Please can someone tell me the safest substrate to use for my Horsefields, when they are in their outdoor enclosure with a heat emitter bulb to keep them warm over night, as I don't want to cause a fire. The lamp is about 12" from the tortoises.

I also need to know what temperature I should set the thermostat to turn the eat on.

Thanks

Hi
The best substrate is 50 - 50 Play Sand &Top Soil. For horsfields I would dig down about 6-12 inches and put some wire mesh and put the soil/sand on top, this is to stop him going too deep as Horsfields love to dig and escape.
The ambient temperatures over night should not be below 10c , as the torts system will think it is preparing for hibernation, and you don't want it too warm to keep them active, this is not what would happen naturally in the wild, and those are the temperatures that we are trying to replicate. I don't know what your overnight accomodation is, e.g. green house, shed or tortoise house, but you really need a ceramic bulb or  oil filled heater as you don't want to emit any light. The basking light is different, it is used for providing heat  in the day if the weather is cold and cannot supply basking temps of 32c.
HTH
Jane

Thanks Jane,

I have sorted the enclosure out with a mix of soil and sand, plants, stones and rocks. It is just the heating of the tortoise house which is about a metre high that I am querying. I just wanted to know what substrate I would use on the floor of the tortoise house, if any, as I don't want to cause a fire when the ceramic bulb is on.

Can anyone one help with this question as I would like to get their enclosure sorted asap.

Thanks Helen