Heliosa heaters are not just great for humans but for animals too! Perth Zoo was on the search for heaters for their Radiated and Galapagos tortoise enclosures. These reptiles come from tropical regions of Africa and South America. In summer they can bask to warm up in the outside of their enclosure, but in winter this basking has to take place indoors. The Zoo was using a heating system of heat lamps and long-wave ceramic heaters in their enclosures. This combination provided essential ultraviolet light (UV-B) but did not provide the skin penetrating warmth of the sun.  Paignton Zoo in the UK recommended short wave infrared heaters to replace the old heaters – short wave (IR-A) is the part of the infrared spectrum closest to light and does not heat air.  They had found that creating a “basking zone” which combined ultraviolet lamps and short-wave infrared heaters improved the wellbeing of their tortoises immensely.

Perth Zoo got in touch with SBH Solutions, experts in the use of short-wave infrared heating.  We were more than happy to help warm the tortoises from our wide range of Star Progetti heaters. A Heliosa 44 was installed in the enclosure for the smaller Radiated Tortoises. The larger Galapagos tortoises’ hut required a ceiling mounted heater, so a Heliosa Titan was installed using chains. Since the 2000W heaters can easily project heat at a distance, they could be mounted away from the tortoises to avoid any harm. Perth Zoo also installed controllers for the heaters to regulate temperatures to comfortable levels dependent upon outside ambient.

Star Progetti short-wave infrared heaters are powerful and robust enough to be used in a wide range of applications, from industrial to residential. Contact SBH Solutions and learn more about how our heaters can be used for your application.