Heat lamps and lighting

Camillegrace

New Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Kentucky
Hello, this is my son's Russian tortoise we've had her for about a year. My son and husband recently built her a new indoor habitat because she outgrew her old enclosure. My son is only 11 so I'm trying to help him take care of her the best that we can. My question is about the lighting these are the lamps that we had in her old enclosure with a hundred watt heat lamp and a UVB lamp. I was wondering if we need to keep it warmer for her and I bought 150 watt bulb but I don't want it to be too hot. I we need to get a larger land before going to use the hundred and fifty watt bulb but I didn't know if it was needed. The picture is the temperature that it stays & now by the bulb. We watch the humidity level and Mist her Enclosure daily the gauge is just buy the heat lamp.
I've included some pictures of her new habitat and the lamps that were currently using, just letting some input on if she's warm enough or if we should go larger with the lamps and the bulb. From 100 watt 150 watt?
Thank you in advance for the input.
 

Attachments

  • 20200503_112503.jpg
    20200503_112503.jpg
    6.7 MB · Views: 60
  • 20200503_112408.jpg
    20200503_112408.jpg
    5.4 MB · Views: 63
  • 20200503_112323.jpg
    20200503_112323.jpg
    4.4 MB · Views: 59
  • 20200503_112323.jpg
    20200503_112323.jpg
    4.4 MB · Views: 59
  • 20200503_112348.jpg
    20200503_112348.jpg
    6.5 MB · Views: 54
  • 20200503_112006.jpg
    20200503_112006.jpg
    985.2 KB · Views: 49
  • 20200503_112448.jpg
    20200503_112448.jpg
    6 MB · Views: 44
  • 20200503_112430.jpg
    20200503_112430.jpg
    5.6 MB · Views: 46

Sue Ann

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Messages
436
Location (City and/or State)
chapin , South Carolina
Hello, this is my son's Russian tortoise we've had her for about a year. My son and husband recently built her a new indoor habitat because she outgrew her old enclosure. My son is only 11 so I'm trying to help him take care of her the best that we can. My question is about the lighting these are the lamps that we had in her old enclosure with a hundred watt heat lamp and a UVB lamp. I was wondering if we need to keep it warmer for her and I bought 150 watt bulb but I don't want it to be too hot. I we need to get a larger land before going to use the hundred and fifty watt bulb but I didn't know if it was needed. The picture is the temperature that it stays & now by the bulb. We watch the humidity level and Mist her Enclosure daily the gauge is just buy the heat lamp.
I've included some pictures of her new habitat and the lamps that were currently using, just letting some input on if she's warm enough or if we should go larger with the lamps and the bulb. From 100 watt 150 watt?
Thank you in advance for the input.
I use a CHE bulb that has heat but no light. Better to give them darkness at night especially.
Do you have a lid? Or is it open?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
You'll want to get rid of the infrared bulb. You don't need that and they shouldn't love in a red world. For a Russian you only need daytime heat, unless your house is dropping much below 60 at night. If one bulb isn't enough to maintain the correct temperature, you can run two bulbs side by side.

You need to get rid of the ramped water bowl ASAP. Many a Russian has flipped and drowned in those, and most of them will just avoid the bowl, which can lead to dehydration. Instead, use a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate. One for food and one for water. Probably 10 inch saucers.

Those stick on, dial type thermometers are not reliable or accurate. Get something like this from the hardware store instead:
thermopro-outdoor-hygrometers-tp-50-c3_max.jpg

Give these a read for more info:
 

iAmCentrochelys sulcata

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
1,322
Location (City and/or State)
Alief
You'll want to get rid of the infrared bulb. You don't need that and they shouldn't love in a red world. For a Russian you only need daytime heat, unless your house is dropping much below 60 at night. If one bulb isn't enough to maintain the correct temperature, you can run two bulbs side by side.

You need to get rid of the ramped water bowl ASAP. Many a Russian has flipped and drowned in those, and most of them will just avoid the bowl, which can lead to dehydration. Instead, use a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate. One for food and one for water. Probably 10 inch saucers.

Those stick on, dial type thermometers are not reliable or accurate. Get something like this from the hardware store instead:
View attachment 293324

Give these a read for more info:
I believe it doesn’t have a UVB as well.
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
Hi, and welcome!

I see that you are using a screw-in type of UVB bulb. We don't recommend using that type because some of them put out poor UVB light, or none at all despite what the label says.

Our recommendation is for a fluorescent tube type UVB.

But...since your tort is an adult, if you take him outside in your bluegrass sunshine for an hour twice a week when the temp cooperates, you don't need any additional UV.

