Couple of questions if people dont mind.
Ive been told that Ammy cant see red light so a red basking light wont keep him awake at night. I know he needs a drop in temp over night but our house is very old and very cold and over night temps on the tortoise table drop to about 16 degrees.
Im concerned that this is too low and it seems to take him a long time to warm up in the daytime.
Could I leave a red basking lamp on all night? is it true that he cant see it? or maybe have two lamps and use a lower watt one over night? He would have access to the cool side of the table if he needed?
Thanks for any comments.
Claire, not sure about being able to see red light but 16C is still quite warm at night. Those that keep their torts outside do not use backup heat until it gets down to less than 12C.
Janet
(04-16-2010 08:52 AM)clare Wrote: [ -> ]Couple of questions if people dont mind.
Ive been told that Ammy cant see red light so a red basking light wont keep him awake at night. I know he needs a drop in temp over night but our house is very old and very cold and over night temps on the tortoise table drop to about 16 degrees.
Im concerned that this is too low and it seems to take him a long time to warm up in the daytime.
Could I leave a red basking lamp on all night? is it true that he cant see it? or maybe have two lamps and use a lower watt one over night? He would have access to the cool side of the table if he needed?
Thanks for any comments.
oh dear - so what you are really trying to say is "stop being an over anxious mum" !
Maybe I should move the pillow and duvet from the tort table too then..............................
(04-16-2010 08:52 AM)clare Wrote: [ -> ]Couple of questions if people dont mind.
Ive been told that Ammy cant see red light so a red basking light wont keep him awake at night. I know he needs a drop in temp over night but our house is very old and very cold and over night temps on the tortoise table drop to about 16 degrees.
Im concerned that this is too low and it seems to take him a long time to warm up in the daytime.
Could I leave a red basking lamp on all night? is it true that he cant see it? or maybe have two lamps and use a lower watt one over night? He would have access to the cool side of the table if he needed?
Thanks for any comments.
They can see red light, so not sure where that came from - probably a pet shop wanting to sell one lol.
The problem with heating them overnight is that they will likely be warmer than in the day which is very confusing and upsets them no end. My torts can drop to much lower than 16 overnight, the same as myself
The reason your tort is taking a long time to get going during the day is because he is too warm at night. If you leave his overnight heating off completely, he will soon get used to seeing the day as a warm up period. Even my hatchlings don't have heat overnight - it's actually beneficial to have a drop in temps overnight the same as nature intended
(04-16-2010 11:24 AM)wizzasmum Wrote: [ -> ]They can see red light, so not sure where that came from - probably a pet shop wanting to sell one lol.
How did you guess?
(04-16-2010 11:24 AM)wizzasmum Wrote: [ -> ]The problem with heating them overnight is that they will likely be warmer than in the day which is very confusing and upsets them no end. My torts can drop to much lower than 16 overnight, the same as myself The reason your tort is taking a long time to get going during the day is because he is too warm at night. If you leave his overnight heating off completely, he will soon get used to seeing the day as a warm up period. Even my hatchlings don't have heat overnight - it's actually beneficial to have a drop in temps overnight the same as nature intended
I wonder if my understanding of a long time isnt right? This morning he was eating after about an hour under his lamp?
Hi Clare. Sue is right he needs a drop in temps at night. Most houses are not as cold as you think. Mine don't have overnight heating. In the wild it is much colder. 16c is fine for him.
(04-16-2010 11:00 AM)clare Wrote: [ -> ]oh dear - so what you are really trying to say is "stop being an over anxious mum" !
Maybe I should move the pillow and duvet from the tort table too then..............................
LOL - we have all been there at some time. I think a great thing for all tort keepers would be to go on holiday and watch torts in the wild. After rehabbing torts for many years rou soon come to find that the ones that are needing vets on a regular basis are the ones whose owners keep them as though they were precious babies ( I know they all are lol). It is a bit of a wake up call to many
Its the same at hibernation time - the ones who worry about them being too cold usually have problems on waking - they are tough old boots, which have been around for millions of years without any help from man
How did you guess?
LOL - they are ofren a torts worst nightmare
I wonder if my understanding of a long time isnt right? This morning he was eating after about an hour under his lamp?
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That's not long at all, as he needs to get his core temperature up to 30 degrees to digest food properly. Don't worry you will get there - always try to think of what they would do in their natural habitat. Torts sit in the sun for ages with legs stretched out trying to take in as much uvb as possible - then they move on to food. Don't forget to weigh them regularly to see if they are gaining correctly, not too much and not too little.
(04-16-2010 01:48 PM)TICKANDTOCK Wrote: [ -> ]In the wild it is much colder. 16c is fine for him.
Tell me about it - I was shivering under two blankets and a sleeping bag and yet the torts were laying eggs the next day.
(04-16-2010 08:52 AM)clare Wrote: [ -> ]Couple of questions if people dont mind.
Ive been told that Ammy cant see red light so a red basking light wont keep him awake at night. I know he needs a drop in temp over night but our house is very old and very cold and over night temps on the tortoise table drop to about 16 degrees.
Im concerned that this is too low and it seems to take him a long time to warm up in the daytime.
Could I leave a red basking lamp on all night? is it true that he cant see it? or maybe have two lamps and use a lower watt one over night? He would have access to the cool side of the table if he needed?
Thanks for any comments.
hi Clare unless my memory has failed me Ammy is a young leopard,if i am wrong i apologise,i consider 18c as the bare minimum for young leopards overnight and consider 20c a safer option.as for the red light im sure it wouldnt cause any problems for a couple of nights but if you are having real problems heating the whole room perhaps a heated hide might be worth considering even if only for the night time.
terry
OOps, didn't realise it was a leo. Having said that I did not keep mine this warm overnight during winter and they grew beautifully and never had any health problems. I always remember Misty saying that sometimes there was snow in Africa, which made me feel better lol
hi Clare unless my memory has failed me Ammy is a young leopard,if i am wrong i apologise,i consider 18c as the bare minimum for young leopards overnight and consider 20c a safer option.as for the red light im sure it wouldnt cause any problems for a couple of nights but if you are having real problems heating the whole room perhaps a heated hide might be worth considering even if only for the night time.
terry
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(04-16-2010 02:29 PM)terrypin Wrote: [ -> ] (04-16-2010 08:52 AM)clare Wrote: [ -> ]Couple of questions if people dont mind.
Ive been told that Ammy cant see red light so a red basking light wont keep him awake at night. I know he needs a drop in temp over night but our house is very old and very cold and over night temps on the tortoise table drop to about 16 degrees.
Im concerned that this is too low and it seems to take him a long time to warm up in the daytime.
Could I leave a red basking lamp on all night? is it true that he cant see it? or maybe have two lamps and use a lower watt one over night? He would have access to the cool side of the table if he needed?
Thanks for any comments.
hi Clare unless my memory has failed me Ammy is a young leopard,if i am wrong i apologise,i consider 18c as the bare minimum for young leopards overnight and consider 20c a safer option.as for the red light im sure it wouldnt cause any problems for a couple of nights but if you are having real problems heating the whole room perhaps a heated hide might be worth considering even if only for the night time.
terry
Thanks terry - you are right, he is a little leopard. I shall look into heated hides - any suggestions of websites/ suppliers or is it a job for my OH and his screwdriver? I shall aim for 20 degrees.
Thanks everyone else for the replies - I should have said about Ammy being a leo.