chairman said:Initially I thought it was a little odd that you were contemplating the belly heat thing in the first place. But now that you've explained yourself it sounds like you may be on to something. The tortoise community now "knows" that baby tortoises have different humidity requirements than adults do (at least for several desert species)... I suppose it would also make sense that babies could would have different heat source requirements as well. Who knows, perhaps in a decade we'll all recommend using undertank heating for the first couple years and then swap to the MVBs later in life. The undertank heating would sure help with the humidity vs the bulbs.
BINGO!
Annieski said:The other thing I was thinking of---if heat rises, the distribution should radiate outward which gives a bigger area and more of a varient--just as the sun does in a downward projection. Do the mats come in direct contact with the substrate? and how are they protected against electrical damage with pee and water contact? Just curious?
Reptile heat mats are actually "pig blankets". They are made to be outdoors, in the elements, with a sow and her babies walking, laying, pooping and peeing on them. This is what most people use for their outdoor tortoise houses. They come in different sizes. They are very heavy duty. Yvonne and Maggie have some that have been in continuous use under 100+ pound sulcatas for more than a decade. I've been using mine for about 7 years now. Check these out.
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-12237.html