basking light type

[todd and his tortoise]

hey guys, im getting ready to build a larger inclosure for my sulcata Sheldon. at this time i have a uvb bulb for his daytime light and a 150 watt ceramic heater at night( which i keep raising up each day because i feel its too hot at night). in the new enclosure i will have a dedicated basking light. is it ok to use a regular spot light bulb? does it have to be uvb too? i was thinking about one of those mini spot bulbs. they seem to generate good heat and are small, so the fixture does not have to be very large. opinions?

 

[motero]

Tell us more about your currant enclosure. If this is a mostly inside tort I think the best lights are MVB Mercury Vapor Bulbs. They have heat and UVB. What kind of UVB light do you have now?

 

[todd and his tortoise]

sorry, i have him in a temporary home at this time.it is a large cat litter box(new of course)with a 125 watt mvb bulb over his basking stone.measured the temp and at the stone is about 105 degrees. last night i tried to adjust the ceramic heater light fixture and the socket caught on fire!! looks like i will be getting a new one today. he has the common half log to escape the heat covered by a partial shoebox(put there because he kept climbing it and tipping on his back).he has a shallow water dish too. i have reptibark for his substrate. he sleeps in his half log in the day and outside of it at night. i thought this might be a little unusual but i guess every tortoise is different.sheldon is 3-4 months old im guessing. back to my original question. i will be using a 3rd light for basking in his new home,(it will be 5 by 3 foot enclosed), is a regular spot bulb ok? let me know, todd

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Yes a regular flood lamp or incandescent bulb will work for a basking bulb.

 

[todd and his tortoise]

hey thanks alot for the info, the last thing i wanted to do was harm him by having the wrong light. thanks for the help. todd