- Joined
- Aug 31, 2012
- Messages
- 11
Hello all. I live about 20 miles from San Diego, CA in an inland valley. You might not think it gets very cold here, but nighttime temps in the winter can drop well below freezing with daytime temps in the '50s. I'm setting up a heated tortoise house for a pair of young leopard tortoises, and I'm concerned about placement of the thermostat probe.
A brief description of the house: I've converted a doghouse by adding a layer of insulation to the inside (all four sides plus top and bottom) sandwiched between a double plywood wall. I have two heat sources, a Helix 11" x 30" radiant heat panel (seen suspended about 18" above the floor of the house in one photo) and an 18" x 18" ZooMed Habitat Heater on the floor in one corner (also seen in the same photo). My plan is to have the Habitat Heater uncontrolled (it gets to about 95 deg F when plugged in - no thermostat), and use a Herpstat thermostat to control the temp of the radiant heat panel. My question is, where can I place the thermostat probe so that the tortoises don't destroy it or move it away from the heater? Imbed it in the floor board? By the way, I plan to put a plastic curtain over the door to help contain the heat in the house. Hopefully the tortoises will get the hang of pushing it out of the way!
A brief description of the house: I've converted a doghouse by adding a layer of insulation to the inside (all four sides plus top and bottom) sandwiched between a double plywood wall. I have two heat sources, a Helix 11" x 30" radiant heat panel (seen suspended about 18" above the floor of the house in one photo) and an 18" x 18" ZooMed Habitat Heater on the floor in one corner (also seen in the same photo). My plan is to have the Habitat Heater uncontrolled (it gets to about 95 deg F when plugged in - no thermostat), and use a Herpstat thermostat to control the temp of the radiant heat panel. My question is, where can I place the thermostat probe so that the tortoises don't destroy it or move it away from the heater? Imbed it in the floor board? By the way, I plan to put a plastic curtain over the door to help contain the heat in the house. Hopefully the tortoises will get the hang of pushing it out of the way!
Last edited by a moderator: