Good Morning! I am a newbie to the site.

[Momshra]

I am reaching out to other members cause I have a question regarding basking temps. Right now I am using a 100 watt light and I have it about 20 inches from the surface. The temp is usually 85ish. Is that too far away/temp to low? Please advise. My babies stay under it all the time and do not utilize the hide a ways i have for them. They are eating well and look good. I just thought them being under the basking light all the time might mean something.
Thanks in advance
Kari

 

[Momshra]

Hello. I was just curious what others use for a basking light and what temp my baby sulcatas should have.
Thank you in advance.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kari, and welcome to the Forum!

You should have a UVB light. Is your basking light a UVB light? They need the UVB in order to make the calcium they eat work inside the body.

The instructions on most UVB lights tell you to place the light a maximum of 12" from the top of the tortoise's shell. It should be around 100F plus or minus directly under the light, fading to about 80-85F in the rest of the enclosure.

I use this one (only a 100 watt):

 

[Momshra]

Yvonne hello!
Thanks for responding. So I have a heat/UVA 100 watt and a 13? watt UVB. (we tried to use two different kinds of DUAL heat-uvb bulbs....but they kept blowing after 15 minutes to an hour. (we never did figure that out)
The UVB light is probably 16 to 18 inches from shell. So I sounds like I need to lower it. The UVB bulb I am using hardly gives off heat. So that is why we purchased the basking Heat/uva. Please give me feedback when you have a chance.
Thanks so much,
Kari

 

[Yvonne G]

I think your UVB light is probably the compact fluorescent light, right? They aren't very good at providing UVB, plus, some of them can harm baby tortoise's eyes. That's not a good choice. And tortoises don't need UVA.

One thing to note about the Mercury VApor Bulb that I show in my picture is they MUST be mounted in a ceramic base fixture, not the Bakelite/plastic fixture. They get too hot for the plastic ones. Also, you have to have them hanging straight down. That means you can't use the clamp feature of your fixture. If you mount it at an angle using the clamp, you shorten the life of the bulb.

Another thing to note is because the MVB is ballasted, once you've turned it on, then off, you have to wait a while for it to cool off before it will turn back on.

 

[Momshra]

YES!!! About the compact fluorescent light!!!!...and you are freaking my out because I have noticed one of the babies has it's eyes closed ALOT!!!! oh lord do they cause blindness?? And we had the duel in a CBF but it still acted weird. We may try one again. So the bulb you use is it Heat and UVB? 100 W?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, heat plus UVB all in one bulb.

The eye problem with the CFL bulb is similar to snow blindness. It's not permanent, unless the light has gone one a very long time. Soak him daily and get rid of that light. You can also buy an eye product, online if your pet store doesn't carry it:



This will sooth his eyes. Just dab a bit on his eyelid.

 

[Momshra]

I think your UVB light is probably the compact fluorescent light, right? They aren't very good at providing UVB, plus, some of them can harm baby tortoise's eyes. That's not a good choice. And tortoises don't need UVA.

One thing to note about the Mercury VApor Bulb that I show in my picture is they MUST be mounted in a ceramic base fixture, not the Bakelite/plastic fixture. They get too hot for the plastic ones. Also, you have to have them hanging straight down. That means you can't use the clamp feature of your fixture. If you mount it at an angle using the clamp, you shorten the life of the bulb.

Another thing to note is because the MVB is ballasted, once you've turned it on, then off, you have to wait a while for it to cool off before it will turn back on.

Yes, heat plus UVB all in one bulb.

The eye problem with the CFL bulb is similar to snow blindness. It's not permanent, unless the light has gone one a very long time. Soak him daily and get rid of that light. You can also buy an eye product, online if your pet store doesn't carry it:

View attachment 231187

This will sooth his eyes. Just dab a bit on his eyelid.

Ok great thank you very much.

 

[Bee62]

Hello, sorry when I jump in your conversation but I see another problem with your baby torts: They look very dry and the enclosure too.
Would you please tell us what percent of humidity do you have for your torts, do you soak them and how are your temps, day and night ?
Baby torts can dehydrate very qick and get kidney problems with low humidity.

 

[Tom]

I am reaching out to other members cause I have a question regarding basking temps. Right now I am using a 100 watt light and I have it about 20 inches from the surface. The temp is usually 85ish. Is that too far away/temp to low? Please advise. My babies stay under it all the time and do not utilize the hide a ways i have for them. They are eating well and look good. I just thought them being under the basking light all the time might mean something.
Thanks in advance
Kari

Hi Kari. Your basking temp needs to be around 95-100 directly under the bulb, and the coldest corner of the enclosure should not drop below 80 day or night.

Sadly, most of the world houses this species all wrong and gives bad advice about them. I used to do it that way too before I figured out the right way and why it was right. Here is the correct info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Read these and then come back with all your questions. We are happy to help.

 

[Momshra]

Hello, sorry when I jump in your conversation but I see another problem with your baby torts: They look very dry and the enclosure too.
Would you please tell us what percent of humidity do you have for your torts, do you soak them and how are your temps, day and night ?
Baby torts can dehydrate very qick and get kidney problems with low humidity.