So to sum up: take him outside 2x/week for an hour, and you can remove the UV bulb you have.
Or: if you never take him outside, let us know and we'll help you with a better fixture.

Another item that would help you out would be a digital temp gun. You point the red light at anything and it immediately tells you the temp. So you can measure the exact temp at that basking spot and be sure it's about 90-95 deg. You can usually get them at Lowe's or Home Depot for around $25.
 
Last edited:

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I believe it doesn’t have a UVB as well.
Not everybody needs UV. Especially with spring upon us and the return of warm weather when tortoise can go outside again. I generally don't use any indoor UV because my tortoises are all either living outside full time, or the babies get enough sunning days to where I don't need to provide indoor UV.

Frankly, UV isn't that important. They can get D3 dietarily so when done correctly, a tortoise never needs UV. With D3 supplementation in winter, and sunshine all summer, a person could get away with never using a UV bulb over their tortoise.
 

iAmCentrochelys sulcata

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
1,322
Location (City and/or State)
Alief
Not everybody needs UV. Especially with spring upon us and the return of warm weather when tortoise can go outside again. I generally don't use any indoor UV because my tortoises are all either living outside full time, or the babies get enough sunning days to where I don't need to provide indoor UV.

Frankly, UV isn't that important. They can get D3 dietarily so when done correctly, a tortoise never needs UV. With D3 supplementation in winter, and sunshine all summer, a person could get away with never using a UV bulb over their tortoise.
How do you provide your tortoise with a day/night cycle?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
How do you provide your tortoise with a day/night cycle?
With a basking lamp on a timer and LED strips or bulbs on the same timer. They still need light and heat every day, just not UV in some cases, as mentioned.

There are four elements to heating and lighting. Not all enclosures or tortoises need all four.
1. Basking lamp. Not needed for a red foot, for example.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. Not needed for a Russian tortoise in a normal home, for example. Day time basking lamp is enough in some cases.
3. Ambient light. Not needed for an open tortoise table in a brightly lit room.
4. UV. Not needed if a tortoise is getting sunshine regularly, or getting D3 supplementation in its diet.
 
Last edited:

iAmCentrochelys sulcata

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
1,322
Location (City and/or State)
Alief
With a basking lamp on a timer and LED strips or bulbs on the same timer. They still need light and heat every day, just not UV in some cases, as mentioned.

There are four elements to heating and lighting. Not all enclosures or tortoises need all four.
1. Basking lamp. Not needed for a red foot, for example.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. Not needed for a Russian tortoise in a normal home, for example. Day time basking lamp is enough in some cases.
3. Ambient light. Not needed for an open tortoise table in a brightly lit room.
4. UV. Not needed if a tortoise is getting sunshine regularly, or getting D3 supplementation in its diet.
I followed what you told me, I added another CHE it’s abut 81-98 degrees, but now with no Heat bulb or Mercury bulb it looks as it was night I still have the T8 on.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I followed what you told me, I added another CHE it’s abut 81-98 degrees, but now with no Heat bulb or Mercury bulb it looks as it was night I still have the T8 on.
The T8 will be great for making it look like daytime. You still need a basking bulb. Regular incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store work best. I use 65 watt floods, and I adjust the height to get the correct temperature under them.
 

iAmCentrochelys sulcata

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
1,322
Location (City and/or State)
Alief
The T8 will be great for making it look like daytime. You still need a basking bulb. Regular incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store work best. I use 65 watt floods, and I adjust the height to get the correct temperature under them.
I really doubt the T8 makes it look like daytime. I have one and it nearly looks like daytime. I’ll have a heat bulb but I don’t have another fixture. I’m using 5 atm.
 

Camillegrace

New Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2020
Messages
4
Location (City and/or State)
Kentucky
You'll want to get rid of the infrared bulb. You don't need that and they shouldn't love in a red world. For a Russian you only need daytime heat, unless your house is dropping much below 60 at night. If one bulb isn't enough to maintain the correct temperature, you can run two bulbs side by side.

You need to get rid of the ramped water bowl ASAP. Many a Russian has flipped and drowned in those, and most of them will just avoid the bowl, which can lead to dehydration. Instead, use a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate. One for food and one for water. Probably 10 inch saucers.

Those stick on, dial type thermometers are not reliable or accurate. Get something like this from the hardware store instead:
View attachment 293324

Give these a read for more info:
Thank you, those tips will help. We only had the heat lamp on during the day I turned it off at night. I will look at getting her a saucer for water.
 
Top