Thermostat for outdoor enclosure

[vikki01]

Hi. I have just finished building the outdoor enclosure for my spur thigh tortoises. They have a small shed approx. 4'Wx3'DX3'H - I am looking at putting a basking lamp in to warm them in the morning and for times when the Great BrItish weather is not so great!! I did consider just using a timer but as the weather can change so quickly I am worried that it could get too hot if it comes on and the shed is already warm (although they could leave the shed) or not be warm enough if the timer is not set and it drops cold. I then considered a dimming thermostat but my concern with this is that if they have a reasonable size shed (they are still only about 12 months old) that is nice and warm they may not be inclined to go outside which is the point in the outside run!! I have seen the Microclimate Evo which seems like it could provide the solution but at £90 it is quite pricey and not sure if it is slight "overkill" to warm a shed, but obviously as they get bigger they could spend longer out and could also then put a tubular heater in for overnight. Sorry for the somewhat long post but want to try and get it right. all help and advice gratefully received.
Vikki.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi there

I have a dog kennel in a UK garden with a basking lamp in it and my greek has free access to the outdoors. I have the lamp on a timer (there's a slate paving stone under it which warms up) The lamp comes on at 6 am and goes off about 1pm. If it's clearly going to be a warm day then I turn it off early, otherwise that gives all Joe needs for barging round for the day. Next week with temperatures forecast in the high 20s plus all week, it might go off altogether as Joe won't use it. He will head for his favourite patch of slate chips under the bird feeder which gets all the sun for most of the day.

 

[vikki01]

Thanks - they have been out on nice days after warming up under basking lamp and when I am about but the problem I have is that I work so as you know it can be lovely in the morning but by luchtime completely different and I am then stuck in work worrying!! I am just concerned that as they are still small would they be warm enough? I am hoping to be able to get them out as much as possible as I believe this is the best for them but they then need to be outside to get the uv not in the shed hence why I am confused as to what to do for the best

 

[JoesMum]

Please remember that a sunny spot in the garden at ground level with the shelter of plants or a wall or even a couple of bricks as windbreak will get way above the advertised shade "air temperature" for the day. Putting stone chips, especially dark ones like slate, in that spot enhances the warmth as the stones warm up quicker than the earth.

Another thing you can do is have a cold frame with a hole cut in the side, or propped up on bricks, that your tort can use for shelter. I have one on bare earth in a spot that gets the morning sun. Joe likes to dig into the earth. I have straw up one end that he can push under if he decides to sleep in there. This works like an unheated greenhouse and gets surprisingly warm even on the coldest days.

Joe uses these places to warm up... it's like he charges his batteries there... then chugs off to eat. If he's cooling down he heads back for a recharge. With the slate chips and the cold frame, he tends only to use the lamp in the mornings with colder starts and rarely goes back under it once he has left. We have had Joe for over 40 years now and he is full grown weighing 3.25kg and is outdoors 24/7 once there is no risk of frost.

 

[vikki01]

Thank you. They will have a cold frame that leads into the shed when it is all finished so probably wont need thermostats etc and the microclimate evo is almost certainly unnecessary! I have digital thermometers that will record minimum and maximum temps during a day so think I will just order a timer and basking lamp and monitor how it goes. Could you just tell me what wattage basking lamp you use and do you use a standard plug timer or heavy duty?Many thanks

 

[JoesMum]

I use a 100W reflector from Homebase for basking hanging from a lamp stand.

The timer is a digital programmable timer from Sainsburys. It only has the one 100W lamp on it, so you don't need anything tougher. We use a similar timer for our aquarium lights

 

[vikki01]

Thank you very much for your help. I am definitely going to start with the basic timer option and see how we go

 

[Tom]

You can run a lamp through a timer and a thermostat at the same time. Then your lamp will come on and go off at the times you set, but if ever it gets too warm, the thermostat will shut the lamp off no matter the time of day.

 

[vikki01]

Thank you Tom - I will definitely bear that in mind and if my temperature readings look too high (because the lamp is coming on unnecessarily) then that will be my next option