What’s the best light for a land tortoise?

[Bullfrog21]

So I’ve never owned a tortoise before, but I took over the care of my friends because I saw it wasn’t in the right habitat or being fed right. He seems a bit depressed lately, I was wondering what I could do/change to help him out. Right now we have a UVB bulb on his tank. I plan on buying him a wider tank soon, I think that could help too. Any help you guys could give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Give us more info.
What type of tortoise and what do you already have?
Photos are great.

 

[Bullfrog21]

I don’t know what kind he is exactly, very little info was given to me. We have him in a tank (which I need to get him a new one soon) a bulb UVB light, a water bowl & a fake shell to hide in

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Take some photos of him/her and we'll get you sorted out as far as food, type, housing and lighting.
You currently have two posts going that are pretty much the same. Lets ask for a MODERATOR to link them.
Please @Yvonne G

 

[Bullfrog21]

Thank you for the help! I just want him to be happy!

 

[Cheryl Hills]

From the picture I seen on the other post, it looks to be a Russian tort. But, we really need pics of his underside ,tail ,etc

 

[Bullfrog21]

I’ll take some more photos when I get home from work tonight.

 

[Tom]

I’ll take some more photos when I get home from work tonight.

Each species has different care and feeding requirements, so we really need to know the species to give you specific tips.

What type of UV bulb are you using? Any heat?

Here are some general tortoise tips:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Yvonne G]

Take some photos of him/her and we'll get you sorted out as far as food, type, housing and lighting.
You currently have two posts going that are pretty much the same. Lets ask for a MODERATOR to link them.
Please @Yvonne G

The other thread is in the "Introductions" section. @Bullfrog21 from now on, post your pictures and questions here in this thread.

 

[Yvonne G]

Here's one of the pictures from the "Introduction" thread (it's a Russian):

View attachment 225048

 

[Bullfrog21]

Each species has different care and feeding requirements, so we really need to know the species to give you specific tips.

What type of UV bulb are you using? Any heat?

Here are some general tortoise tips:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

It’s just a white bulb, it does give off heat.
And that’s why I’m here, to hopefully figure out exactly what species he is

 

[TechnoCheese]

And by the way, you don’t have to say land tortoise. No tortoises live in water

 

[TechnoCheese]

Also, that is definitely a Russian. The one you have is an adult, so I’m not entirely sure how much good this care sheet will do you, as it’s mainly for babies.-Russian Tortoise Care Sheet

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...hp?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/
However, I believe that everything besides the enclosure size still applies. An adult Russian (what you have) requires a minimum enclosure size of 4x8 feet .

 

[Bullfrog21]

Also, that is definitely a Russian. The one you have is an adult, so I’m not entirely sure how much good this care sheet will do you, as it’s mainly for babies.-Russian Tortoise Care Sheet

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...hp?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/
However, I believe that everything besides the enclosure size still applies. An adult Russian (what you have) requires a minimum enclosure size of 4x8 feet .

Thank you for the size info! That’s one of the things i was wondering about!

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I don’t know what kind he is exactly, very little info was given to me. We have him in a tank (which I need to get him a new one soon) a bulb UVB light, a water bowl & a fake shell to hide in

That's where the value of a photo comes into play.

 

[Bullfrog21]

That's where the value of a photo comes into play.

I’ve posted a few of them

 

[Yvonne G]

I’ve posted a few of them

They need to be posted on this thread. Not too many members read the "Introductions" threads.

 

[Yvonne G]

I use both of these for different applications. I use this one over the tort tables my baby leopards and Texas tortoises live in:

But I use a 100 watt, and I put it into this fixture (note the ceramic base):



I use this light for the baby forest species :


This one doesn't provide heat, so you also have to have a heat source. The one in the first picture DOES provide heat.

 

[Bullfrog21]

That’s the sort of light I had but I do need to buy a new fixture as my cats broke mine lol

 

[Tom]

That’s the sort of light I had but I do need to buy a new fixture as my cats broke mine lol

I see you are from the USA. Me too!!!