Winterizing the Sudans

[Amanda81]

I'm trying to plan ahead cause our nights are already dropping down in the lower 60's high 50's on occasion. Up until now I have only had my boys to worry with, which honestly was no big deal. If temps got real low, last winter we had over night temps of 16 and lower on occasion, I simply let them stay inside. They sleep in the bed with me until it's safe for them to go back out, they think they have won the doggie lotto. I might be wrong but I doubt the Sudans are going to find my quilts that exciting. I have an insulated night box, copied from Toms pics, THANKS TOM!! I have a 250 watt CHE hooked up in it but not really sure if this will be enough once winter really sets in. I know people in colder areas keep big torts over winter months. Can anyone please shine some light on this topic for me. It stays cold for extended periods and I'm thinking temps are to cold for them to be out walking around but on the other hand, they can't stay locked in their night box for a month. Should I build another night box and bury it in the ground? Make them an indoor temporary place, what?? Any suggestions, advice, "this is what I do" comments would be much appreciated.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

For my big kids, I've got an insulated, heated box for them for night and bad days. When it's cold out they come and go as they please, on their own. Here's one doing a lap before heading back in; he wasn't too happy about the lack of green, but he did stretch his legs a bit.

 

[Flipper]

OMG! So weird seeing a tortoise in the snow

 

[Amanda81]

For my big kids, I've got an insulated, heated box for them for night and bad days. When it's cold out they come and go as they please, on their own. Here's one doing a lap before heading back in; View attachment 94333 he wasn't too happy about the lack of green, but he did stretch his legs a bit.

That's awesome. What do u use for heat? And how thick is your insulation?

 

[Tom]

Amanda, these are problems you need to have solved BEFORE you bring giant tortoises home.

A couple of things:
CHE's are no good for outdoor heating. If its close enough to warm the tortoise its going to burn the carapace and dry it all out. If its far enough to not over heat the top of the carapace, it won't be warm enough on a 16 degree night.

If your winter weather is freezing for extended periods you will need some sort of large heated indoor area for them to roam around in. There is no winter in sulcata land, so even though there is snow outside, they still need room to move.

Sleeping in your bed in not a good idea. Quilts do nothing for a reptile because they don't generate their own heat for the quilt to hold in. They need a proper enclosure with proper night heat.

 

[DeanS]

I think I told you this before I sent them, but for the Sudans...you can get away with Tom's full-size night box design (8x4x2)...
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

But, come next year, you'll probably need to convert a garden shed...unless you build your own. If I had the time, I'd build a shed according to Tom's design...only I'd double the dimensions. When those three are full grown...they can be 10 feet long end to end to end...so that 16' long shed isn't so ridiculous sounding!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

That's awesome. What do u use for heat? And how thick is your insulation?

I use an electric, oil-filled radiator connected to a thermostat with a computer fan blowing on the heater. My heater is at floor level on a short side, separated from the tortoises by a 12" tall piece of plywood. The fan blows from the sleeping area towards the heater, not towards the tortoises. My insulation is doubled up 2" rigid with the reflector backing towards the inside.
We get mainly an average temp of 40°f daytime in the winter. Lots of drizzle and straight out rain here. And this works great for me. They come out, graze, go in warm up, and continue the sequence during the day.
I'm just saying this works for me. Not saying it's right, wrong, conservative or liberal.
Hope this helps.

 

[wellington]

Ken, just wondering why you have the fan blowing the way you do?
I use the same heater, on a thermostat and I use a fan from the ceiling blowing down over the heater. I do this figuring the fan will push the heat to the floor(tort) level before rising. Then the fan will also pull the heat down from the ceiling that has risen.
This is for my leopards and Russian. No outside in the snow time for them though and this is also in a well insulated, top, bottom, sides large 8x20 shed.

 

[Amanda81]

I think I told you this before I sent them, but for the Sudans...you can get away with Tom's full-size night box design (8x4x2)...
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/

But, come next year, you'll probably need to convert a garden shed...unless you build your own. If I had the time, I'd build a shed according to Tom's design...only I'd double the dimensions. When those three are full grown...they can be 10 feet long end to end to end...so that 16' long shed isn't so ridiculous sounding!

