Outdoor heating?

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I live in Arizona. Can someone please tell me proper care for my outdoor Sulcata Tortoise, who is 5 years old concerning heating her house? What I should be keeping the temperature at? and how cold is too cold for her? Does she need a heat lamp or is she o.k. sleeping in a dirt burrow at night? ect? Thank you for any info you can give me.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

My big tortoise lives in a shed in the PNW. His shed is heated and stays at a constant 85 degrees. We just did a thread on this very subject and it was decided for the winter the burrow should be blocked off and a heated night box put in use.
Tortoises can only digest their food if they are 80 degrees inside. To ME 60 is too cold for them at night. Look at Team Gomberg's last thread. Heather made a great r winter box for smaller tortoises. I was still not leaving my big Sulcata outside at night when he was 5. Your nights cool off pretty good now and really will during the winter. So she either needs to go in your house at night or she needs her own heated box outside. I'll see if I can find a link for you...
here ya go. This is a great box....

tortoiseforum.org/threads/levis-new-yard-in-oregon.102980/#post-959053

 

[Tom]

Burrows are fine for summer in AZ, but this tropical species needs warmer winter temps than what you will have.

In summer, I unplug my heat sources. In winter I set the thermostats to around 80-85 depending on how cold the day time highs will get.
Here are some ideas for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/daisys-new-enclosure.28662/

 

[[email protected]]

Thank you for the input. She has a heated box above the burrow and last winter I put a heater in the burrow. She still chooses to sleep in the burrow and so what I really wanted to know is whether or not she will choose the heated box over the burrow if she is cold? Or do they rely completely on us to keep them warm in the cold? What is PMW?