Juvenile DTs and night heat

[thatrebecca]

I've read here that DTs kept indoors at night in a 'normal' house don't need night heat, but just want to check on our setup now that temps are getting cooler. Our house is between 65-68 degrees at night right now, which is super comfy for the humans. The laundry room where our two juvenile DTs are stays 1 or 2 degrees warmer, but not much. When I lift them up in the morning to go outside their little bodies feel very cool to me. 10 minutes in the sun and they're toasty, though. In general they are less active than they were a couple weeks ago, I assume cause of the temp change. But they're still eating and climbing around during the late morning hours. So... Do they need night heat or are we good?

 

[ascott]

If you are running the constant high humidity method then yes, you need night heat source to assure temps do not fall below 80....but if you are not bumping humidity and your environment is not enhanced for higher humidity then the night temp drop should be aok...

 

[thatrebecca]

OK, thanks. I'm not doing high humidity. I do add water to the orchid bark they're on once a week, to keep some moisture in there. They're about to turn 4 and 6, and were raised bone dry before I adopted them this spring. Now they get soaks 2-3 times a week and have water dishes, but that's it.

 

[ascott]

If you are adding humidity then my gut is screaming to add someplace in the enclosure for night heat....I know that humidity is important...I also believe it is....however, in a captive environment when we add water we are not creating exactly what is natural---so we need to modify that change with the added warmth to assure no wet and cool together....just my take.

 

[thatrebecca]

Got it, thanks. My gut was screaming too. That's why I asked.

 

[ascott]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-20957.html

This is one of my fav pic tutorial of what the inside of a burrow looks like (thanks Tom)...yes, it does retain some humidity but it is not wet....so when we try to offer a way to give humidity and we do so by adding water we must also counter that wetness by offering warmth---otherwise you are offering up cool and wet to achieve humidity which will more times than not--offer up an ailing tort...

 

[Arnold_rules]

I've read here that DTs kept indoors at night in a 'normal' house don't need night heat, but just want to check on our setup now that temps are getting cooler. Our house is between 65-68 degrees at night right now, which is super comfy for the humans. The laundry room where our two juvenile DTs are stays 1 or 2 degrees warmer, but not much. When I lift them up in the morning to go outside their little bodies feel very cool to me. 10 minutes in the sun and they're toasty, though. In general they are less active than they were a couple weeks ago, I assume cause of the temp change. But they're still eating and climbing around during the late morning hours. So... Do they need night heat or are we good?

I would provide supplemental heat for them, otherwise they will slow down too much and might start trying to burmate.