NakkiNakk
New Member
Hey there! So I just inherited a 4 year old redfoot tortoise and received the enclosure with it. I am doing what I can with what I got but I was not very prepared to take him on and I'm trying to do some research and fix his enclosure. I live in the pacific northwest so keeping him outdoors is not an option for a majority of the year, and I know lighting and heating are very important.
Currently he is residing in a 40x24 inch Aivituvin wooden tortoise house on repticarpet. I will be upgrading him to something else in the future but for now I am working with it because it's a decent size for him. The issue is that I have no UVB currently. Temporarily, his only light and heat is a ZooMed nocturnal infared heat lamp which is definitely not putting out enough heat.
I have ordered an Arcadia ProT5 12% 24 inch bulb and hood kit for his UVB but as far as his heating goes I keep getting overwhelmed by all the options and conflicting information.
If someone could answer the following questions I would appreciate it:
I have the rest of his needs pretty much covered, it's just the heating/lighting situation that I have to figure out now. Thank you for the help!
Currently he is residing in a 40x24 inch Aivituvin wooden tortoise house on repticarpet. I will be upgrading him to something else in the future but for now I am working with it because it's a decent size for him. The issue is that I have no UVB currently. Temporarily, his only light and heat is a ZooMed nocturnal infared heat lamp which is definitely not putting out enough heat.
I have ordered an Arcadia ProT5 12% 24 inch bulb and hood kit for his UVB but as far as his heating goes I keep getting overwhelmed by all the options and conflicting information.
If someone could answer the following questions I would appreciate it:
- What kind of heating is best for this kind of enclosure and this species? I keep reading that ceramic heat emitters are good, but also some sources say they are bad.
- Is an Arcadia halogen heat lamp okay to use?
- Will that be enough for the ambient temps to get up to what they should be or is it just good for basking?
- Also, I don't know how to keep the heat going overnight. Do I leave the heating on even if it's emitting light too?
I have the rest of his needs pretty much covered, it's just the heating/lighting situation that I have to figure out now. Thank you for the help!