Ok I'm not to far off then. Yes u did tell me about the night box before u sent them. I plan on following along w it or I do actually have a spare shed I could go ahead and convert. Needs a few items, slight face lift and it will b perfect. I got a couple of those heaters I can use too. I kinda had ideas but just wanted to see how others do it since this my first winter.

 

[Amanda81]

Amanda, these are problems you need to have solved BEFORE you bring giant tortoises home.

A couple of things:
CHE's are no good for outdoor heating. If its close enough to warm the tortoise its going to burn the carapace and dry it all out. If its far enough to not over heat the top of the carapace, it won't be warm enough on a 16 degree night.

If your winter weather is freezing for extended periods you will need some sort of large heated indoor area for them to roam around in. There is no winter in sulcata land, so even though there is snow outside, they still need room to move.

Sleeping in your bed in not a good idea. Quilts do nothing for a reptile because they don't generate their own heat for the quilt to hold in. They need a proper enclosure with proper night heat.

Yes I am aware it's a bad idea to have them Sleeping in the bed (even if it wasn't I wouldn't have them in my bed) and attempting to heat them w a quilt, that was meant to be a funny. And Dean did recommend a box that would b fine for the winter, I simply was interested in seeing how others house theirs in the winter.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

This is the type thermostat I use. It's 15 amp, so I needn't worry about over working a zoomed type.

Look at this on eBay:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=131282799125

Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat

 

[Amanda81]

This is the type thermostat I use. It's 15 amp, so I needn't worry about over working a zoomed type.

Look at this on eBay:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=131282799125

Lux WIN100 Heating & Cooling Programmable Outlet Thermostat

Thanks. That's not a bad price. I just paid double that for some digital ones off amazon. I will check eBay out

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Thanks. That's not a bad price. I just paid double that for some digital ones off amazon. I will check eBay out

Normally at a building supply place they run I think $60.00 or so. That was an example of a current auction. I like these because they're programmable like for 4 different times of day. You can set up a slight night drop if you'd like.

 

[Amanda81]

Normally at a building supply place they run I think $60.00 or so. That was an example of a current auction. I like these because they're programmable like for 4 different times of day. You can set up a slight night drop if you'd like.

I will defiantly check it out. I have an old shed that needs some insulating and new doors. Well I guess since I am setting up for tort instead of lawn mowers I will redo the door set up all together. But I think I will just go ahead and prepare that for them instead of rearranging my existing box, dean said I would probably need shed next year anyhow. So something w multiple program setting will be handy

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I just checked Home Depot. $36 and change.

 

[Amanda81]

So today has been a crappy day, a high of 50 and the sun never made an appearance. I wasn't for sure if they could come out, so I left the Sudans in their shed and they got their food brought to them. So I got to thinking, when do I give them the option to come out? Do I just continue opening their door as usual every morning and them do what they do or should there be a tempature limit where I say, sorry fellas and leave them in their shed? Usually if it's a little chilly and sun is out real good, warming the ground, I let them out. They can stay warm cause the sun but w winter coming that means no sun. Just cold gray days. Are they old enough to figure out when they can go out and when they need to go in back to the heat?

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I don't restrict the movements of my large Sulcatas. I'm in the PNW and we have lots of overcast, raining days here. They come out of the heated box graze get cold go back in over and over all day long. Some days we get a layer of snow as well.

 

[Amanda81]

Ok. I would rather not restrict them from coming and going as they want but if it's for their safety I will. I had read a couple threads where people let theirs come and go as they please but all those torts were older, I wasn't for sure if mine were old enough to make their own choices. I would assume they are born with this ability but ya know what they say about assuming. Course I have read stuff where torts also just make bad decisions too, so I wasn't sure.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Here's another picture for ya;

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Keep in mind, Stanley made one lap around the heated house then headed right back in. Had he not done so, I would have shoved him back inside. Of the four in that yard, he was the only one to venture out while there was snow on the ground.