Keeping warm at night

[frananne1]

Hi there, can anyone help me with this?

My 1yr old Hermann Hiccup and I live
in Wales Uk where it is pretty cold at the moment! I'm a bit worried about the temperature at night being a bit cold for him. What is the best way to help?

His enclosure is plastic with bars on the roof (so pretty open) at the moment he has a uv strip and heat bulb (pro rep 60w) on 12 hours a day.
I may just be being an over bearing mom but when I pick him up in the morning he feels cold. I'm worried that the change in temperature from the reptile shop (where he was 3 days ago) to my house is hard for him to deal with.

During the day he seems happy and active and eats lots though needs encouragement to drink.

I've been thinking of a few things... Firstly putting a blanket over the enclosure when the lights go out to try and keep some heat in. I've also looked at ceramic heat emitters for use in the night when it's too cold. Or maybe some sort of heat mat?

Please go easy as on me, I've only had him three days so I'm still learning how to do this best! I've attached a picture of his enclosure so you can see what I mean.

 

[G-stars]

A closed enclosure would be your best bet to help contain the heat inside. A ceramic heater connected to a thermostat would work great for that.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Fran:

You have a great set-up for covering the habitat!! You just need to buy a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) for night time. You can put the CHE on a thermostat so it goes on and off to maintain the temperature.

It might help if you lower the light just a bit, and put it inside a bell fixture. The bell directs the heat downward. Without the bell your heat is mostly going up, rising.

About your pellet substrate. It would be better for your tortoise if you get rid of that substrate and get something that the tortoise can dig in. We use a lot of coconut coir here, or orchid bark or even cypress mulch.

But covering the habitat will help you a lot. You can use an inflammable material like cooking foil.

 

[frananne1]

Thank you both that's so helpful!

I didn't think about foil, but it makes sense to use that rather than a blanket.

I've ordered some coco coir from
Amazon now as I'm not fussed on the bedding either. Reptile shop guy said it was ideal as it doesn't smell and it's compressed hay not wood clippings, but Hiccup seems to like to dig so think he will prefer something else.

I will look into getting a bell too for the light.

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

This is what I'm talking about, but don't use the clamp part, as they can fail.

 

[Yvonne G]

And be sure to get one with a ceramic base (where the bulb screws into) not plastic as shown in the picture.

 

[frananne1]

And be sure to get one with a ceramic base (where the bulb screws into) not plastic as shown in the picture.

So something like this?

 

[Yvonne G]

Exactly.

 

[frananne1]

Exactly.

Amazing, thank you for the help

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not sure about the milimeters though. You want the bell to be at least 10"

 

[katfinlou]

Look on Amazon, my local petshop sold me a whole load of useless equipment and cost me near £200, where i could have got it on Amazon for less than half the price. Im up near Newcastle so I know what you mean about it cooling down at night! Ive got ceramic heat emitter but still need a thermostat to control it, up to now my Hermanns seems quite happy to dig down into the soil as soon as I put out her light at night and she soon wakes up at lights on. You will get all the support and advice in the world here, ive only had my Hermanns since late October and ive had so much help here, it's wonderful. Enjoy your tortoise, mine has brought so much to my life in such a short time!! A warm welcome to the forum too

 

[frananne1]

They do a larger size which is about 7.5inches

Will go visit reptile house tomorrow and see if they have any larger ones

 

[frananne1]

Thank you so much katfinlou great to hear what works in our climate!

I'm still learning what's good an what isn't but I'm finding this forum so helpful!

I'm already compiling an amazon wish list full of stuff to make him more comfortable think a ceramic heat emitter is a must though.

 

[katfinlou]

Also, my Hermanns never ever seems to bother with the water dish in her enclosure, even the new terracotta planter i sunk into the soil. But she drinks like a fish each day when I soak her so I guess that must be where she's happiest drinking. I think they all have different little quirks, likes and dislikes, and as you get to know each other they will become really apparent. My petshop guy sold me the exact same substrate you have, my tort couldn't even walk on it and it became messy very quickly. She's on organic top soil (AMAZON) now and much happier, I just moisten it every day so it doesn't become dusty and dry

 

[G-stars]

Thank you so much katfinlou great to hear what works in our climate!

I'm still learning what's good an what isn't but I'm finding this forum so helpful!

I'm already compiling an amazon wish list full of stuff to make him more comfortable think a ceramic heat emitter is a must though.

One very important thing to add to that list would be a thermostat. It's a must for reptiles.

 

[katfinlou]

Mine is currently in use helping keep my incubator warm as my little girl has been surprising me with eggs since she came to live with me. I know they probably won't be viable but I can't help but hope and have to try incubating-she laid another 2 at 2 am this morning!! This is a lovely forum and full of real experts who actually know what they're doing because they've been where we are now, just starting out and unsure. Love your set up, ive just ordered Belles AMAZON wish list and im waiting on all the goodies coming. I can't wait to get her extension built and all her goodies put in it

 

[katfinlou]

Yes that's on my wish list too, it took me a while to get my head around how it would even work. Electrics aren't my strong suit lol

 

[frananne1]

Will do G-stars, thank you

Yes it's hard to get my head around everything but I'm loving having him in my life.

It is pretty hard to walk on I've noticed that too. I got it as part of a starter pack though so what I've got in there is all I have, so don't have a whole bag of it luckily.

Congrats on the surprise hatchlings! How many so far? I bet that was quite the surprise!

 

[katfinlou]

She's laid 8 eggs so far, squished 2. I know she was kept with other males in her previous home so mating has been a possibility. I would dearly love to be able to raise one of her babies. She came to me in such unexpected circumstances but I wouldn't swap her for the whole world now. Learning all about her is keeping me busy and gave me a much needed focus during my recent illness from which im still trying to recover. It's been lovely making new friends on here too, and it's great meeting other Hermanns owners

 

[Tom]

I typed this up for russians, but care for hermanni is the same. Check these out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/