Horsfield tortoise temps

[toast-the-tortoise]

Hi everyone,

I am a new tortoise owner and trying to ensure everything is as perfect as possible for Toast (the rescue tortoise, he's 18 months old approximately according to the previous owner). He is currently housed in a viv, which I know isn't the best, so I am in the process of building a "wall" (pen type thing) that will be attached to the viv to allow the viv doors to be opened constantly for adequate airflow, and to give him more space so that he can choose to come out and go in when he wishes (it's on the floor), so effectively converting it into a tortoise table! I am thrown off by the temperatures though. I understand the basking spot needs to be between 35-40 C. But what about the lower end of the tempreture gradient, how cool can this drop to? I'm assuming that if the tort gets too cool he'll take himself back to the basking light? The average room temp isn't the most stable as its an attic room and so can drop to around 14 over night. Will this be too cool? I keep his basking lamp off over night (and the UVB) so there's no extra heat. He has some nice deep topsoil which he buries down into each night, is this because he's cold?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi everyone,

I am a new tortoise owner and trying to ensure everything is as perfect as possible for Toast (the rescue tortoise, he's 18 months old approximately according to the previous owner). He is currently housed in a viv, which I know isn't the best, so I am in the process of building a "wall" (pen type thing) that will be attached to the viv to allow the viv doors to be opened constantly for adequate airflow, and to give him more space so that he can choose to come out and go in when he wishes (it's on the floor), so effectively converting it into a tortoise table! I am thrown off by the temperatures though. I understand the basking spot needs to be between 35-40 C. But what about the lower end of the tempreture gradient, how cool can this drop to? I'm assuming that if the tort gets too cool he'll take himself back to the basking light? The average room temp isn't the most stable as its an attic room and so can drop to around 14 over night. Will this be too cool? I keep his basking lamp off over night (and the UVB) so there's no extra heat. He has some nice deep topsoil which he buries down into each night, is this because he's cold?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hello, and welcome to the forum! We have a few members from Wales here...I'm sure you will find each other.

Your tortoise is too cold! 35-38°C is great, but the temp in his viv should not drop below 27° in the coldest spot day or night. At 18 months he still is not an adult, when he will be able to tolerate cooler temps. But he's not quite there yet.

What size is his viv? He will still benefit from a closed enclosure for a while. You won't be able to achieve and maintain the proper temps and humidity in an open table.

I think you need to get it up off the floor, too. It's much colder on the floor, and you will fight a losing battle to keep it heated.

Usually at night you shouldn't need any extra heat, but I think 14° is extreme, especially if it's unstable. That spells respiratory infection (RI). So to give some heat at night you should be using a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). It's a bulb that screws in and emits heat, but no light. It must be put in a ceramic socket because it's so hot. It also needs to be on a thermostat to control it. The t'stat will click the CHE on at a temp you set, probably 27° or a bit lower.

Here is the care sheet for Horsefield's, which we call Russians. Read it and come back with questions and concerns, and we'll help you figure it out. There's also info on heating and lighting that should clear up your confusion.

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

4 elements of heating: By Tom
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.

Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.

Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.

UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.htm

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone,

I am a new tortoise owner and trying to ensure everything is as perfect as possible for Toast (the rescue tortoise, he's 18 months old approximately according to the previous owner). He is currently housed in a viv, which I know isn't the best, so I am in the process of building a "wall" (pen type thing) that will be attached to the viv to allow the viv doors to be opened constantly for adequate airflow, and to give him more space so that he can choose to come out and go in when he wishes (it's on the floor), so effectively converting it into a tortoise table! I am thrown off by the temperatures though. I understand the basking spot needs to be between 35-40 C. But what about the lower end of the tempreture gradient, how cool can this drop to? I'm assuming that if the tort gets too cool he'll take himself back to the basking light? The average room temp isn't the most stable as its an attic room and so can drop to around 14 over night. Will this be too cool? I keep his basking lamp off over night (and the UVB) so there's no extra heat. He has some nice deep topsoil which he buries down into each night, is this because he's cold?

Thanks in advance for any help!

All of your questions are addressed in Karen's answer. Here is my take on it all.
1. Vivariums actually are best. There is no way to maintain the correct temps and humidity with an open top, especially in a cold attic.
2. 14 is too cold. Shoot for 20-21C as your overnight low. Use a CHE or a RHP set on a thermostat to maintain this ambient temp.
3. Basking temp should be set around 36-37. 40 is a little too high.
4. Loose on the floor is a recipe for disaster. Always keep your tortoise in its enclosure, and make sure the enclosure is large enough.
5. Soil should never be used as a tortoise substrate. It is made from composted yard waste, and there is no way to tell what is in it. It could be something toxic.

You'll get a much better idea of everything after reading through the care sheet linked by Karen.