Night Temp for 3 month old

[ekm5015]

What are your guys/gals thoughts on temperature at night for a 3 month old sulcata? I am currently putting the baby in the hide when the light goes off at night. He sleeps inside until the light comes on in the morning when he comes out to eat and bask. I thought young torts need to be warm at night, 80+ degrees.
-The temp inside the hide stays around 80-85 (Is that too warm for night? ambient air temps are around 70 in the room if anyone was wondering).
-It is heated from underneath by a heating pad. (is this bad?)

Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[Yvonne G]

I like a slight drop in night time temp, just like what happens in the wild. during the summer, I allow them to reach room temperature (no lights or heat), but during the winter, I keep a heat strip under the tank and it usually stays around 70.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I was taught that heat under a young tortoise caused the plastron (bottom shell) to grow deformed. Have never seen it happen because I never use heat pad on babies. I always use a black light bulb for night time heat. I keep my babies about 75 degrees at night. I personally don't believe in letting them get too cold...
Does your heat mat have a thermostat? If not, how do you know how to adjust the temp???

 

[ekm5015]

I was taught that heat under a young tortoise caused the plastron (bottom shell) to grow deformed. Have never seen it happen because I never use heat pad on babies. I always use a black light bulb for night time heat. I keep my babies about 75 degrees at night. I personally don't believe in letting them get too cold...
Does your heat mat have a thermostat? If not, how do you know how to adjust the temp???

It is a zoo med heat pad...no thermostat, but I do have it plugged into a rheostat set to 85.

---

For those unfamiliar with my enclose you can see pics here: http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-16397.html

I am trying to figure out what night temps are good, and if an heating from below is bad or not.

When referring to the pictures, look at the glass tank part. There is a tank on its side. It has a zoo med heat pad attached to the outside/underneath of the tank. Inside the tank is a layer of reptile carpet and a layer of eco earth on top of the carpet. I placed a hide on the area where the heat pad is, so the hide is heated from underneath.

Should I get rid of the heat pad and just let him have 70-75 degrees at night? or keep the pad which warms his hide to 80-85?

I have a Ceramic Heat Emitter too (100watts), but I feel like that does not heat sufficiently. All the heat rises and none stays in the enclosure. Maybe I need a stronger CHE, but I am also not trying to burn my house down...my enclosure is made of all wood.

 

[Tom]

When they are that young, I'm with Maggie. I like to keep mine a little warmer. I keep them 75-80 at night. I've always done it this way, but I'm especially careful now since I'm using so much humidity and moisture all the time. When they get a little bigger, room temp (70ish) is fine at night, when they move outside permanently, at or near adulthood, and things are a bit drier, they can take it down in the fifties or sixties IF ( big IF here) they can get good and warm during the day. This is how I do it anyway.

 

[Livingstone]

I was taught that heat under a young tortoise caused the plastron (bottom shell) to grow deformed. Have never seen it happen because I never use heat pad on babies. I always use a black light bulb for night time heat. I keep my babies about 75 degrees at night. I personally don't believe in letting them get too cold...
Does your heat mat have a thermostat? If not, how do you know how to adjust the temp???

It is a zoo med heat pad...no thermostat, but I do have it plugged into a rheostat set to 85.

---

For those unfamiliar with my enclose you can see pics here: http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-16397.html

I am trying to figure out what night temps are good, and if an heating from below is bad or not.

When referring to the pictures, look at the glass tank part. There is a tank on its side. It has a zoo med heat pad attached to the outside/underneath of the tank. Inside the tank is a layer of reptile carpet and a layer of eco earth on top of the carpet. I placed a hide on the area where the heat pad is, so the hide is heated from underneath.

Should I get rid of the heat pad and just let him have 70-75 degrees at night? or keep the pad which warms his hide to 80-85?

I have a Ceramic Heat Emitter too (100watts), but I feel like that does not heat sufficiently. All the heat rises and none stays in the enclosure. Maybe I need a stronger CHE, but I am also not trying to burn my house down...my enclosure is made of all wood.

---

Heating below is bad!

Where does the rheostat take a reading from?