Night time temperature - Page 3

den_bish · #21 (**permalink**) 11-12-2008, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfietortoise

As with all subjects posted and so many quite rightly passionate tort keepers with their own experiences there will be different preferences and opinions, all interesting and valid.

Re my previous post, I use a 7w heat mat inside sleeping compartment and this works well for me, tort cant sleep touching it, it's cheap to run and maintains gentle overnight background heat circa 18/19 deg C recorded on my min/max thermometer.

Tort's 'bedroom' is melamine with a lid so well enclosed to retain heat and flat to stick heat mat to. A mat could possibly be a problem if you want to stick it to an uneaven or curved surface.

If a mat is designed to radiate heat inside a viv from under a substrate how can it be unsafe to surface mount? As for failures, the UV/Basking bulbs are higher risk in my opinion, much higher temps there.

Well I have done exactly that - today I ordered a 7w 8" x 11" mat which fit beautifully inside the roof - I will give it a go and see what happens.

Have put a cushion and a blanket on top of the house tonight to try and insulate a bit till it arrives and will see if that makes any difference at all in the morning!

wizzasmum · #22 (**permalink**) 11-12-2008, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by annsimpson1

those temps are low, if you want to keep the tort up for the winter then I'd say you need to aim for a minimum of 15c +, I used to have mine in a small room with the radiater on and shut the door at night that worked fine and the room was around 70f never dropping below 65f. I think you'll find your tort will try to hibernate with temps that low.

Mine don't, they are up and about each morning so long as the lights come on. Temps drop this low in the Med too at either end of season.

den_bish · #23 (**permalink**) 15-12-2008, 12:37 PM

UPDATE

Have had the little heat mat attached inside the roof of the house for a couple of nights now and boy what a difference! Usually I have to drag him out of his bed in the morning for a bath and to bask etc but this morning he was up bright and early, exploring and climbing anything and everything in the enclosure and has eaten loads despite it being the most miserable, damp, dark and cold day here - I have either solved the problem or someone has sneaked performance stimulating drugs into him!! Am so relieved

meljaneuk · #24 (**permalink**) 15-12-2008, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by den_bish

UPDATE

Have had the little heat mat attached inside the roof of the house for a couple of nights now and boy what a difference! Usually I have to drag him out of his bed in the morning for a bath and to bask etc but this morning he was up bright and early, exploring and climbing anything and everything in the enclosure and has eaten loads despite it being the most miserable, damp, dark and cold day here - I have either solved the problem or someone has sneaked performance stimulating drugs into him!! Am so relieved

Thats great news bet you feel relieved. Henry was up at 8 this morning I was shocked usually I have to do the same and get him up to bathe him and put him under hit heat lamp but he did it himself today. I just wanted to go back to bed as it was so dull

Tamz · #25 (**permalink**) 15-12-2008, 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meljaneuk

Thats great news bet you feel relieved. Henry was up at 8 this morning I was shocked usually I have to do the same and get him up to bathe him and put him under hit heat lamp but he did it himself today. I just wanted to go back to bed as it was so dull

same here hahaha

Tina · #26 (**permalink**) 15-12-2008, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by den_bish

UPDATE

Have had the little heat mat attached inside the roof of the house for a couple of nights now and boy what a difference! Usually I have to drag him out of his bed in the morning for a bath and to bask etc but this morning he was up bright and early, exploring and climbing anything and everything in the enclosure and has eaten loads despite it being the most miserable, damp, dark and cold day here - I have either solved the problem or someone has sneaked performance stimulating drugs into him!! Am so relieved

I'm glad it's worked for you Denise and that it's made a difference.

Reading all the 'sleepy tort' threads lately there seems to be a pattern emerging in that the owners of Horsfields are the ones having the most problems with overwintering - temps, sleepy, not eating etc... I wonder if that is the case?

