Keeping a tortoise warm at night in an open air enclosure

TheWarTortoise

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Title basically says it all. What would be the best method of keeping a Leopard tortoise warm at night in an open air enclosure? And could you keep him warm while he's enclosed in a hide with a top to it? Thanks.
 

ethan508

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But a bit more information might help. Is it inside or outside? What is the ambient temperature at night? How well insulated is the box?

Ceramic Heat Element in a light fixture controlled by a thermostat works best. In lieu of thermostat, you can vary the distance the CHE sits from the tortoise using trial and error testing. Measuring the steady state temperatures with the CHE running under common cooling conditions, without the tortoise present, at varying lamp heights.

The big thing to remember is that heat has to come from some where and overcome whatever is trying to cool the enclosure. Tortoise don't create heat and can only bring a small amount of heat with them into a box. If that heat leaves things will cool. Heat leaves through 3 methods, conduction (touching surfaces) convection (air movement) and radiation. The colder the surroundings the quicker the heat transfer happens.
 

Tom

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The only way to do it is to burn lots of electricity over the tortoise. This constant desiccating electric heat will contribute to pyramiding.

Use a closed chamber instead. Then you only have to use a small amount of electricity to heat the inside of the chamber, and it will stay warm.
 

Jodie

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The only way to hold the heat and humidity in is to cover it. Build a cold frame and cover in plastic or plexi glass.
 

TheWarTortoise

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The only way to do it is to burn lots of electricity over the tortoise. This constant desiccating electric heat will contribute to pyramiding.

Use a closed chamber instead. Then you only have to use a small amount of electricity to heat the inside of the chamber, and it will stay warm.

What would be the easiest and most cost effective way to convert an open air enclosure to a closed one?
 

Souptugo

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What if you did overtop heating but with very moist substrate. The evaporation will keep surface humidity ok?

I use MVBs and closing the enclosure could cook the poor guy. I guess there is no perfect solution but closed chamber with proper UVB/heat seems ideal.
 

Tom

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What if you did overtop heating but with very moist substrate. The evaporation will keep surface humidity ok?

I use MVBs and closing the enclosure could cook the poor guy. I guess there is no perfect solution but closed chamber with proper UVB/heat seems ideal.

MVBs do tend to run too hot for a closed chamber. That is why we use tubes for UV and much lower wattage bulbs for heat. All that heat generated by an MVB over an open table just drifts up and into the room and the rest of the house. Imagine how much less electricity you'd need to burn if you contained that heat and captured it.

I'm using a 35 watt flood bulb to make a basking spot in my 3x6' closed chamber right now. Ambient creeps up to 90ish each day. I use two 65 watt floods in my 4x8' closed chambers that are in my cold garage.
 
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