Correct UVB - 10.0 or 5.0

[Mabelmidnight]

Hi everyone,
I recently got new uvb lights and I was wondering which one would be the most suitable for my enclosure and my tortoise. My Hermann’s tortoise is a baby, about 4-5 months old and the light is estimated to be put about 9 inches from the ground of the enclosure, so I’m just wondering if I should use the 5.0 T5 bulb or the 10.0 T5 bulb. They are both the ReptiSun T5 bulbs fluorescent tube. Which one would be the best choice. Thanks!

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone,
I recently got new uvb lights and I was wondering which one would be the most suitable for my enclosure and my tortoise. My Hermann’s tortoise is a baby, about 4-5 months old and the light is estimated to be put about 9 inches from the ground of the enclosure, so I’m just wondering if I should use the 5.0 T5 bulb or the 10.0 T5 bulb. They are both the ReptiSun T5 bulbs fluorescent tube. Which one would be the best choice. Thanks!

5.0 bulbs make very little UV. Waste of money. 10.0 HO T5 bulbs work well, but they need to be mounted at least 18 inches from the tortoise. You need a UV meter to set the height correctly. We can only guess and estimate based on our previous experience, but every bulb, fixture and enclosure is different.