Question about providing heat

[G96]

Hi there,

I have a Hermann's desert tortoise, and she loves walking around outside her tank. I want to let her spend time free from the walls of her tank. However, I know that she needs heat, and her tank has heat lamps that provide her with the necessary warmth. I'm looking for suggestions about ways to offer her warmth outside her tank. For example, I was thinking of buying a reptile heating pad and laying it down under my bed where she likes to sit when she's outside her tank. That way, she could get some heat there. However, I am worried about her lying directly on it (these heating pads are meant to lie under a terrarium tank). If anyone has any suggestions about how to let a tortoise roam free and keep them warm, please let me know - I greatly appreciate it!

 

[cmacusa3]

It's never a good idea to let your tort roam free in the house. There's tons of horror stories on the forum of bad stuff that's happened.

 

[Tom]

Rather than letting the tortoise roam loose on the floor, make the tortoise's enclosure large and interesting enough to meet all of its exercise needs.

To be clear, your tortoise should not be loose on the floor. No matter how careful you are, or how much you profess to supervise, it is simply not safe for a wide variety of reason and it frequently ends in disaster.

P.S. Hermanni are not desert tortoises. They don't come from the desert. If you are housing your tortoise that way, it could be a problem.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

You shouldn't need a heat pad for him if he's just walking around your house. I agree with cmac that having a tortoise free roam your house isn't good.
What you could do (if your able to) is make him an outside enclosure. Fresh air, and sun. He'd love it!

 

[JoesMum]

Hi there,

I have a Hermann's desert tortoise, and she loves walking around outside her tank. I want to let her spend time free from the walls of her tank. However, I know that she needs heat, and her tank has heat lamps that provide her with the necessary warmth. I'm looking for suggestions about ways to offer her warmth outside her tank. For example, I was thinking of buying a reptile heating pad and laying it down under my bed where she likes to sit when she's outside her tank. That way, she could get some heat there. However, I am worried about her lying directly on it (these heating pads are meant to lie under a terrarium tank). If anyone has any suggestions about how to let a tortoise roam free and keep them warm, please let me know - I greatly appreciate it!

Like the others are suggesting the way to ensure your tortoise is healthy and happy is to have an enclosure that's big enough with the correct humidity, heat and light.

Your tortoise is a Hermann's tortoise. It is not a desert tortoise, it is a grassland species. It must not be kept on sand and does need 50-70% humidity for good health.

If your tortoise is roaming your floor the risks include:
- being stepped on (we had one on TFO only a couple of weeks ago )
- escape
- eating something it shouldn't (they're attracted to colour and don't use common sense to work out if it's edible)
- ingesting dust bunnies or hair by accident which block the digestive system.

You only have to be distracted for a moment unfortunately. Please don't let your tortoise roam. Spend your money on its enclosure instead.

We'll be happy to check it over if you post photos

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I agree and I liked @Big Ol Tortoise suggestion about an outdoors enclosure.
Are you in an area/situation that you could make an outdoor enclosure for your tortoise?

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum @G96 .

Any pics of your tort and his/her enclosure? That would make things easier when giving you advise/help.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Please read the thread linked below. This member was very careful with her tortoise too, but you see what happened anyway:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/urgent-is-my-baby-sulcata-okay.105241/

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Please read the thread linked below. This member was very careful with her tortoise too, but you see what happened anyway:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/urgent-is-my-baby-sulcata-okay.105241/

you should have this thread be at the top so everyone can see it. Like other threads.