Tortoises not using heat lamps

[bookyun]

Hello,

Just found this forum so first time posting.

First an introduction to my two tortoises. We have a yellow-footed tortoise (named Yellowfoot) and a red-footed tortoise (named Bubbles). We've had them for almost 15 years. When we first got them, they were less than 2 inches long -- now both are over a foot long.

We live in Southern California where the weather is nice and there's no real winter. So they live outside and basically have the whole back yard to themselves. We bought a dog house and put two ceramic heat lamps on a timer. They roam the yard throughout they day, but always end up under the heat lamps at night.

This year though has been an unusual cold winter here in So Cal. (relatively speaking -- I know the east coast people are rolling their eyes right now). Low 50s and sometime in the 40s during the night. So we turn on the heat lamps pretty early in the evening to late morning.

One of the tortoises though has been acting weird. Every morning when I go out, I don't find him under the heat lamp, but out under a bush where it must be really cold. I'm worried about him and why he does that. He hasn't started to wheeze yet (sometimes he has in past years), but I don't know why he's not going under the heat lamp.

I'm thinking about trying out heat maps or the Zoomed habitat heaters.

Any thoughts or feedback?

P.S. Attached a pic of the two tortoises.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi

 

[dmmj]

2 things come to mind one the one tortoise is being bullied, twoo it's too warm under the lamps

 

[wellington]

I agree with dmmj. Put the heat lamps on a thermostat so it can't get warmer then 75- 80.

 

[wellington]

You might want to give them their own boxes too. This way if there is any bullying going on the other one will also have a warm place to go too.

 

[Yvonne G]

Your system and set-up seems ok to me as is, however, in my opinion, you need to make an adjustment in how you handle them. Every evening make sure they're all inside the shelter where the CHEs are, then block the door so they can't get out. Then in the a.m. unblock the door. Since they've all lived together ok for 15 years, I don't think there is any bullying going on.

Turn on the CHEs and let them run for an hour or so, then go out there and test the temperature at the height of a tortoise's shell directly under one of the CHEs. You want to make sure it's not getting too hot directly under them. Also, is the shelter big enough that they don't have to be sitting directly under a CHE?

I would like to see pictures of the YF tortoises' heads. They look like Redfooted tortoises to me.

 

[TerrapinStation]

Hello & Welcome! Very handsome tortoises you have.

+1 on Yvonne's. They both look like RF to me. And I know a lot of tortoises fall asleep when it is warm outside and then do not have the instinct to wake up when it gets too cold outside.

You also mentioned that sometimes the tortoise begin wheezing..... that is usually a sure sign of a respiratory infection, caused by a combination of cold temps and high moisture. Does it usually happen in the winter?

Lots of great information on here & tons of friendly people.You are in the right place!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They are both Redfoot and one is being dominated by the other.
My tortoises also have a pecking order and my one very bossy female gets first pick of everything, including the best sleeping spot.
Have you tried using a large wooden box that is heated and insulated instead of just a light?
Try to make the warm area much larger, or offer two of them.

 

[mike taylor]

What I have is a large wooden box with a 600 watt space heater set on a thermostat . I have seven red footed tortoises and they all stay in this box when it's cold . Red foots don't need a basking spot so make the enclosure warm for them . My setup stays 80/85 degrees .

 

[MPRC]

My reds prefer darkness for sleeping. Your defiant redfoot may not like the bright sleeping arrangements. Getting ceramic heat emitters or some other form of non-light emitting heat may help.

Any night that it was supposed to be under 60 degrees this summer you would find me in the yard with a flashlight corralling 6 redfoots who would prefer to sleep under bushes instead of in their warm safe night box. They really don't know what's best for them.