CA Desert Tort lighting - Arcadia

KdeeA

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I need buy new light fixtures and bulbs for my 2 CDTs. I have seen good reviews on here about Arcadia lamps. What bulb do you think would be best for my guys? The D3+ 12%? I'm in SoCal, so if you know of any places that I can the bulbs and fixtures locally, it would be much appreciated as I prefer not to buy online, if avoidable. Thanks for any help you can provide!
 

Calaveras

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I bought two of the Arcadia 12% this winter.
If you can put them outside a couple days a week you may not need one until winter. When I had a larger CDT I never bought lights for it because it would dig a hole and hibernate in the winter. Fresno area.
 

KdeeA

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I bought two of the Arcadia 12% this winter.
If you can put them outside a couple days a week you may not need one until winter. When I had a larger CDT I never bought lights for it because it would dig a hole and hibernate in the winter. Fresno area.
They generally do get out about once or twice a week. Sounds like the 12% should work then, if needed, especially since it would be over mesh about 10" away.

Thanks for the response!
 

Maggie3fan

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I'm kinda thinking the experts are going to say that UVB won't or can't go thru mesh or glass...
 

turtlesteve

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Won’t go through glass but some will make it through screen mesh.
 
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Jon c

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Also not an expert but the arcadia is very powerful. Plenty UV will go through mesh(even with the 6%) but the only way to truly tell what you're getting, especially over time, is with a solar meter. The cost of it will far outweigh the cost of buying bulbs prematurely.
 
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Tom

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They generally do get out about once or twice a week. Sounds like the 12% should work then, if needed, especially since it would be over mesh about 10" away.

Thanks for the response!
You really don't need UV if your tortoises are getting outside a couple of times a week.

The screen will filter out some of the UV. Exactly how much depends on the screen. 10 inches is way too close for a 12% bulb. You need double that distance, but since its going through a screen we are all just guessing. You need a Solarmeter 6.5.

Or, you can skip the expensive bulbs, fixtures, and meters, and just let the sunshine do the work for free. I don't know what size DTs we are talking about here, but you should really have an outdoor enclosure for them to be in when the weather is nice. Babies should be indoors most of the time, but once they get past 4 inches or so, they should spend most fo the day outside when the weather is nice.
 

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