heat emitter

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tortoise.tot

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what size/wattage heat emitter should i get for my baby torts? i have a 4" leo & a 6 1/2" red foot.
well i guess i should ask if they can even stay outside in [texas] winter. or is it too cold for them being so small?
 

Laura

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I would say a bit small.. besdies heat, your big concern would be Predators....And you need two seperate areas for them. Those two types have different heat and diet needs...
 

Itort

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You live in Austin, correct? I believe that you will find winters are too cold for both species in the winter. If temperature falls below 60 degrees it is too cold for even adults. 70 is the minimum for my yearlys and juveniles and 75 for babies. Leaving most torts out overnite without substatale protection is an invatation for predators such as coons, coyotes and dogs ect.
 

tortoisenerd

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The wattage for a CHE will depend on enclosure size, height above the substrate, ambient temperature, and if you want to heat a large portion of the enclosure, or provide spot heat. Answering some of those questions may be able to help someone give you a guess.

I just use the CHE as spot heat; my little guy learned to sleep under it. I think mine is 100 watts, but not sure how high it is hung. I can get the spot to about 80 deg with an approx 65 deg house temperature, but the little guy digs down and over so he's probably in the low 70s.
 

tortoise.tot

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Laura said:
I would say a bit small.. besdies heat, your big concern would be Predators....And you need two seperate areas for them. Those two types have different heat and diet needs...

we have them seperate now, but the girl who was tort sitting had them together. & we are building cages with tops because of pedators. we had one built before, but we tore it down because my cousins fell on to it & broke the lid, while they were horse playing. >:|

Itort said:
You live in Austin, correct? I believe that you will find winters are too cold for both species in the winter. If temperature falls below 60 degrees it is too cold for even adults. 70 is the minimum for my yearlys and juveniles and 75 for babies. Leaving most torts out overnite without substatale protection is an invatation for predators such as coons, coyotes and dogs ect.

yeah, austin area. there's a couple that lives down the street that has a, i wanna say, around 100 pound, if not more, sulcata that stays outside year round. she has a house & heat emitter but i was thinking it was too cold for her too. that why mine come inside even when the rain in even a little cold. we house ours in the front yard one, because of the morning sun & two, cause our dogs would get them in the back. we had a box with a lid & the cage had a lid for them. & they loved it. but when we brought them inside for the first time for winter, they started acting funny. is that normal? like for them not to eat fresh veggies, only tort fruit loops.

tortoisenerd said:
The wattage for a CHE will depend on enclosure size, height above the substrate, ambient temperature, and if you want to heat a large portion of the enclosure, or provide spot heat. Answering some of those questions may be able to help someone give you a guess.

I just use the CHE as spot heat; my little guy learned to sleep under it. I think mine is 100 watts, but not sure how high it is hung. I can get the spot to about 80 deg with an approx 65 deg house temperature, but the little guy digs down and over so he's probably in the low 70s.

my leo would prefer it as a heat spot definately, he loves laying be the lights. but i'm not sure about my reddy. i'll figure the height of both cages when i re build them. ><
 

Jacqui

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My experience is some act like coming inside is no big deal, most show a little change in behavior sometimes it's hard to even notice it. To me anytime we change any part of their life to the degree that moving into a new enclosure (usually much smaller) that is inside where it's nosier and less natural (including the time of daylight hours and light strength), we need to expect them to react a bit to it and for some react quite a bit.

As far as wanting their candy food and leaving the "good for them" stuff, you do control that. :p Sometimes you have to be a "mean" keeper and not give them the food they might prefer or at least not until they eat the rest of their diet. Not sure what the fruit loops for torts is, but it sounds like something you didn't think they should have as a sole part of their diet.

You stated they will be in the front yard, correct? Is it safe from not only the non human animals, but people too? Just asking because with most folks the front yard is wide open to prying eyes. Would hate somebody taking your torts.
 

Yvonne G

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If you want to keep your babies outside year-round, you must build them each a warm house that's big enough for them to stay inside all day and all nights during the times when its too cold for them to go outside. I keep all my tortoises outside, however, during the winter, the smaller ones are not allowed to go outside their warm house. The larger tortoises, like your neighbor's sulcata, have a bigger body mass and they can stay warm longer. My sulcata goes outside on his own any time he wants to, even when there's frost on the ground or its raining. But he's old enough and big enough and he knows that he has to go back inside when he starts to cool down. So if you build a little habitat for them with a house that you can close up during the cold weather, a heat emitter and clamp light fixture ought to keep them warm enough.

Yvonne
 

tortoise.tot

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Jacqui said:
My experience is some act like coming inside is no big deal, most show a little change in behavior sometimes it's hard to even notice it. To me anytime we change any part of their life to the degree that moving into a new enclosure (usually much smaller) that is inside where it's nosier and less natural (including the time of daylight hours and light strength), we need to expect them to react a bit to it and for some react quite a bit.

As far as wanting their candy food and leaving the "good for them" stuff, you do control that. :p Sometimes you have to be a "mean" keeper and not give them the food they might prefer or at least not until they eat the rest of their diet. Not sure what the fruit loops for torts is, but it sounds like something you didn't think they should have as a sole part of their diet.

You stated they will be in the front yard, correct? Is it safe from not only the non human animals, but people too? Just asking because with most folks the front yard is wide open to prying eyes. Would hate somebody taking your torts.

i was trying to be a "mean" keeper, but they stopped eating completly. & i didn't want to not feed them. so i gave the ever so loved fruit loops a try & they chowed down. they're made with fruits & veggies. they're pellets you mix with fruit juice or water.

emysemys said:
If you want to keep your babies outside year-round, you must build them each a warm house that's big enough for them to stay inside all day and all nights during the times when its too cold for them to go outside. I keep all my tortoises outside, however, during the winter, the smaller ones are not allowed to go outside their warm house. The larger tortoises, like your neighbor's sulcata, have a bigger body mass and they can stay warm longer. My sulcata goes outside on his own any time he wants to, even when there's frost on the ground or its raining. But he's old enough and big enough and he knows that he has to go back inside when he starts to cool down. So if you build a little habitat for them with a house that you can close up during the cold weather, a heat emitter and clamp light fixture ought to keep them warm enough.

Yvonne

we're in the process of finding a nice place to build brand new enclosures for them. they'll be plenty big to build houses inside. they're old enclosure was so big, i'd flip the lid up & sit in there with them.
 
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