mylittlecholla
Active Member
If I use a mini radiant oil heater, do I need any other heating devices in my DT's outdoor house?
It's been a couple months since I posted any threads, so I'll start with the basics.
Background: My Cholla, a Desert Tortoise, is 3 1/2 years old now, about 5 1/2 inches long, and weighs about 250 grams. For those of you who haven't been breathlessly awaiting the next installment of our tortoise house construction saga believe it or not, I still haven't Cholla's heated outdoor house set up. In December my dear husband had a health crisis and a hospital stay, which put everything on hold for weeks. (Thanks be to God he's ok now) My son-in-law doesn't want to have anything to do with ordering the heating equipment, because he doesn't know anything about it and doesn't want to be responsible for any issues that might adversely affect Cholla's health and safety. (He'll be happy to install it, though
The questions: OK, so my husband wants me to go the least expensive route for heating Cholla's house. Thus my queries about the mini radiant oil heater.
1. Does the mini oil heater suffice to warm the 4x4 box, or does it need the "assistance" of another device, such as an RHP or Kane mat? (I don't see either pictured in Tom's photo, but I could well be missing something.)
2. The mini heater I found on line is 5" by 11.4 by 15.35. It's 700 watts. Is this ok for a 4x4 box?
3. It has a knob for "adjusting" the temperature, but I can't, nor can my husband, see how to connect it to a thermostat that we can read or control remotely, Nor does the knob display anything about temperature in terms of degrees. We'd have a digital thermometer in there, of course, but we can't be running outside every 15 minutes to open up Cholla's house to check to see whether the ambient temp is too high or too low. Those of you who have used these heaters--can you tell me how this ought to work?
Is it best just spend the big bucks on the RHP/Kane mat set up? If so, the RHP would be 120 watt as long as it's on a temperature controller and high enough above Cholla's shell, right? I believe y'all advised me to get a 21" RHP and an 18x28 Kane mat. Do I have this right? Again, the house is 4x4 and about 20 inches high inside.
Many thanks in advance to Tom, Blackdog, Mark2bears and anyone else who wants to weigh in . . . again.
I hope this is the last time I have to bug y'all about this stuff, but given my inexperience, I wouldn't bet on it.
It's been a couple months since I posted any threads, so I'll start with the basics.
Background: My Cholla, a Desert Tortoise, is 3 1/2 years old now, about 5 1/2 inches long, and weighs about 250 grams. For those of you who haven't been breathlessly awaiting the next installment of our tortoise house construction saga believe it or not, I still haven't Cholla's heated outdoor house set up. In December my dear husband had a health crisis and a hospital stay, which put everything on hold for weeks. (Thanks be to God he's ok now) My son-in-law doesn't want to have anything to do with ordering the heating equipment, because he doesn't know anything about it and doesn't want to be responsible for any issues that might adversely affect Cholla's health and safety. (He'll be happy to install it, though
The questions: OK, so my husband wants me to go the least expensive route for heating Cholla's house. Thus my queries about the mini radiant oil heater.
1. Does the mini oil heater suffice to warm the 4x4 box, or does it need the "assistance" of another device, such as an RHP or Kane mat? (I don't see either pictured in Tom's photo, but I could well be missing something.)
2. The mini heater I found on line is 5" by 11.4 by 15.35. It's 700 watts. Is this ok for a 4x4 box?
3. It has a knob for "adjusting" the temperature, but I can't, nor can my husband, see how to connect it to a thermostat that we can read or control remotely, Nor does the knob display anything about temperature in terms of degrees. We'd have a digital thermometer in there, of course, but we can't be running outside every 15 minutes to open up Cholla's house to check to see whether the ambient temp is too high or too low. Those of you who have used these heaters--can you tell me how this ought to work?
Is it best just spend the big bucks on the RHP/Kane mat set up? If so, the RHP would be 120 watt as long as it's on a temperature controller and high enough above Cholla's shell, right? I believe y'all advised me to get a 21" RHP and an 18x28 Kane mat. Do I have this right? Again, the house is 4x4 and about 20 inches high inside.
Many thanks in advance to Tom, Blackdog, Mark2bears and anyone else who wants to weigh in . . . again.
I hope this is the last time I have to bug y'all about this stuff, but given my inexperience, I wouldn't bet on it.