Leopard tortoise outdoor heating

[Caden532]

Hello!
So I’ve finished my leopard tortoise’s outdoor enclosure, and only have one concern: outdoor heating. The only thing I’m really worried about is the electronics possible electrocuting him if it rains out there... I have a head pad and a thermostat to control the overall heat, just the rain is all I’m worried about. However, I do live in SoCal, where we get very little rain.

Maybe I could seal the electronics in some sort of Tupperware? Not sure. But should it be a serious worry that he may be electrocuted if they get all wet? ( as in the chances that it will? ) (it is a zoo med heat pad btw)
Might not go thru with it in the long run

Plus... do I necessarily need heat for my climate? What’s normally considered the low temperature for Leo’s?


Thanks for all input!

Caden

 

[Caden532]

Current enclosure- low light day

 

[Caden532]

Just realized that I put this thread in the wrong location... any way to change it?

 

[wellington]

Is that little box in the back his heated hide?
That's too small for any leopard big enough to live outside 24/7. How old/big is your tort?
Check out Toms night box threads. He also lives in CA. You need one like his but on a little small level as his are for sulcatas. A 4x4 should work.

 

[Caden532]

Is that little box in the back his heated hide?
That's too small for any leopard big enough to live outside 24/7. How old/big is your tort?
Check out Toms night box threads. He also lives in CA. You need one like his but on a little small level as his are for sulcatas. A 4x4 should work.

Ok thanks, that box in the middle back is just an added shade spot, and it had been moved to the corner. There’s another hide in the back left that you can’t see too well in the photo, I believe it is about 18 in by 13 in, my tort is about 9 in long and is turning 6 in November. He has been coming inside to his other enclosure every night but it’s just getting too small for him. He wouldn’t stay out there on nights when it rains either. Only when it’s a nice night. (I think the hide that is in the middle in the pic is only 14x11)

 

[Yvonne G]

Most of us have some sort of water-proof shelter for winter. For example, here's my heated night box:



The electric is buried from the house to the greenhouse, then in conduit (you can see it along the wood at the left side of the greenhouse) to a receptacle on the wall behind the night box. There's a hole in the night box to allow the cord to go out and plug into the receptacle. Because the night box is in a greenhouse, it won't ever get wet. So I suggest you build some sort of protection over your night box to keep the rain off it.

 

[Tom]

Hi Caden.

What part of So Cal are you in? Different advice for Hermosa Beach VS. Palm Springs. So many different climates here.

What size and age leopard tortoise are we talking about?

You absolutely need heat for this species in our climate if they are to be living outside full time. If you leave him in the cold air outside at night, he is very likely to get a respiratory infection and die.

Over the years, I have tried to use many things as tortoise houses. I've tried wooden dog houses, Dogloos, Rubbermade sheds and deck boxes. None of these things worked. They were not sealed or insulated so they didn't stay warm enough, and they used a ton of electric heat, which contributed to more pyramiding. So I started building my own boxes. Each time I built a new box, I learned more and discovered better ways to design and build them for maximum suitability for my tortoises and maximum efficiency for my electric bill. The boxes need to be sealed as you build them and insulated. Here are some examples:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/

With a proper night box, your tortoise will be safe from nocturnal predators, warm at night, and remain healthy.

 

[wellington]

18x13 inches is too small for a 9 inch tort. If you made a 4x4 foot heated box, he could stay out day and night, rain or shine. Like Yvonne's or Toms linked post

 

[Yvonne G]

Adding to what Wellington has said. . . when it's real cold or the sun isn't shining, I keep the night box door closed and there's a fluorescent UVB light inside at one end, I feed and water them inside. It's big enough that they have plenty of room to stay locked inside until the sun shines again.

 

[Caden532]

Thanks for all the quick replies!
I’m located in Orange County and Jet is 9in long and turning 6 @Tom , I was looking at some of your heated hides and was liking how the first one you linked looked and functioned... what heat panels and mats do you use? And do I have to run multiple like in your first hide ( like do I need 2 in order to keep temperatures?) ? What temps do u normally keep it at? And lastly, where do you place the probe for your thermostat?

 

[Tom]

Thanks for all the quick replies!
I’m located in Orange County and Jet is 9in long and turning 6 @Tom , I was looking at some of your heated hides and was liking how the first one you linked looked and functioned... what heat panels and mats do you use? And do I have to run multiple like in your first hide ( like do I need 2 in order to keep temperatures?) ? What temps do u normally keep it at? And lastly, where do you place the probe for your thermostat?

I use Kane heat mats and Reptile Basics RHPs. You need one of each to maintain temp on those nights when temps drop into the 30s in winter.

I put the thermostat probe on the far side, away from the heat sources.

In winter, when the days aren't warming up and they have no way to raise their body temp, I set the temp to 86. In summer when every day is hot, I set the thermostat to about 70. For coastal OC, you should keep things on the warm side. For inland OC, use the numbers I just listed.