thermostat would, expect the way the power is distributed is different. Rather then turning off, then on again at 100%, it just reduces the power output to the heat mat. That way, if the temperature does drop significantly overnight, it can get hotter and warm the tortoise up.

Personally, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but I prefer using thermostats to control the ambient temperature, and then am leaning towards using the thermostat/rheostat in the way as described above. Only because, the other heating sources throughout my torts enclosure for ambient heat don't have the ability to burn him as he's not physically able to get to them, but he can get to the heat mat. If it's on a thermostat going at 100% as it's trying to heat the rest of the enclosure up, I worry that this could (not 100% sure about the possibility of this) end up burning my tort. Letting the other heating elements get the enclosure temperature up for me seems safer.

Yes, I think having the ambient heating separate from the control of the mat is best. You can adjust the mat independently without compromise. Using an external probe to monitor the heat mat is difficult though. Even if its touching part of the mat, the hottest part will be wherever the animal is laying. So you might be measuring 15*F above ambient at the probe, but it could be another 15*F higher than that under the animal. The benefit to having a separate rheostat just for the mat is that is can be set much lower.

 

[EppsDynasty]

In our facility the amount of power and devices powered is a real thing. Our thoughts are that if the perfect environment can be achieved safely with as few devices or items that can fail and as little power is best. Now of course this will be completely different with fewer torts or houses, but we control ambient with the mats....it is really the sole purpose of the second mat. we also feel that a tort on a heated surface (controlled) is far healthier than a tort in a warm house on a cold floor.

 

[jaizei]

Most nights are within 5-10 degrees of the night before and allows a median temp to be achieved without major adjustments. But just like your example of 20 degree swing it does happen, especially when rain is coming or wind events. In these cases you simply adjust the rheostat up or down in a 10%-15% range. Now most people just don't get this because it doesn't tell you a temp, well thermostats burn period, no way around that it is just the nature of the beast. Last night was 15 degrees warmer so I add 5+% to the rheostat so from 6.2 ish to about 7 on the dial .... (dial has 0-9 on it). Once you consistently check temps in your house(s) you get a good idea of how much or less heat is needed to achieve a 75-82 degree ambient temp. With a Rheostat style thermostat what you risk is it either producing way to much and burning OR it is turned down and you don't produce enough...which can also burn very easily. If your tort is cold on top burning the bottom is pretty easy.

Where are you placing the thermometer to measure the ambient temperature inside overnight? When you set the rheostat is it based on current temperature or forecast? What does 6.2 or 7 setting translate to with respect to the mat, ie rise above ambient? What is the surface temperature of the mats when the "perfect environment" is achieved?

With a Rheostat style thermostat what you risk is it either producing way to much and burning OR it is turned down and you don't produce enough...which can also burn very easily. If your tort is cold on top burning the bottom is pretty easy.

Yes, thats why most don't do it your way.

KEY WORDS .... "...control the heating equipment in response to the temperature." This is how you burn tortoises. When you are using the outside air to determine the power output burning is the only outcome, NOW controlling the output by capping how much power can be used ensures you don't get those giant spikes in temp/power. Then measure temps and determine if more or less power is needed to achieve the desired temperature range. Now I can say this with certainty ..... someone who has NOT used this method and regularly measured their temps and learned how much power is needed for their situation has real problems understanding this. The reason is they just can't get over the mentality of needing a thermostat. This is something that needs to be done, to be put into practice, to be learned by the person.

I agree that allowing the outside air to affect the setup is riskier, since you have to constantly adjust the rheostat to stay within range. This is what you do. Maybe the keyword should be comprehension. "Control the heating equipment in response to the temperature," refers to the temperature inside the tortoise house. Its a basic feedback loop. Does the thermostat inside your human house measure the outside air temperature? Not sure why anyone would think a tortoise house would be any different.

What you are missing her is that the heat mats ARE what controls the ambient temps. There is no need for bulbs or any other heating device if using 2 heat mats.

Nope, not missing anything. Allowing the heat mat to control the ambient is the problem and what makes it unsafe. You have to set the rheostat at a setting to raise the ambient to an acceptable range. What happens if that setting allows the surface to heat too much? Its literally the way you get cold on top/burned on bottom tortoise.

Anyone that is using any additional heat devices other than 2 heat mats is fundamentally not understanding the task at hand. As I said most think they are 'Heating' their tort when actually you are heating the house and your tort is in a warm environment. No different than you and your house ...... do you have heat bulbs for warm spots, or heat mats under your bed? NO ..... you heat your house inside to a comfortable temp and live in that....no different for Tortoises.

What exactly is this meant to be saying? Because using a thermostat to heat the ambient air temperature inside the house like I said is exactly what humans do. You're the one relying on a "heat mat under your bed" to heat a tortoise house.

