Closed chamber lighting

LukaStipi

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Hello everyone, a week ago i made a closed chamber for my baby hermann's tortoise, but i cant find uvb light bulbs anywhere around me. I take my tort out and put it into shade for a couple hours cuz its too hot in the sun. Please help
 

Tom

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Hello everyone, a week ago i made a closed chamber for my baby hermann's tortoise, but i cant find uvb light bulbs anywhere around me. I take my tort out and put it into shade for a couple hours cuz its too hot in the sun. Please help
I looked at your weather. The daytime high is hot right now, but not terrible. Look like a cooling trend in the next few days too. Make an outdoor enclosure that has access to both shade and sunshine. Put the tortoise out in the morning, before it gets too hot. The tortoise only needs access to sunshine for 30 minutes or so a couple few times per week. Always soak after sunning sessions.

Make sure the indoor enclosure has a basking area and plenty of ambient light from LEDs.
 

LukaStipi

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I looked at your weather. The daytime high is hot right now, but not terrible. Look like a cooling trend in the next few days too. Make an outdoor enclosure that has access to both shade and sunshine. Put the tortoise out in the morning, before it gets too hot. The tortoise only needs access to sunshine for 30 minutes or so a couple few times per week. Always soak after sunning sessions.

Make sure the indoor enclosure has a basking area and plenty of ambient light from LEDs.
Thats the problem,i cant make a basking area and there is no shade that is there for the whole time of the day
 

Littleredfootbigredheart

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Thats the problem,i cant make a basking area and there is no shade that is there for the whole time of the day
Tom was referring to your indoor enclosure for the basking area😊
Obviously only let you guy out in the outdoor enclosure for a few hours whilst they’re still a baby for some natural uv.

I don’t suppose we could get some more information on your indoor set up? We might be able to help is there’s any tweaks that need making!

What are your temps like? Ie basking temp?(directly under the bulb) overall day temps? Night temps?

What kind of lighting/heating are you using? Packaging photos are great!

What size?

How’s your humidity?

What are you using for substrate?

If we could get some photos that’d be great!😁

Welcome to the forum🥰
 

Tom

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Thats the problem,i cant make a basking area and there is no shade that is there for the whole time of the day
You don't need shade or a basking area all day outside for a baby. Just for an hour or so.

You will need to start planning a large full time outdoor enclosure and get all your shade plants established and growing. For now, you just need a little patch of shade for a short while.
 

Markw84

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Thats the problem,i cant make a basking area and there is no shade that is there for the whole time of the day
You can also soak your tortoise in the sun with some shade over 1/3 the soaking tub. I actually will soak in the sun and have monitored water temps. The evaporative cooling of the water keeps the tub in a good temperature range and the tortoise gets its sun/UVB while soaking. I do soak in a light colored tub.

This takes care of the soaking and the UVB for your tortoise with a chore you are already doing for your tortoise.
 

LukaStipi

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You don't need shade or a basking area all day outside for a baby. Just for an hour or so.

You will need to start planning a large full time outdoor enclosure and get all your shade plants established and growing. For now, you just need a little patch of shade for a short while.
i dont understand ANYTHING, people told me that i need to SWITCH from an outdoor enclosure to a closed chamber,and now you are telling me that i need to make an outdoor enclosure
 

The_Four_Toed_Edward

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The advice you are getting might seem mixed, because Tom might have not read your previous threads.

It is that a tortoise as young as yours needs to be in a closed chamber for most of the day, but can be outside for 2-3 hours/week to get UVB. The safest way to do this is in an enclosure or tub like Mark suggested.

Outdoor enclosures are best set up before your tortoise needs it. Your tortoise can get to go out full time when he is older, and is nice to have one already set up.
 

Tom

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i dont understand ANYTHING, people told me that i need to SWITCH from an outdoor enclosure to a closed chamber,and now you are telling me that i need to make an outdoor enclosure
Babies need to be housed primarily indoors in a closed chamber to maintain the correct stable temperatures and higher humidity.

At the same time, it is nice to have an outdoor enclosure for them to get some outdoor time, sunning, grazing on weeds, and exercising for a short time each day, or a few day per week, in fair weather. A baby shouldn't live outside full time, but some outside time is good for them too.

You need both. As your tortoise grows, you will want to have it outside more and more until eventually, as an adult, it can live outside full time, with a proper shelter.
 

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