Placement of UVB and Heat lamp

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

Hi, i have just gotten a tortoise table with a built in hide, i was wondering where i should put the lamps. I have a uvb light and a heat lamp. Should i put them at the side near the hide or the opposite side or should i put one at each end? Any advice would be appreciated. :tort:

Yvonne G · Oct 12, 2017

What is it you're calling a heat lamp? Is it a ceramic heat emitter?

I have a 4' long enclosure. I have a 6watt black bulb (heat lamp) at either end and a 100 watt Zoo Med UVB bulb in the middle.

JoesMum · Oct 12, 2017

Can you post photos of the lamps and your enclosure so we can see what's going on?

Markw84 · Oct 12, 2017

The type of tortoise will also be helpful...

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

JoesMum said:
Can you post photos of the lamps and your enclosure so we can see what's going on?

Its a new enclosure so its currently not set up he is still living in his old one.

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

Markw84 said:
The type of tortoise will also be helpful...

He's a horsfield tortoise.

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

Yvonne G said:
What is it you're calling a heat lamp? Is it a ceramic heat emitter?

I have a 4' long enclosure. I have a 6watt black bulb (heat lamp) at either end and a 100 watt Zoo Med UVB bulb in the middle.

A UVB Bulb and a basking spot lamp.

Yvonne G · Oct 12, 2017

Shanie said:
A UVB Bulb and a basking spot lamp.

You don't really need a basking spot lamp because the UVB bulb puts out a lot of heat. One reason I asked what kind of lights/heat you're talking about. For example, the spiral shaped UVB bulb puts out a very tiny amount of heat and sometimes causes eye problems. A fluorescent tube UVB puts out a minimum amount of heat and is good UVB, so you'd need a heat source. We're trying to give you good answers, but you're tying our hands because we have no idea exactly what you're talking about.

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

Yvonne G said:
You don't really need a basking spot lamp because the UVB bulb puts out a lot of heat. One reason I asked what kind of lights/heat you're talking about. For example, the spiral shaped UVB bulb puts out a very tiny amount of heat and sometimes causes eye problems. A fluorescent tube UVB puts out a minimum amount of heat and is good UVB, so you'd need a heat source. We're trying to give you good answers, but you're tying our hands because we have no idea exactly what you're talking about.

I didn't understand what you were asking it wasn't intentional. The UVB light is a spiral shaped UVB bulb and doesn't really give out any heat.

Tom · Oct 12, 2017

Shanie said:
A UVB Bulb and a basking spot lamp.

Coil type cfl (compact florescent lamp) should not be used. They are not an effective UV source and some of them burn reptile eyes. Best to use a strip type bulb. A long UV tube. It should be mounted over the middle of the enclosure and the mounting height will depend on which type of bulb you get and what type of fixture it is in. I recommend Arcadia brand and you should be able to get them over there. For someone like you in a climate that requires the tortoise to live mostly indoors, you need a UV meter to determine if your bulb is giving off the correct amount of uv for your enclosure, your bulb, at your mounting height. I recommend this one: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html Using a meter is the only way to know if your tortoise is getting enough UV, without getting too much, or replacing bulbs that are still working perfectly fine. It will save you money over the long term.

Spot bulbs should not be used. They concentrate too much carapace desiccating heat into too small of an area. Best to use floods or round bulbs in a hood. You can buy regular incandescent bulbs from the hard ware store and save a bunch of money. Adjust the height to get the correct temperature under your bulb. This will be easier if you hang the bulb over a flat rock or piece of slate.

Please read these. It explains all of this and much more:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Shanie · Oct 12, 2017

Tom said:
Coil type cfl (compact florescent lamp) should not be used. They are not an effective UV source and some of them burn reptile eyes. Best to use a strip type bulb. A long UV tube. It should be mounted over the middle of the enclosure and the mounting height will depend on which type of bulb you get and what type of fixture it is in. I recommend Arcadia brand and you should be able to get them over there. For someone like you in a climate that requires the tortoise to live mostly indoors, you need a UV meter to determine if your bulb is giving off the correct amount of uv for your enclosure, your bulb, at your mounting height. I recommend this one: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html Using a meter is the only way to know if your tortoise is getting enough UV, without getting too much, or replacing bulbs that are still working perfectly fine. It will save you money over the long term.

Spot bulbs should not be used. They concentrate too much carapace desiccating heat into too small of an area. Best to use floods or round bulbs in a hood. You can buy regular incandescent bulbs from the hard ware store and save a bunch of money. Adjust the height to get the correct temperature under your bulb. This will be easier if you hang the bulb over a flat rock or piece of slate.

Please read these. It explains all of this and much more:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Thank you.

Placement of UVB and Heat lamp

Shanie

New Member

Yvonne G

Old Timer

JoesMum

Well-Known Member

Markw84

Well-Known Member

Shanie

New Member

Shanie

New Member

Shanie

New Member

Yvonne G

Old Timer

Shanie

New Member

Tom

The Dog Trainer

Shanie

New Member

Similar threads

New Posts