It seems as though you are doing the things you attribute to thermostats and say are bad. Your setup is dependent on outside air temperature. Your setup is more likely to have a tortoise cold on top and burned on bottom. And I think theres a fair chance that you are failing to heat your tortoises in a optimal range all night. Because physics.

we also feel that a tort on a heated surface (controlled) is far healthier than a tort in a warm house on a cold floor.

I think a tortoise on a warm floor in a warm house is optimal.

 

[JoshyP]

Most nights are within 5-10 degrees of the night before and allows a median temp to be achieved without major adjustments. But just like your example of 20 degree swing it does happen, especially when rain is coming or wind events. In these cases you simply adjust the rheostat up or down in a 10%-15% range. Now most people just don't get this because it doesn't tell you a temp, well thermostats burn period, no way around that it is just the nature of the beast. Last night was 15 degrees warmer so I add 5+% to the rheostat so from 6.2 ish to about 7 on the dial .... (dial has 0-9 on it). Once you consistently check temps in your house(s) you get a good idea of how much or less heat is needed to achieve a 75-82 degree ambient temp. With a Rheostat style thermostat what you risk is it either producing way to much and burning OR it is turned down and you don't produce enough...which can also burn very easily. If your tort is cold on top burning the bottom is pretty easy.

What do you do when there are those 20 degree odd swings if you're not in or are away on holiday? Over here the weather can be a bit unpredictable and can change like that, especially whilst I'm at work and that's something I'd worry about. Would it not be "better" to control the ambient temperatures by something that cannot burn the tort like a oil radiator behind a barrier and then have the heat mat(s) on a rheostat? Otherwise, as @jaizei asked, do you base the rheostat on the current or forecasted temperature as it's always changing? Not criticising or anything, just trying to understand better.

What you are missing her is that the heat mats ARE what controls the ambient temps. There is no need for bulbs or any other heating device if using 2 heat mats. They (with 115 watts NOT 96) will have enough energy dispersion in the form of heat to heat the entire enclosure, which is what your goal is NOT heating the tort. A 96 watt mat will get just as hot as a 115 watt BUT without as much dispersion of heat .... physics is physics a 96 watt mat is nearly 20% less energy. So it still gets 30 degrees warmer than ambient at 100% just puts out less heat. No different than any other heater, example: A 50 watt fish tank heater still gets 114 degrees just like a 100 watt one BUT it will only keep a 20 gallon water tank at 78 where as a 100 watt heater will keep a 50 gallon tank at said temps.

Anyone that is using any additional heat devices other than 2 heat mats is fundamentally not understanding the task at hand. As I said most think they are 'Heating' their tort when actually you are heating the house and your tort is in a warm environment. No different than you and your house ...... do you have heat bulbs for warm spots, or heat mats under your bed? NO ..... you heat your house inside to a comfortable temp and live in that....no different for Tortoises.

I think our situations/climates differ as only using 2 heat mats for me wouldn't be enough. I've got a summerhouse which has a humid hide, etc in it heated to optimal temps for my tort. Due to this, I have heating elements all throughout his enclosure. At night the majority of his enclosure gets colder, but he has an enclosed area where he sleeps that is fully heated. Hope that clears things up?

 

[JoshyP]

I can definitely understand that being the case with singular higher wattage heat bulbs, but I’m presuming with multiple lower watts raised higher, that isn’t the case. @Markw84 I’m curious whether for arguments sake, during a sulcatas growth period, in a climate where outdoors simply isn’t an option, would it be preferable to use panels/mats, until the tortoise is full grown to create a basking area with multiple lamps? I’d be curious to get some input from @Tom on the topic, I know he tends to discourage using heat bulbs for larger tortoises, I’m interested on his thoughts of using multiple bulbs to create a basking area.

It clearly works as mark has demonstrated, I guess I’m just more interested in the pros and cons of theses different heating methods for larger tortoises

I second your message. Would be very interested in what others have to say and the pros/cons of these heating methods. Hopefully they see this and can give some insight.

 

[JoshyP]

Also, you will get better performance out of ANY heating system with some thermal mass. When the mass is heated, jugs of water in the case of a greenhouse, logs in the case of a log home, brick and stone in the case of a fireplace, steel in a wood stove, etc. it smooths out the highs and lows of the heat source. In my case of using cement board and being adjacent to a brick fireplace, those objects are heated and release their stored heat more gradually as in all of the examples above. In the application of a heat mat for instance, placing a layer of mass (pavers) something heavy and non-flammable will further smooth out the highs and lows of temperature in ALL cases.

Thanks for sharing and letting me know - much appreciated.

