Self Regulating Heat Lamps. Is there such thing?

[SanctuaryHills]

Looked through Amazon for them and only find results for self regulating "heat cables". I'm wondering if there is such thing as a self regulating lamp. I'd need one that can maintain 75° with temps in an outdoor enclosure that fluctuates from 35° to 69° during winter time (South Florida)

So far I'm using a heat dome that can house two 150W bulbs (300W max) to archive those results, but I constantly have to play with different combinations of those two bulbs to maintain the temp I want as the temperature shifts.

For context these are Aldabra tortoises less than a year old and they only go in the heated wooden enclosure at night. In the daytime they have a covered pen where they can sunbathe, forage, and walk around. There are occasions where I have to keep them inside the heated night box during daytime hours but those are VERY rare days.
I appreciate the advise!

 

[jsheffield]

I'd recommend a ceramic heat element run though a thermostat....

Jamie

 

[SanctuaryHills]

I'd recommend a ceramic heat element run though a thermostat....

Jamie

Thank you for the response!

How would such a set up look like? Would I be able to use the same double bulb dome I already own? Regular ceramic heat bulbs?

I ask because when it comes to regular light bulbs there are some that work with dimmers and some that don't. Not sure if it would be the same case for ceramic lamps.

Sorry I hope that made sense.

 

[wellington]

Ceramic heat emitters are not really recommended for adult tortoises any more. They can dry out the shell or burn because it's too concentrated to one spot.
A radiant heat panel or oil filled radiator portable heater is the best way to heat for winter. They can be used on a thermostat or some may have their own.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'm just north of you in Sunrise.
I use simple CHE set on a timer that turns on at 6 pm. Off at 9 am in both of my heated houses.
It doesn't keep a constant temperature. But it makes the boxes comfortable at night.
Adding a thermostat is a great idea. But I haven't needed to do so.
What type of tortoises are you keeping?

 

[Sarah2020]

Hi I am in the UK, so you need to find USA equivalent but this is eample reptile thermostat that you use with a ceramic bulb . I also have a timer for on and off control. .

HabiStat High Range Dimmer Thermostat

Dimmer thermostat for monitoring higher temperatures Perfect for desert reptiles who need plenty of heat in order to thermoregulate 5 years guarantee

www.reptiles.swelluk.com

Ask questions as required.

 

[SanctuaryHills]

I'm just north of you in Sunrise.
I use simple CHE set on a timer that turns on at 6 pm. Off at 9 am in both of my heated houses.
It doesn't keep a constant temperature. But it makes the boxes comfortable at night.
Adding a thermostat is a great idea. But I haven't needed to do so.
What type of tortoises are you keeping?

3 baby aldabras!

 

[SanctuaryHills]

Ceramic heat emitters are not really recommended for adult tortoises any more. They can dry out the shell or burn because it's too concentrated to one spot.
A radiant heat panel or oil filled radiator portable heater is the best way to heat for winter. They can be used on a thermostat or some may have their own.

Thank you Wellington. These are baby Aldabras and they always go inside these little caves they got so the bulbs are never directly on top of them.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Remember, CHEs come in all different wattages. A CHE coupled with a good thermostat (with a probe) can really help regulate temps. I started off with CHEs, but on one of my many enclosure/nightbox upgrades I switched to Radiant Heat Panels (think old time radiator). Nice & warm to the touch, over time a nice all enveloping warmth. Also on a thermostat w probe. Our Sully is tucked into her nightbox enjoying two RHPS. ??

 

[SanctuaryHills]

Hi I am in the UK, so you need to find USA equivalent but this is eample reptile thermostat that you use with a ceramic bulb . I also have a timer for on and off control. .

HabiStat High Range Dimmer Thermostat

Dimmer thermostat for monitoring higher temperatures Perfect for desert reptiles who need plenty of heat in order to thermoregulate 5 years guarantee

www.reptiles.swelluk.com

Ask questions as required.

That seems to be what I need, I'm still a bit confused about how they work. Would I connect the plugs from my dual light dome (2 plugs) into this unit?

 

[SanctuaryHills]

Remember, CHEs come in all different wattages. A CHE coupled with a good thermostat (with a probe) can really help regulate temps. I started off with CHEs, but on one of my many enclosure/nightbox upgrades I switched to Radiant Heat Panels (think old time radiator). Nice & warm to the touch, over time a nice all enveloping warmth. Also on a thermostat w probe. Our Sully is tucked into her nightbox enjoying two RHPS. ??

