heat bulb

[fabfourgirl1964]

I have a 100 watt heat bulb, but I find that it isn't heating past 80 degrees on his basking area. I have him indoors. Do I need a new bulb? It's only October and not cold enough to turn on the house heater yet. I live in California. About 50 miles from San Francisco.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Can you lower the lamp? That would be easier than buying a new bulb?

 

[Utah Lynn]

Can you lower the lamp? That would be easier than buying a new bulb?

I agree. Lower or Raise the light as needed.

 

[TortieLuver]

How far away though is the bulb to the top shell of your tort? You do have to be very careful that the shell doesn't get burned. If you have adequate space, he/she should be fine. I have taken in tortoises with burned shells and tended to their aftercare. Generally a rule of thumb is 12 inches, but with my adult Sulcatas, I keep at least 18 inches.

 

[pharr43m]

I have a 100 watt heat bulb, but I find that it isn't heating past 80 degrees on his basking area. I have him indoors. Do I need a new bulb? It's only October and not cold enough to turn on the house heater yet. I live in California. About 50 miles from San Francisco.

Shouldn't 80 degrees be sufficient?
Also, shouldn't a 26 watt 10.0 UVB bulb be more important?

 

[Yvonne G]

No, you want the temp directly under the light to be around 100F, then it fades to around 85F on one end and room temp on the other end.

Personally, I prefer to use a MVB (Mercury Vapor Bulb) because it provides heat and UVB in the same fixture.

 

[EKLC]

I have a 100 watt heat bulb, but I find that it isn't heating past 80 degrees on his basking area. I have him indoors. Do I need a new bulb? It's only October and not cold enough to turn on the house heater yet. I live in California. About 50 miles from San Francisco.

Shouldn't 80 degrees be sufficient?
Also, shouldn't a 26 watt 10.0 UVB bulb be more important?

On a good sunny day the ground temp can be 110+ degrees. Torts need a basking spot to bring up their core temperature here and there. It's not good for them just to exist at 80 degrees.

 

[fabfourgirl1964]

I lowered it a little. I have a dual lamp with heat bulb in one side and uvb bulb in the other. The uvb bulb protrudes past the lamp fixture which puts it 16 inches to the tort and heat 18 inches to him. On a warm summer day it would pike almost 100 so I had to turn the heat side off. It has individual switches. Because it is getting a bit cooler at night, do you think I should leave the heat side on at night too? I usually have a timer setup for 12 hours on, 12 hours off. What do you think?

 

[Utah Lynn]

You don't need the heat at night unless the temperature is going to fall below 50-60 degrees.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Shouldn't 80 degrees be sufficient?
Also, shouldn't a 26 watt 10.0 UVB bulb be more important?

Those 26-watt compact florescent bulbs are not typically suggested for tortoises. Tube florescents are better.