?? In the picture above?? Oh well humidity is 60% I soak them once a day and spray them once a day. But all that being said. I agree so I pour water over the substrate and mixed it all up...the humidity is up to 80??

 

[Bee62]

?? In the picture above?? Oh well humidity is 60% I soak them once a day and spray them once a day. But all that being said. I agree so I pour water over the substrate and mixed it all up...the humidity is up to 80??

60 % is too low. 80 % is much better for them.

 

[Momshra]

Awesome. SO in your opinion. How often could I wet the substrate, which is bark wood and coconut coir? Daily?
I am working on getting a piece of Plexiglas for the top to assist with humidity...but how often until then. And then how often with the Plexiglas?
Thank you
I appreciate you r time
Kari

 

[Tom]

Awesome. SO in your opinion. How often could I wet the substrate, which is bark wood and coconut coir? Daily?
I am working on getting a piece of Plexiglas for the top to assist with humidity...but how often until then. And then how often with the Plexiglas?
Thank you
I appreciate you r time
Kari

This will vary with every enclosure, and the seasons too. You'll have to do it by feel and adjust as needed. In some of my enclosures I dump and rinse the water dish into the substrate daily. In others this is too much water, too often. In one enclosure, I have to empty and rinse the water bowls, and also dump even more water into the substrate to maintain dampness and humidity.

 

[Momshra]

This will vary with every enclosure, and the seasons too. You'll have to do it by feel and adjust as needed. In some of my enclosures I dump and rinse the water dish into the substrate daily. In others this is too much water, too often. In one enclosure, I have to empty and rinse the water bowls, and also dump even more water into the substrate to maintain dampness and humidity.

Thanks TOM! Well I guess what i am asking too is WILL the substrate become moldy/gross after how many times adding water and mixing it around??
Can it make the babies sick?
Thanks
Kari

 

[Momshra]

Maybe the question should be how often to change substrate with constantly wetting and mixing. (and yes I do realize the substrate needs to be damp not saturated. haha

 

[Tom]

Thanks TOM! Well I guess what i am asking too is WILL the substrate become moldy/gross after how many times adding water and mixing it around??
Can it make the babies sick?
Thanks
Kari

Coco coir and orchid bark don't mold when wet. That is one of the main reasons we use those.

If you soak your babies daily and they do all their pooping in the soak water, then all you have to do is spot clean any leftover food, and your substrate will remain "clean" and you can use it indefinitely.

 

[Momshra]

Oh ok. Wow. So while I have your attention do you mind if I ask about coil light bulbs?
Everything BAD I am reading about them is from 2010-2013 time frames. I find it hard to believe that these light companies have not fixed the problem by now. OR been pulled off the self. My question is have you read/seen any currant info on these coil lights cause eye damage like from 2016 or 2017??
Because that would be more concrete in my eyes personally. I have visited three reptile stores in the past month and EVERY one of them are using coil bulbs in the reptile enclosures?? So how bad can these bulbs be? ;(

 

[Tom]

Oh ok. Wow. So while I have your attention do you mind if I ask about coil light bulbs?
Everything BAD I am reading about them is from 2010-2013 time frames. I find it hard to believe that these light companies have not fixed the problem by now. OR been pulled off the self. My question is have you read/seen any currant info on these coil lights cause eye damage like from 2016 or 2017??
Because that would be more concrete in my eyes personally. I have visited three reptile stores in the past month and EVERY one of them are using coil bulbs in the reptile enclosures?? So how bad can these bulbs be? ;(

That is the issue. Lots of people use them and for whatever reason, it appears that no harm is done. Other people put them over their reptile, and the eyes get burned. The problem has not gone away, and not every bulb does it. In fact most of them don't seem to do it. There is still no money and no interest in researching the topic further, so we still don't even know what exactly causes the problem when there is a problem. Is it focused intensity? Is it UVC leaking past the inner phosphor coating? Both? Neither? No one knows.

I have two main reasons for not using them and recommending others don't use them:

1. I have personally seen several of them burn reptile eyes.
2. They are not an effective UV source compared to other options.

So they are ineffective AND potentially dangerous. Why not just use something else?

 

[Bee62]

That is the issue. Lots of people use them and for whatever reason, it appears that no harm is done. Other people put them over their reptile, and the eyes get burned. The problem has not gone away, and not every bulb does it. In fact most of them don't seem to do it. There is still no money and no interest in researching the topic further, so we still don't even know what exactly causes the problem when there is a problem. Is it focused intensity? Is it UVC leaking past the inner phosphor coating? Both? Neither? No one knows.

I have two main reasons for not using them and recommending others don't use them:

1. I have personally seen several of them burn reptile eyes.
2. They are not an effective UV source compared to other options.

So they are ineffective AND potentially dangerous. Why not just use something else?

Do you know Tom if the light from the coil bulbs that had burned reptile eyes came straight from above or from aside ?
I ask because I have found an interesting article about reptile lights, burned eyes and coil bulbs. I am going to make a new thread with this theme.
I am one of the owners that use coil bulbs and never had any problems with the eyes of my torts.