Basking light

[Lyndsay1]

Hi I’m new here
We have a horsefield tortoise that we got around 6 months ago. He is in a closed vivarium as recommended by the place we bought it from. We were told to keep the basking light on 24 hours a day. A lot of the information I read says to keep it on 12 hours a day. I even called the place we bought it from and they still say to keep it on 24hrs. He also never really sits under the basking light. My tortoise doesn’t move around very much and seems to hide a lot. I worried we are doing something wrong and he isn’t very happy
Any advice appreciated
Thanks

 

[PollyAda]

Hi Lyndsay1 and welcome to the forum.

The best place to start would be to read this care sheet and follow the advice https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/.

Horsefield tortoises are commonly referred to as Russian tortoises in the US, therefore the two terms are used interchangeably. Disregard any advice received thus far and follow the care sheet. You've come to the right place, as members of this forum are very knowledgeable.

Tortoises need it to be dark at night, so basking light should not be on for 24hrs a day.

Are you able to post a photo of your tortoise and enclosure so that the forum can advise you further? Temperature/humidity/diet is very important, so additional info would be helpful

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Tortoises benefit from a 12 hour day and night cycle.
You can use a CHE 24 hours a day because it provides warmth day and night without any light output.
You want 12 hours of darkness. So only use your light for 12 hours

 

[Lyndsay1]

Would you use a CHE bulb instead of the basking light?
Thanks

 

[Lyn W]

Would you use a CHE bulb instead of the basking light?
Thanks

Hi and welcome,
You can use both depending on your temps. The che is good for night heat because it doesn't give light but can also be used for extra heat during the day if needed. You could use it instead of a basking bulb but you do need to provide uvb for your tort as well.
*CHE's need to be run through a thermostat to turn it on and off at the required temps so that your tort doesn't overheat and die.
What are you using for UVB? Many of us use HO T5 tube kits - I like Arcadia kits.
If you post a picture of your set up then it will be easier for members to give you good advice based on that.

@Tom has a good heating and lighting guide which I'm sure he'll post for you - I can't find it myself at the moment because I'm having trouble with the touchpad on my laptop so navigating between pages is difficult.
If you start by following the link posted above then your tort should thrive.

 

[Lyndsay1]

Would you use a CHE bulb instead of the basking light?
Thanks

 

[Lyndsay1]

 

[Lyndsay1]

This is exactly as the place we bought it said to set it out like. Please don’t shout at me if it’s wrong I am here for help 😊

 

[Yvonne G]

They need a real bright light to be active. The CHE on a thermostat is good for night, but they need the "sun" to make them interested in eating.

I think you're confusing the term 'basking' with heat. Basking means the animal would sit under the 'light' to bask in the sun's rays. Bright light imitates the sun's light. Your red bulb ISN'T a basking bulb, it's a heat bulb. Your CHE on a thermostat REPLACES the red bulb.

Would someone who knows how to copy/paste please post some pictures for Lindsay?

 

[Lyndsay1]

Oh yes your right Yvonne I am. I’m sorry I’m really confused 🫤 so the red lamp is the heat lamp and this shouldn’t be on for 24 hours as I’ve been told. We live in the UK and it can get cold during the night which is when I could use the CHE so that it doesn’t get too cold?

 

[Tom]

This is exactly as the place we bought it said to set it out like. Please don’t shout at me if it’s wrong I am here for help 😊

You have now learned the hard way that pet stores give terrible advice and sell you the wrong products. You are now among the ranks of some distinguished tortoise keepers that have all previously come from the place that you now find yourself, including me. Welcome!

You've got the wrong substrate, wrong bulbs, and the wrong care advice. Please read the care sheet that PollyAda linked for you. Read it at least twice, and then hit us with all your questions. We will help you.

 

[Lyndsay1]

Oh dear!
Thank you all I will read through it all and I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions

 

[Tom]

Oh dear!
Thank you all I will read through it all and I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions

Here is the lighting guide:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.