Waterproof heating idea outdoors (only need a few degrees)

taymag

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I live in Florida so it rarely gets below 75, but my sulcata tortoise (3 years old, around 8") is used to indoor heating which was on one side of the cage most the time so I assume he liked the heat.

Anyway, the outdoor enclosure has a small dog house but I need some sort of 100% waterproof heating idea (I was thinking a mat). I am scared some sort of fire happening and the door is closed overnight.

The floor of the dog house is open so when it rains the floor gets wet (its on a hill so no water buildup, but still gets wet).

I thought about maybe screwing a heat mat onto the doghouse wall but then I feel like if there were an electrical fire there would be even a bigger chance of the wood catching.

What do you guys do? I cant imagine everyone has a completely dry house that they can mount a light, etc in
 

wellington

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Your going to have too make it a completely dry house. If your tort gets cold and wet he will get very sick or die. The Kane or stanfield pig heat mats will work placing it on the floor however, the dog house has to be big enough for him to get off it and it has to stay dry in the house. I would also attach it to a thermostat so it can't over heat warmer then needed.
 

wellington

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Btw, regular dog houses if plastic don't make for good heated hides as there is no insulation. If it's a wood dog house and big enough to use as I stated above, then I would attach a door and some insulation.
 

Big Charlie

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I wash my Kane mat with water all the time. They are designed for heavy use. I think it would work on a wall. Can you build up the floor and add a ramp to keep the water out?
 

Tom

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  1. You need to build an insulated house. Dog houses don't work well because they are designed for dogs, not tortoises. I know that it is warm most of the year there, but even south FL has winter cold spells. If you run your heat on a thermostat as you should, the heat will stay off most of the year and not waste any electricity. If you put it all together correctly, fire potential is minimal. In all my years of using lots of outdoor boxes, I've never had any problems.
  2. Your house needs a floor. An insulated floor. One day your tortoise is going to decide to dig to China and the whole box will be filled with dirt from the newly excavated hole in the ground. Ask me how I know this… Also, the ground is a big heat sink and will suck he heat out of your tortoise. That might be ok in summer, but not the rest of the year.
  3. Kane heat mats are not designed to be mounted on a wall and they don't throw heat very well that way. If you are going to use one, mount it on the ground.
Here are some examples of how to make a box. I've tried all sorts of dog houses, dogloos, deck boxes, sheds, and more over the years. None of them worked well. I began designing and building these boxes and they work perfectly for what us tortoise keepers need.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/#post-632974
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/double-door-night-box.129054/


Please feel free to ask lots of questions! :)
 

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