UVB in the house when it's raining or cold

[Snow_mori]

Hi everyone! I'm a new member and I am very excited to be posting my first question/concern as I've been reading/learning from this site for quite sometime now.
I have a 4 year old sulcata and I have transitioned him to the outdoor enclosure full time. With in his enclosure, I have set up an insulated dog house with heat pad, radiant heater, and some hay.
I live in SoCal region so it doesn't rain that often, but it has been raining recently and it can get pretty cold during winter time.
On cold days (especially when it's raining like today), my tortoise will not come out of his house all day.

My question is...
1) Should I be worried?
2) I usually only keep hay in his house, but should I put some other veggies in his house too?
3) Since he stays in his house all day, I worry about his light intake. Would I have to set up a UVB light inside his house?

In the worst case, I do still have his tank and his UVB light for when I used to bring him inside at night. Though, he is growing and the tank is getting a bit too snug for him now...
I'd appreciate any advise

 

[Big Charlie]

Don't worry. They don't need UVB every day. There is no need to put the UVB light inside his house.

I live in California too. My sulcata lives outside full time. There are days he doesn't come out of his house at all, like today when it was raining. He'll come out in rain if it is sunny, but he tends to stay inside on overcast days, even if it isn't raining and isn't too cold.

My sulcata is 17 years old. I've never provided food in his house but I know that several people do. If he is kept warm enough inside his house, it is fine for him to eat. It's up to you if you want to give more than hay. He'll be fine without. Last winter my tort stayed inside his house for weeks at a time without eating and he was fine.

 

[Snow_mori]

Great!! Thank you Big Charlie!

 

[cmacusa3]

How big is he? If he's still able to fit in a tank I would worry about him staying outside full time.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

What is the temperature inside the dog house on a night in the 30's?
What size is your tortoise?

 

[Snow_mori]

Hi Cmac3 and Tom.
He's about 13" little over 15lbs it's about 75-80f degrees inside the house.
Tom, I'm a big fan of your tortoise houses. I used your designs to build my tortoise house

 

[BILBO-03]

Hi and Welcome!

 

[cmacusa3]

Hi Cmac3 and Tom.
He's about 13" little over 15lbs it's about 75-80f degrees inside the house.
Tom, I'm a big fan of your tortoise houses. I used your designs to build my tortoise house

Definitely big enough to be outside full time. I put food in the boxes with my torts all the time and it's gone with in a few hours....I will let Tom answer the other stuff since you've been using his design.

 

[Big Charlie]

Hi Cmac3 and Tom.
He's about 13" little over 15lbs it's about 75-80f degrees inside the house.
Tom, I'm a big fan of your tortoise houses. I used your designs to build my tortoise house

You said it was a dog house. Dog houses aren't usually the best design for tortoises. That's a good temperature. Do you measure it at tortoise height?

 

[Dizisdalife]

When it is rainy and 60° weather, like it has been lately, I bump the night box temps up to 85-87°. It ensures they are warm enough to continue food digestion.

 

[Snow_mori]

Big Charlie, No I haven't measured his height. Only the appx straight carapace length.
Since I'm not as handy as Tom, I used the dog house with hinges at the roof(for easier access) as the frame and added insulation, installed radiant heater, heat pad, and connecting box, as well as the clear rubber flapping door.
Unfortunately, It's not as perfect and beautiful as Tom's but it seems warm and safe for his current size
Oh!! You mean the temperature at his height? It's slightly higher but not much more. I thought if I keep it lower, he might bump into it.

 

[Big Charlie]

Big Charlie, No I haven't measured his height. Only the appx straight carapace length.
Since I'm not as handy as Tom, I used the dog house with hinges at the roof(for easier access) as the frame and added insulation, installed radiant heater, heat pad, and connecting box, as well as the clear rubber flapping door.
Unfortunately, It's not as perfect and beautiful as Tom's but it seems warm and safe for his current size
Oh!! You mean the temperature at his height? It's slightly higher but not much more. I thought if I keep it lower, he might bump into it.

Yes, I meant the temperature at his height. I have my heaters on a thermostat and the probe is basically at his height. I have my temperature bumped up to 85 too. He needs 80 degrees to digest his food. At night you can put a solid door over the rubber flaps to keep the heat in.