Sanctuary Session 5: Why We Choose “Temporary” When Tortoises Need Heat Now

Welcome back to Joshua Tree Reptile Haven—this is Sanctuary Session 5, and it’s a full update on our electrical infrastructure and why we’re doing what we’re doing right now to keep every tortoise warm and safe as temperatures drop.

We’re at the stage where everything we’re allowed to do ourselves is done—conduits are in the ground, the site is ready, and we’re waiting on the steps that must be completed by Southern California Edison and a licensed electrician. While we wait, we’re running temporary power to the enclosures because the tortoises don’t care if the solution is “temporary” or “permanent”… they only care that it’s warm.

In this session you’ll see:

The new service area and what’s still pending

Why “temporary” housing and power is sometimes the only ethical option

How we’re installing Stanfield heat mats (often two per house for larger animals)

Updates on Tortellini, Mater, Ramsay, Wilson, and Scooter

Our next urgent rescue: a tortoise going through a livestock auction in New York—and the plan to get her safe and shipped to California

Thanks to your support, we’ve raised a little over $20,000 toward the electrical infrastructure—over half of our goal. The next phase is running hard conduit along the top of the fencing to replace extension cords and safely distribute power to the houses. This is the kind of infrastructure that protects tortoises for decades.

If you’re able to help:

Donate via our website: JoshuaTreeReptileHaven.org

Or support the fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-li...

If you can’t donate, sharing this video helps more than you know.

Thank you for being part of this “forever home.” The tortoises are safe because of you.

Joshua Tree Reptile Haven
501(c)(3) nonprofit tortoise & turtle sanctuary
(We do not adopt out—every rescue is lifelong care.)