Heating / lighting

Archerka

New Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
WREXHAM
I am planning on adopting a 3 year old Russian tortoise.
I would prefer to use a combi light if I’m honest but is a 80w ok to reach the desired temperature?
The tortoise does come with a table but I’m not sure what size it is
Then is it 12 hours on, 12 hours off for the lamp?
Sorry if this has been asked time and time again but I want to get it right.
 

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 am planning on adopting a 3 year old Russian tortoise.
I would prefer to use a combi light if I’m honest but is a 80w ok to reach the desired temperature?
The tortoise does come with a table but I’m not sure what size it is
Then is it 12 hours on, 12 hours off for the lamp?
Sorry if this has been asked time and time again but I want to get it right.
Hello and welcome. I'm glad you asked, and your tortoise will be too. Those combo lights, mercury vapor bulbs, are not a good way to go for many reasons. Here is the correct lighting info, along with the care sheet with all the other info. Most of the info on the internet and from pet shops is the old wrong info.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  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.

Questions are welcome. We are all here to talk tortoises.
 

Archerka

New Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
WREXHAM
Hello and welcome. I'm glad you asked, and your tortoise will be too. Those combo lights, mercury vapor bulbs, are not a good way to go for many reasons. Here is the correct lighting info, along with the care sheet with all the other info. Most of the info on the internet and from pet shops is the old wrong info.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  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.

Questions are welcome. We are all here to talk tortoises.
 

Archerka

New Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
WREXHAM
Thanks so much for replying I’ll be honest I wanted to use a combi light so it’s a bit less confusing about different lights etc
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thanks so much for replying I’ll be honest I wanted to use a combi light so it’s a bit less confusing about different lights etc
We used to recommend them. Then we realized they are unreliable, have wildly variable UV output, and cause pyramiding.
 

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