Best lighting Fixtures and temperature/humidity products

Pahtli23

New Member
Joined
Oct 8, 2020
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12
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Los Ángeles
Hi everyone. I purchased a baby Sulcata Tortoise that I named BBY Yolli last week from a pet store over in East LA. So far he seems to be doing great. I was a bit of a novice and didnt do my research as much as I should have but Im fully invested in providing the best care I can for my new baby and Yolli grows to live long past me.. With that being said I would like advice on the best light fixtures and temperature thermometers and humidity thermometer. I have some from the pet store but after reading this forum the last few days Ive come to realize that most pet store dont have the best interest in the tortoise care and you all seem way more knowledgeable! Please share links of products that you all have purchase that work well for you!. And here is a picture of BBY Yolli ! :) Any and all advice is welcomed :)tank.jpglight.jpge and you all seem to have more knowledge. Please share links on what products I should purchase. (Also side note, I purchase the tortoisebbyyolli.pnglight.jpg
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Jan 9, 2010
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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.
  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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
  3. 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 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. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
More on the type of enclosure, conditions needed, feeding, and general care:

More on food:
 
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