Thank you friend, although I'm not sure what a CHE or a RHPS is ?.

Do you have a link I could look at perhaps?

 

[Lyn W]

The dual hoods aren't recommended by some of the more experienced members and I don't believe heated cables are good for torts.
What type of bulbs are you using in it?

This is a che -it just gives heat so is ideal for night heat when the torts need darkness to sleep. I use mine in a wide reflector dome to direct heat downwards and always with a thermostat so that it doesn't make torts overheat.

A RHP is a radiant heat panels are flat heat panels if you google them you'll see lots of examples.
If you post a picture of their enclosure you'll get good feedback on what your heating and lighting requirements are.
If you look for threads by ALDABRAMAN you'll be able to see how he looks after his torts.

 

[Tom]

Looked through Amazon for them and only find results for self regulating "heat cables". I'm wondering if there is such thing as a self regulating lamp. I'd need one that can maintain 75° with temps in an outdoor enclosure that fluctuates from 35° to 69° during winter time (South Florida)

So far I'm using a heat dome that can house two 150W bulbs (300W max) to archive those results, but I constantly have to play with different combinations of those two bulbs to maintain the temp I want as the temperature shifts.

For context these are Aldabra tortoises less than a year old and they only go in the heated wooden enclosure at night. In the daytime they have a covered pen where they can sunbathe, forage, and walk around. There are occasions where I have to keep them inside the heated night box during daytime hours but those are VERY rare days.
I appreciate the advise!

You don't want a self-regulating lamp. What you need is safe and effective heating elements and a thermostat to run them. In an outdoor housing situation in a wonderful climate like your, you don't need lights or UV for your tortoises. Just a safely warmed night box for the rare winter cold spell.

CHEs and heat lamps are not safe for larger tortoises housed outdoors. It will slow burn the top of the carapace and not effectively warm the tortoise anyway. The larger the tortoise, and the more high domed they are, the worse this is. This will cause irreparable damage. I see it with sulcatas regularly. The tall

While they are still under 100 pounds, there are two effective and safe ways to do this: 1.) Combo of a RHP and Kane mat set on a thermostat, or 2.) Mini oil-filled radiant heater, available from Walmart for about $35, also run on a 1000 watt reptile thermostat. For either of these to work, they need to be used in a well built, sealed and insulated night house. Here is an example of each heating strategy in two different sized boxes.

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

3 baby aldabras!

Wow.
That's most unusual.
And beyond my scope of experience

 

[dd33]

Were you able to keep your Aldabras warm enough during this cold snap?

75 is probably not warm enough for them at night, especially when they are small. You should aim for 85.

Our current nightbox for our three Aldabras measures 8x3. I have two 3 foot Kane mats mounted on opposite walls and an oil filled radiator. All of those are on separate digital thermostats (cheap $20 ones from Amazon).

 

[SanctuaryHills]

You don't want a self-regulating lamp. What you need is safe and effective heating elements and a thermostat to run them. In an outdoor housing situation in a wonderful climate like your, you don't need lights or UV for your tortoises. Just a safely warmed night box for the rare winter cold spell.

CHEs and heat lamps are not safe for larger tortoises housed outdoors. It will slow burn the top of the carapace and not effectively warm the tortoise anyway. The larger the tortoise, and the more high domed they are, the worse this is. This will cause irreparable damage. I see it with sulcatas regularly. The tall

While they are still under 100 pounds, there are two effective and safe ways to do this: 1.) Combo of a RHP and Kane mat set on a thermostat, or 2.) Mini oil-filled radiant heater, available from Walmart for about $35, also run on a 1000 watt reptile thermostat. For either of these to work, they need to be used in a well built, sealed and insulated night house. Here is an example of each heating strategy in two different sized boxes.

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

Great, thank you Tom! I'm ready to start putting together a night-box similar to the one you built (Single Tortoise Night Box). I read through both posts and still have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1) Thermostat: I found a Zilla 1000W Temp Controller with three outlets. I'm thinking I could use one outlet for the Kane Mat, the second outlet for the RHP, and the third outlet for a humidifier. What is your opinion on that set up?

2) Heat Mat: Leaning toward the Kane Pet Heat Mat (18x28) but I'm confused about the three versions available: "Rheostat", "Self-Regulated", and "Thermostat". If using my own thermostat would I go with the "Self-Regulated" or would the mat keep trying to reach the advertised 37 degrees above ambient temp? Not sure if I'm making sense.