I never use overnight heat, my megaray is on from 8am - 8pm and all three of my Hermanns wake up and bask happily each morning. I monitored my temps overnight last week when we had the really cold snap and it did drop to about 14degs C in their table for a couple of nights but they still woke up and went to bask as normal. The temps normally stay at around 17degs C overnight in winter apart from the really cold periods. I overwintered a hatchling last year in exactly the same conditions... no problems whatsoever.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep Horsfields and Hermanns (or other med species) to see if they notice a difference in them when overwintering.

Tamz · #27 (**permalink**) 15-12-2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tina

I'm glad it's worked for you Denise and that it's made a difference.

Reading all the 'sleepy tort' threads lately there seems to be a pattern emerging in that the owners of Horsfields are the ones having the most problems with overwintering - temps, sleepy, not eating etc... I wonder if that is the case?

I never use overnight heat, my megaray is on from 8am - 8pm and all three of my Hermanns wake up and bask happily each morning. I monitored my temps overnight last week when we had the really cold snap and it did drop to about 14degs C in their table for a couple of nights but they still woke up and went to bask as normal. The temps normally stay at around 17degs C overnight in winter apart from the really cold periods. I overwintered a hatchling last year in exactly the same conditions... no problems whatsoever.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep Horsfields and Hermanns (or other med species) to see if they notice a difference in them when overwintering.

Well Harry doesnt seem to get himself out of bed, but Im guessing its because he isnt well

But the sully and margie get themselves up and bask every morning

Im thinking with you that maybe its a horsfield thing

meljaneuk · #28 (**permalink**) 16-12-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tina

I'm glad it's worked for you Denise and that it's made a difference.

Reading all the 'sleepy tort' threads lately there seems to be a pattern emerging in that the owners of Horsfields are the ones having the most problems with overwintering - temps, sleepy, not eating etc... I wonder if that is the case?

I never use overnight heat, my megaray is on from 8am - 8pm and all three of my Hermanns wake up and bask happily each morning. I monitored my temps overnight last week when we had the really cold snap and it did drop to about 14degs C in their table for a couple of nights but they still woke up and went to bask as normal. The temps normally stay at around 17degs C overnight in winter apart from the really cold periods. I overwintered a hatchling last year in exactly the same conditions... no problems whatsoever.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep Horsfields and Hermanns (or other med species) to see if they notice a difference in them when overwintering.

It would be interesting to start a thread on this, if it does seem to be the case that over wintering horsfield behave this way it may put some horsfield owners minds at rest if they know others are similar

wizzasmum · #29 (**permalink**) 16-12-2008, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tina

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep Horsfields and Hermanns (or other med species) to see if they notice a difference in them when overwintering.

Hi Tina
I would say horsfields every time are the worst for overwintering. Obviously you can force them to stay awake but it is far harder with horsfields IMHO. I would never attempt to keep one up except for medical reasons, they seem so geared to hibernation. Also the ones I have that have been overwintered in the past are not the normal wild horsfield shape so I would hibernate them for that reason if nothing else.
Hope this helps

den_bish · #30 (**permalink**) 16-12-2008, 01:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tina

I'm glad it's worked for you Denise and that it's made a difference.

Reading all the 'sleepy tort' threads lately there seems to be a pattern emerging in that the owners of Horsfields are the ones having the most problems with overwintering - temps, sleepy, not eating etc... I wonder if that is the case?

I never use overnight heat, my megaray is on from 8am - 8pm and all three of my Hermanns wake up and bask happily each morning. I monitored my temps overnight last week when we had the really cold snap and it did drop to about 14degs C in their table for a couple of nights but they still woke up and went to bask as normal. The temps normally stay at around 17degs C overnight in winter apart from the really cold periods. I overwintered a hatchling last year in exactly the same conditions... no problems whatsoever.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of people who keep Horsfields and Hermanns (or other med species) to see if they notice a difference in them when overwintering.

Maybe horsfields are just the lazy gits of the tort world

Saying that I think I am going to hibernate him next year when he has put n some weight and got over the health problems of this year. I know people think that hibernating a tort is pretty stressful, but believe me keeping them up is just as bad if not worse!!

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