Heating for Russian tortoise

[Noah101]

what wattage heat lamp do I need to heat my entire 8x4 Russian Tortoise enclosure to the correct temperature I know it’s more about how close you place it but what wattage do I need to get the correct temperatures for the tortoise enclosure if the heat lamp is a 12 inches above the Russian tortoises shell??

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome!
Wow I love the size you’ve gone for! You have no idea how rare it is for new members to have the correct sized set up!

Just to check as your new here, what kind of basking bulb is it? And what kind of indoor uv do you have?

As you say, with the basking bulb, it’s about how high you hang it to reach the desired basking temp directly underneath, which should be 95-100f. You may need to try a few different watts, most use 75w

Then to heat the rest of your enclosure, you’re actually going to want to install a che or two(ceramic heat emitter) ran on a on/off thermostat, you’ll set it for what the lower end of your temp should be, plug them in and out the probe in the cooler end, then they’ll work on making up your ambient heat, hope this helps! Any other questions please ask!

What are you using for substrate btw? I’d love to see a pic of your set up if you’re willing!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Oh I’ve just gone over your other threads and I remember you now! Sorry lol we get so many new ones a day
I’m so happy to see you took all the advice and are on the right track

 

[Noah101]

Hello and welcome!
Wow I love the size you’ve gone for! You have no idea how rare it is for new members to have the correct sized set up!

Just to check as your new here, what kind of basking bulb is it? And what kind of indoor uv do you have?

As you say, with the basking bulb, it’s about how high you hang it to reach the desired basking temp directly underneath, which should be 95-100f. You may need to try a few different watts, most use 75w

Then to heat the rest of your enclosure, you’re actually going to want to install a che or two(ceramic heat emitter) ran on a on/off thermostat, you’ll set it for what the lower end of your temp should be, plug them in and out the probe in the cooler end, then they’ll work on making up your ambient heat, hope this helps! Any other questions please ask!

What are you using for substrate btw? I’d love to see a pic of your set up if you’re willing!

Thank you so much I didn’t get the setup yet I’m still figuring it out I was gonna use eco earth substrate and for the uvb Arcadia ProT5 12% 24 inch

 

[Tom]

what wattage heat lamp do I need to heat my entire 8x4 Russian Tortoise enclosure to the correct temperature I know it’s more about how close you place it but what wattage do I need to get the correct temperatures for the tortoise enclosure if the heat lamp is a 12 inches above the Russian tortoises shell??

Only your thermometer can answer this. For us to make a reasonable guess to get you started in the right direction, we will need more info.

What is the room temp?
Is it an open table or a closed chamber?
The heat lamp is only supposed to heat the area directly below it. To heat the rest of the enclosure, you will need other heat sources.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

actually eco earth will be fine, I’d put some orchid bark on top though personally

 

[Noah101]

Oh I’ve just gone over your other threads and I remember you now! Sorry lol we get so many new ones a day
I’m so happy to see you took all the advice and are on the right track

Thank you so much I didn’t get the setup yet I’m still figuring it out I was gonna use eco earth substrate and for the uvb Arcadia ProT5 12% 24 inch

Thank you so much I didn’t get the setup yet I’m still figuring it out I was gonna use eco earth substrate and for the uvb Arcadia ProT5 12% 24 inch

Only your thermometer can answer this. For us to make a reasonable guess to get you started in the right direction, we will need more info.

What is the room temp?
Is it an open table or a closed chamber?
The heat lamp is only supposed to heat the area directly below it. To heat the rest of the enclosure, you will need other heat sources.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Do I need the ambient lighting if my enclosure is right next to 3 windows?

 

[Tom]

Do I need the ambient lighting if my enclosure is right next to 3 windows?

I would. It needs to be bright and "sunny" in the enclosure. Bright light from directly over head is brighter than indirect light coming in sideways from a window.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yeah as Tom says, I’d personally add some as it’ll help keeping your tortoise nice and active, it’s a cheap addition too so worth it imo
Also with the enclosure being by windows, just make sure it’s not getting too warm on sunny days, you can put blinds up if it is

 

[Noah101]

Yeah as Tom says, I’d personally add some as it’ll help keeping your tortoise nice and active, it’s a cheap addition too so worth it imo
Also with the enclosure being by windows, just make sure it’s not getting too warm on sunny days, you can put blinds up if it is

 

[Noah101]

Where in the enclosure should I put the ambient lighting?

 

[Noah101]

I would. It needs to be bright and "sunny" in the enclosure. Bright light from directly over head is brighter than indirect light coming in sideways from a window

Do you think this will work well ?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Where in the enclosure should I put the ambient lighting?

Pop it in the middle

Do you think this will work well ?

looks good to me! Just check how it’s secured on? I wouldn’t use those sticky magnet things, I’d get metal clips you can screw in to clip it into place, like how the uv is

 

[Noah101]

Pop it in the middle

looks good to me! Just check how it’s secured on? I wouldn’t use those sticky magnet things, I’d get metal clips you can screw in to clip it into place, like how the uv is

Dose it go on top of the enclosure or inside?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Dose it go on top of the enclosure or inside?

All your lighting/heat will hang on the inside, was it a raised flower bed you were using? You could make your own stands in so

 

[Tom]

Do you think this will work well ?

I'd get the 4500K version.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I'd get the 4500K version.

This would be less intense as it’s a strip and not a screw in, so perhaps Toms suggestion will work best
However it does look like it has a built in dimmer, so imo either would work

 

[Noah101]

I'd get the 4500K version.

Is 500 lumens good for ambient lighting at 4500k?

 

[Tom]

Is 500 lumens good for ambient lighting at 4500k?

The sun is roughly 127,000 lumens per square meter, though this is hard to measure. Its complicated.

In a radical sense, 500 lumens along with the basking lamp and UV tube when it is on, is a good start. Adding more of the super efficient LED bulbs would be good to do, but 500 additional lumens is better than no additional lumens.