 

[JoshyP]

Yes, I think having the ambient heating separate from the control of the mat is best. You can adjust the mat independently without compromise. Using an external probe to monitor the heat mat is difficult though. Even if its touching part of the mat, the hottest part will be wherever the animal is laying. So you might be measuring 15*F above ambient at the probe, but it could be another 15*F higher than that under the animal. The benefit to having a separate rheostat just for the mat is that is can be set much lower.

Thanks for confirming - much appreciated. Regarding using a rheostat, the only ones I'm able to find over here in the UK are without timers and so would need to be plugged into one, but due to the shape of the rheostat & timer they wouldn't fit together. They also seem "cheap". As in, of poor quality and when it comes to electrics, especially those for my torts enclosure with all of the various heating elements and lights, I prefer to pay the "premium" for safety or at least the illusion of it . The ones I did find with timers also had a temperature probes unfortunately. My plan originally was to use the thermostat I mentioned before with the probe, placing it just above the heat mat. The temperature would be just above ambient and then once my torts on there, measure his temperature. If he's too cold, up the temperature slowly and measure him again, repeating the process until he reaches optimum temperature. In a way, the temperature the probe is reading is somewhat irrelevant or at least it is for the true temperature I'm trying to reach. Does that makes sense and do you think that my plan would work?

 

[Markw84]

I second your message. Would be very interested in what others have to say and the pros/cons of these heating methods. Hopefully they see this and can give some insight.

I'll go ahead and give my thoughts even though I disagree with and do it differently than @EppsDynasty and he clearly states if you are doing it any other way - you are wrong and don't understand physics! I won't say he's wrong - just that I do it differently and have had good success.

I always use a thermostat. I do not use heat mats. (I would never use a heat mat with a rheostat. If you check with the manufacturer, they state the mat is designed to operate at a fixed voltage. They are not engineered to operate at a different voltage. If you use a rheostat to reduce voltage it can cause the mat to overheat internally and can damage the heating element. This will void the manufacturer's warranty as well. It also can create a fire hazard. Kane always recommends using an on/off thermostat or specifically their own TC-20.)

Over the years and countless iterations of different night houses, I have found that without a thermostat controlling your heating, the variations in the differential from outside to inside the night house temperatures will totally change the Ambient inside and what the tortoise experiences. Daytime to nighttime is normally 40° difference and a setting that would keep the house at 80° on a 50° night would cook a tortoise by 1PM the next day. I choose not to adjust constantly when a thermostat can do that perfectly.

I have thermometer sensors in all my night houses as well that constantly records the temperature so I can look at a graph of the actual temperature the tortoise is experiencing throughout the entire day. I check to see what the temperature is actually maintaining at 2AM, 6AM, 12PM 4PM etc. I compare that over the year to see the setup is actually maintaining proper temperatures when days go from summer's 55° night to 110° day, as well as winter when I can get 28° night and 42° day. I don't have to change settings or equipment. I size things appropriately and let the thermostat do the work.

So what setup accomplishes this for me?

A well-insulated house. For a 6ft x 4ft to an 8ft x 4ft night house I use the same style as @Tom - double plywood walls sandwiching at least R-9 rigid foam insulation - top, sides and floor. Very important to insulate the floor. Since I don't use heat mats, I have found the floor must resist the ground temperatures below. Tortoises are built to moderate their core temperatures by ground temperature in absence of basking. Their flat plastrons maximize ground contact, and their organs are situated more to the lower part of their bodies. A well-insulated floor will ensure the floor is closer to the room ambient as opposed to the ground temperature below. Now this is dramatically affected by your location. Where I live R9 works for me in a smaller night house (8ft or less) I use R16.5 in my large Galapagos night room which is 12ft x 36ft.

However, we need to pay attention to where we live and what we have as ground temperature before we see if it is applicable to you. For example here is my ground temperatures the past 3 days and forecast for the next week. Just 21" deep is quite stable as you can see with the light blue line. Right around 50° is what the ground beneath my night houses is needing to compensate for. The dark blue line is air temperature that the walls and ceiling have to insulate against.



Here's what @Tom is dealing with under his night houses in his area. About 60°:



How about @ALDABRAMAN down in S Florida with that cold spell coming? From 70° dropping to 60°.



And @ryan57 up in PA? 33° ground temperature at 21" deep! Keep in mind the yellow line showing 4" deep temperature is what you are also combating around the bottom edges of your night house! I don't think R9 would be enough?



Where you are located is a big consideration in trying to evaluate advice on what will work for you.

For me, the 600 watt mini oil filled radiator works best. I turn it on to max and put it on a thermostat. I only use on/off thermostats for this. I do not want proportional as the heater is designed to work at a specific voltage. This would not matter with a simple resistance heater without electronics. However, with the built-in electronics and thermostat in the heater, I do not want to run it at a variable voltage. Once running a temperature is stablaized, the heater runs very little and the temperature inside the night box does not vary more than 1.5° as the thermostat kicks on and off. The heater normally never even gets to its hottest before the thermostat kicks it off. As with the designs you see of @Tom 's night houses, I have barriers around the heater to keep the tortoise for being able to get closer than 9"-12" to the heater. Now, most of my night houses I build are 4ft tall and have the heater on a shelf above tortoise level. (I got tired of lifting the heavy lid and like the height for easier access. With good insulation, I find little difference in heating and electric use.



