Heat mat/rhp

Peggy Sue

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2017
Messages
310
Location (City and/or State)
Grants Pass Oregon
Getting ready to build our sleeping box in the new shed, what wattage do you guys suggest for the heat mat and rhp? We will be wiring the shed for electrical and want to give my husband a idea of what we might need. Also what size is the standard for a door to go out into the enclosure. Thanks guys ?❤️
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Getting ready to build our sleeping box in the new shed, what wattage do you guys suggest for the heat mat and rhp? We will be wiring the shed for electrical and want to give my husband a idea of what we might need. Also what size is the standard for a door to go out into the enclosure. Thanks guys ?❤
Ultimately, only your thermometer can answer this question. Depends on how well your box is insulated, what the temperatures outside the box are, box size and height, etc...

I've had good success in my boxes using an 80 watt Kane mat, under a 21 inch (78) watt RHP. This keeps the ambient temp in my boxes in the 80s when outside temps are in the 30s.

Since the heating elements will be set on a thermostat, you can go bigger than this for insurance in your colder climate. If the higher wattage heating elements warm things up too much, the thermostat will keep them off.

Normal household electrical wiring and sockets should be able to handle any of your tortoise heating needs for this type of application.

Generally, I like to make the door size as small as possible, so the tortoise just fits. With a sulcata, this means you'd have to periodically make a new door or a new box. I usually just go ahead and make my sulcata doors 16 inches high and 26 inches wide. This will fit all but the largest of large males. Sudan sulcata males will need a bigger door than this eventually, but "normal" males will fit. That big of a door will allow a lot of heat and humidity to escape, so for a juvenile sulcata, you might consider starting with a smaller door size and modifying or changing later.
 
Top