Force sleeping in the warms or let him hide?

[GroovyBrent]

Jet is our 3 year old redfoot. In Jet's outdoor enclosure, we have a heated house to give him an option when it gets cool in the evenings. I've observed him going in and out of the house, and he seems pretty comfortable doing so.

My concern is that he's dug a little burrow outside and seems to prefer sleeping in that burrow to the heated house.

It can get cool in the evening (low 60s), and in the morning when I change his food and water, I'll pull him out of the burrow, and he'll be chilled. I put him in the warm house, but most nights he ends up back in his burrow.

I'm trying to figure out how to create a burrow in the warm house. In the meantime should I be concerned about Jet getting too cool and force him to sleep in the warm house, or can I trust that he'll find the heat if he needs it?

Thanks!

 

[wellington]

I don't have a RF but a lot of us lock our torts up at night in a hide box or shed. If you do this, be sure the hide is big enough for him to get out from under the heat.

 

[Redstrike]

Stick Jet into the warm house if it's going to dip below 70 at night. Don't feel badly about it.

 

[GroovyBrent]

Got it!

So what you're saying is edamame-sized brain plus slight torpor from cold = dummy, you should go get warm!

Here is a little gif of him enjoying some hibiscus.

 

[Tom]

Where this species evolved, there is no such thing as "too cold". He is not equipped to deal with the temperature extremes of our temperate climate. I vote you put him in the box every night and fill in the "burrow" and block that area.

 

[TortoiseWarrior]

Will you let us know what you do and how it turns out?

 

[Redstrike]

Where this species evolved, there is no such thing as "too cold". He is not equipped to deal with the temperature extremes of our temperate climate. I vote you put him in the box every night and fill in the "burrow" and block that area.

That's a good looking tortoise, keep posting pictures! Yes, we're saying put Jet in his warm hut.

Tom's approach is the safest bet for not having a sick/hyperthermic redfoot. I'd probably put Jet away every night too if he were my tortoise. The desert gets cold at night.

 

[smwboxer]

Mine stay outside all the time unless it gets down to the low 50's and is damp out. Our days, even in winter, are generally over 70 though. Everyone does fine.

 

[Tom]

Jet is our 3 year old redfoot. In Jet's outdoor enclosure, we have a heated house to give him an option when it gets cool in the evenings. I've observed him going in and out of the house, and he seems pretty comfortable doing so.

My concern is that he's dug a little burrow outside and seems to prefer sleeping in that burrow to the heated house.

It can get cool in the evening (low 60s), and in the morning when I change his food and water, I'll pull him out of the burrow, and he'll be chilled. I put him in the warm house, but most nights he ends up back in his burrow.

I'm trying to figure out how to create a burrow in the warm house. In the meantime should I be concerned about Jet getting too cool and force him to sleep in the warm house, or can I trust that he'll find the heat if he needs it?

Thanks!

Brent, in considering these responses, please keep in mind the climate differences in different parts of our country. I think many people from other parts of our country are surprised at how cold and damp our southern CA nights can be, and how drastically different it is from mid day to mid night here.

 

[GroovyBrent]

Thanks for the great advice all!

It's easy enough to make sure he's placed in the warm hut at night, so that's what I'll start doing. There was a quote I read on this forum (should have recorded who said it) that applies in this case: "There's a difference between 'acceptable' and 'ideal.'" While the temps don't get dangerously cold here (except in rare cases mid-winter), it's really no additional work on my part to make sure he's warm at night.

Now if he was a full-grown 90kg Sulcata, coaxing him into the hide might be a bit more troublesome...

 

[Tom]

"There's a difference between merely surviving, and thriving…"


Luckily, my big sulcatas all put themselves away every night.