I have LED lights in the ceiling. All my totoises are tropical - so I don't want them to experience such a change in photoperiod as I get here with 9 hour winter and 15 hour summer. So I provide ambient light set to 13 hour days year-round. I have a mesh node for better wifi in here, a smart powerstrip to run ambient LED, Basking Light for winters, and always on hermostat (heater) and small computer fan.


The 4ft height also allows me to have enough height to safely place a basking light for use in cooler weather when I get those weeks with no sun at all. Tropical tortoises need a way to heat up more than simply 80° ambient. So in winters I run a basking light on 13 hours. Normally I only need about 75 watts. I hang that with bottom of bulb 18" above tortoise shell height.

I've used this setup for Sulcatas, Leopards, Radiated and Galapagos. Have experienced no issues with using the basking light as long as I mount high enough to get the desired heat level in a radius below that is larger than the tortoise or tortoises using that night house. The main thing as far as basking light - I don't want to create a hot spot where a tortoise trying to heat up is subjecting only a portion of its shell to the heat AND no hot spot above 105° is what I use.

With larger tortoises or groups where a night house is too small, I have gone to whole rooms I heat. My Galapagos night "house" is converted barn stalls I completely built in and insulated as I detailed in my previous post. 7"4" ceiling height. R16.5 rigid foam insulation floors. R-11 walls, R-30 ceiling. I use a heat pump - mini split heat/AC system in this 12 ft x 36ft room. This is the most efficient way I have found to heat a larger room like this. I supplement with 2 -600 watt mini oil filled radiators at the opposite end set on a thermostat that is set 2° lower than the heat pump is set. I found on my coldest nights and when the differential between desired ambient and outside temperature is greater than 35° the heat pump alone cannot keep the temperature in the 78° range. So if the temperature in the room falls to 76° the oil filled radiators kick in. But most of the time, they are not running.

Here is a graph of how that is working for last night. Top is outdoor temperature. High yesterday at 2PM of 61.5°. Dropped to 37.9° at 3:10 this AM.

The Galapagos room maintained a fairly even 80° throughout the day yesterday and as temperatures outdoors dropped below 45° (35° differential) the temperature in the room started dropping until about 1"40 AM when the oil filled radiators kicked on to supplement. Then bounced to about 77°, turned off, dropped to 76° and turned them back on at 3:00AM, and again at 5:00AM. Basking lights on at 7:30, and the temperatures go up for another day.




I have a fan running constantly to even temperatures throughout the room. I have 12 - 1100 lumen LEDs in the ceiling for that 13-hour photoperiod. As detailed in my previous post, I use a bank of 3 - 175 watt basking bulbs about 30" apart and 2 ft above shell height to give a basking area of the desired temperature that is about 6 ft in diameter. When I have sunny days with temperatures above 65° I turn off the basking lights as they all warm up outdoors in the sun.

This is what works for me. I tried to give the parameters I monitor and what I look for to see if it is working for me. If I lived in an area that got prolonged cold spells, I would not have giant tortoises. If I did, I would have to have a large building that I would insulate and keep at 72° or so with a large basking area for the tortoise to heat up more. I would also look at installing a heated floor in the building that could maintain a floor temperature of 72-75°. Not a heat mat, but a heated floor to maintain a consistent "ground" temperature. Inside that building I would then put a smaller night house like the 4ft x 8ft I described and monitor closely to ensure the tortoise did use the night house and did not find a corner in the building to use instead.

Always monitor and check parameters actually produced to see if it is working for you.

 

[Dustin]

Wow! Two more for the hall of fame.

"Thermostats KILL tortoises period."

"Anyone that is using any additional heat devices other than 2 heat mats is fundamentally not understanding the task at hand."

You have got be kidding me.

 

[Tom]

Wow! Two more for the hall of fame.

"Thermostats KILL tortoises period."

"Anyone that is using any additional heat devices other than 2 heat mats is fundamentally not understanding the task at hand."

You have got be kidding me.

I know that he means well. I don't know why he makes statements like this.

 

[JoshyP]

I'll go ahead and give my thoughts even though I disagree with and do it differently than @EppsDynasty and he clearly states if you are doing it any other way - you are wrong and don't understand physics! I won't say he's wrong - just that I do it differently and have had good success.

Mark, I don't know what else to say other then thank you so much for sharing. Very insightful and helpful - You've pretty much answered any and all questions I had. Much appreciated!