How hot does an enclosure make a room?

GenderConsumer

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Hello! I'm new to the forum and me and my fiancee are considering getting a Russian tortoise. I've been browsing the threads for the past few days, but I don't think anyone has asked this question yet. We have a small apartment (about 500 sq ft), so we're on the fence about getting the critter now or waiting until we can afford a larger place. One question we have concerns how hot a tortoise habitat could make the rest of our apartment. I know many people keep their torts in a separate room; how hot do those rooms usually get? Does the heat from the enclosure leech into the rest of the space? Is there a way to keep the heat contained, so that we don't get too hot and the tortoise doesn't get too cold? I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but we're pretty new to this, and we don't want to get a tortoise if we don't have the right space for it 😅 Thank y'all so much!
 

zovick

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Hello! I'm new to the forum and me and my fiancee are considering getting a Russian tortoise. I've been browsing the threads for the past few days, but I don't think anyone has asked this question yet. We have a small apartment (about 500 sq ft), so we're on the fence about getting the critter now or waiting until we can afford a larger place. One question we have concerns how hot a tortoise habitat could make the rest of our apartment. I know many people keep their torts in a separate room; how hot do those rooms usually get? Does the heat from the enclosure leech into the rest of the space? Is there a way to keep the heat contained, so that we don't get too hot and the tortoise doesn't get too cold? I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but we're pretty new to this, and we don't want to get a tortoise if we don't have the right space for it 😅 Thank y'all so much!
If you use a closed chamber, the heat loss into the room will be virtually unnoticeable.
 

Tom

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Hello! I'm new to the forum and me and my fiancee are considering getting a Russian tortoise. I've been browsing the threads for the past few days, but I don't think anyone has asked this question yet. We have a small apartment (about 500 sq ft), so we're on the fence about getting the critter now or waiting until we can afford a larger place. One question we have concerns how hot a tortoise habitat could make the rest of our apartment. I know many people keep their torts in a separate room; how hot do those rooms usually get? Does the heat from the enclosure leech into the rest of the space? Is there a way to keep the heat contained, so that we don't get too hot and the tortoise doesn't get too cold? I'm sorry if this is a stupid question, but we're pretty new to this, and we don't want to get a tortoise if we don't have the right space for it 😅 Thank y'all so much!
What Zovick said!

Lots more info here:
 

Yvonne G

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Because my house is always on the cool side, it's the opposite problem for me. . . my house cools down the enclosures. I have a dedicated reptile room with three working Vision cages (closed enclosures) in it. I had to set up a space heater in the room because the enclosures were getting too cold inside. The walls of the Vision cages are too thin, allowi ng the cold room to influence the temperatures inside them.
 

Littleredfootbigredheart

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Second everything above, you’ll need a closed chamber if getting a baby either way, hopefully as well as toms threads you’ll find this one useful, this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! but I’ll include some more closed chamber ideas below

This includes different closed chamber options, some work better than others

This one here is for adults 3+, it’s virtually the same barring size and the need for a covering. I want to preface that I know the recommended adult size is intimidating to some, especially if you get lead into thinking he’ll be fine in a smaller set up(very common) but tortoises long term health really does rely on lots of roaming room. If you’re unable to go that big, don’t worry, there’s a few creative ways to tackle to build

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying😊

Hope they help! Welcome to the forum🐢💚
 
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