3) Radiant Heat Panel: What is the difference between an RHP and a Kane Heat Mat? How many watts should I be aiming for in a 4x4 enclosure (Peak lowest temps here are around 30 degrees at night, and an average of 65 degrees at night during colder months). I wasn't able to find an RHP that matched the one on your build. Would something like this work?

I appreciate all your selfless help, I don't know what I would have done without you friend!

 

[SanctuaryHills]

Were you able to keep your Aldabras warm enough during this cold snap?

75 is probably not warm enough for them at night, especially when they are small. You should aim for 85.

Our current nightbox for our three Aldabras measures 8x3. I have two 3 foot Kane mats mounted on opposite walls and an oil filled radiator. All of those are on separate digital thermostats (cheap $20 ones from Amazon).

Oh man, I remember reading (or maybe it was a video?) that 75 was a good temp fore the night dip. For reference the three Aldabras are around 5" long and ~1.25lbs.
I'll make sure to raise the temp going forward to 85 degrees. I appreciate you!

Edit*: Any oil filled radiator heaters you would recommend for a 4x4 enclosure?

I'm in south Florida so during "winter" months the temps dip down to 54-65 degrees. On rare occasions it can go as low as 30 degrees.

Thank you again!

 

[Tom]

Great, thank you Tom! I'm ready to start putting together a night-box similar to the one you built (Single Tortoise Night Box). I read through both posts and still have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

1) Thermostat: I found a Zilla 1000W Temp Controller with three outlets. I'm thinking I could use one outlet for the Kane Mat, the second outlet for the RHP, and the third outlet for a humidifier. What is your opinion on that set up?

2) Heat Mat: Leaning toward the Kane Pet Heat Mat (18x28) but I'm confused about the three versions available: "Rheostat", "Self-Regulated", and "Thermostat". If using my own thermostat would I go with the "Self-Regulated" or would the mat keep trying to reach the advertised 37 degrees above ambient temp? Not sure if I'm making sense.

3) Radiant Heat Panel: What is the difference between an RHP and a Kane Heat Mat? How many watts should I be aiming for in a 4x4 enclosure (Peak lowest temps here are around 30 degrees at night, and an average of 65 degrees at night during colder months). I wasn't able to find an RHP that matched the one on your build. Would something like this work?

I appreciate all your selfless help, I don't know what I would have done without you friend!

1) The Zilla thermostats work fine for me. No humidifier. They shouldn't be run on tortoises at all, but especially not needed in your climate for outdoor tortoises. If you want humidity inside the heated night box, use tubs or buckets of water, and/or damp orchid bark substrate.

For 3 aldabras, I think the 4x4 is a waste of time and effort. They will outgrow it sooooo fast. I'd bite the bullet and do the 4x8 box. You might get two or three years out of one that size. Kucky to get a full year out of the 4x4 for three aldabras, even if they are tiny right now.

2) The self-regulated one is what you want. Your thermostat will control it. Don't worry about that 37 degrees above ambient or the surface temp either. It has built in safeties to keep the surface from ever over heating, and if the air temp at your probe is below your set point, you want it "on" generating heat.

3) A radiant heat panel is mounted above and radiates heat downward onto the carapace. It spreads this heat out over a large area and doesn't ever get too hot in one spot. The Kane mat is a totally different thing. The Kane mat generates heat from below and the animal is meant to be in direct contact with it. They were originally made for farrowing pigs, so they are tough enough to handle the hooves of 200+ pound sows walking on them. This also makes them tough enough for giant tortoises to walk or lay on. I can't get your link to work, but you want a Vivarium Electronics RHP. Since you should really build a bigger box, you won't need either the RHP or the Kane mat. The $40 mini radiant oil heater from Walmart will work better and save you a bunch of money. You can use all three heating elements if you want to, but not necessary. Still need that same thermostat with the mini radiant oil heater.

 

[Bridgebob]

I got my Eastern Box a Restaurant heat lamp. She loves it but it does get too hot some times.

She has enough room to get away from the heat. But when I see this I turn it off.

She is still a baby and is learning about being a companion to humans.

 

[Tom]

I got my Eastern Box a Restaurant heat lamp. She loves it but it does get too hot some times.

She has enough room to get away from the heat. But when I see this I turn it off.

She is still a baby and is learning about being a companion to humans.

You should use a smaller wattage bulb and use a thermometer to set the height correctly so that the temperature under the heat lamp is not too hot and not too cool.