Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do Rhinos brumate?
how cold can it get and still leave Rhinos outside?
Are they smart enough to come in out of the cold on their own?
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Bennett

beardiedragon.com
Home of the Florida Orange

brumate -no, remember where they are from
cold out- its not the temp outside its the temp of the lizard you need to worry about. I know people who leave them in a outdoor cage and its freezing out. the rhinos stay in a heated dog house and he has bred them. I dont recommend it. This person also lost a rhino that didn't come in. so most of the time they will come in but what if they don't?
I think a healthy adult can handle below 60 but I wouldn't let them go that low for any length of time. check out the temp range in the DR, thats what rhinos are designed for

I have housing for them in their pens. Do you think I would be better off heating the hut with a ceramic heater or using a heating pad that they can lay on? I am in Miami so the days are not a problem but we do have nights that occationally drom into the 40s and many nights in the 50s. My torts have similar housing and with a 250W ceramic heater their hut is in the 70s when it is in the 40s outside.

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Bennett

beardiedragon.com
Home of the Florida Orange

Miami! man, you got it easy. it doesn't even get cold there! just teasing. I am a heat pad person I use KANE pads. some here and a zoo or two use ceramic heaters from above. I find for my set up, pads work better and easier to control heat and safety.
My dog houses are big enough for them to get off the pad and still stay inside the house. I can also lock them in if needed and the rheostat for the pad is on the outside so I wont cook anyone if in there too long. You may be surprised how cold it is ouside and a warm rhino will venture out. just make sure he can get back to where its warm. Doesnt Ron St Pierre live in FL and is quite successful with rhinos ouside?

I just have to tie them down so they dont blow away!

I use heat pads for my tegus, they live outside year round. I feel safer with a heat pad like you said, they can lay on or step off if they need to. The ceramic heaters get burning hot to warm the air. Their hut is not huge so they can stay warm. If they bump into the CHI it will burn them. I dont trust the screen covers with an 8 lb Ig. I think they could tear it off if they really wanted to.

Ron is a little north of me. He does Rhinos and Tegus too but I have never spoken with him.

One of my girls

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Bennett

beardiedragon.com
Home of the Florida Orange

It sure is, but it is still sunny and nice during the days on Long Island, NY. Today recorded temps of 125 on the tar shingles above the ig huts. The air temp has only been in the low 60's, but the igs have been termoregulating to maintain 98 degree body temps. They are mostly on the tar shingles in this photo because they just ate and are digesting. At night I have been blocking the entrance to their huts to hold in the heat. I have used pig blanket style heat pads for eight years, but did have an incident about a year ago with a sick ig that did not thermoregulate and got pretty badly burned on the pad. Most of the time they will go into their huts at night when it gets cold, the exception is if the ig is sick or unhappy for some reason. There is a new product out called mega heat that is only 60 watts yet claims to put out the equiv. of 160 watt ceramic without any risk of burining the herps. It is marketed by reptile uv. Have not tried it out yet, but will be receiving some soon.

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Hatched at the indy zoo in 94, relocated to Florida, where he was sold as a hatchling to a Wyoming owner who named him Conan, then sold as an adult to another party in Oklahoma where he was renamed Clyde. For awhile he had a web site with his mate Bonnie(Shera). He was also on cyclura.com as the nine horned rhino in the forum section a few years back. I bought him 1-1/2 years ago. He sired his first offspring last season. All that and only 10.

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So that is little Diego's Daddy? Very cool indeed. I never thought to ask for pics of him or his Mom. Got any pics of Shera laying around to share??

Thanks,
Carole

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Check it out. www.reptilecare.com

I need to take some fresh Pics, here is an old one. Diego Garcia looks good.