Help for lighting

[chikibebe123]

Hi! I'm new to all of this so forgive me for my potential ignorance and inaccurate terminology.
I'm getting a baby russian tortoise and am hoping to find the right kind bulbs I need for an enclosure with these specific dimensions. Height from ground to ceiling is 34 in. The length is 64 in and the width is 44 in. I plan on having a foot of substrate so that leaves 22 in to work with. I did some research and found it confusing on the intensity of the bulbs and the watts in addition to the distance needed between the tortoise and the bulbs and the size it should be. I understand a tortoise requires both visible and uv rays to function. Meaning a place to bask and also have enclosure mimic the daylight cycle. Once again, I just don't understand what sort of lamps or bulbs I should be buying that fit my enclosures dimensions.

Also another question, will I need to switch to different kinds of bulbs as the tortoise grows up? And should the entire ensloure be encased in light? Thank you very much for any feedback, I will gladly appreciate it!

 

[Tom]

Hi! I'm new to all of this so forgive me for my potential ignorance and inaccurate terminology.
I'm getting a baby russian tortoise and am hoping to find the right kind bulbs I need for an enclosure with these specific dimensions. Height from ground to ceiling is 34 in. The length is 64 in and the width is 44 in. I plan on having a foot of substrate so that leaves 22 in to work with. I did some research and found it confusing on the intensity of the bulbs and the watts in addition to the distance needed between the tortoise and the bulbs and the size it should be. I understand a tortoise requires both visible and uv rays to function. Meaning a place to bask and also have enclosure mimic the daylight cycle. Once again, I just don't understand what sort of lamps or bulbs I should be buying that fit my enclosures dimensions.

Also another question, will I need to switch to different kinds of bulbs as the tortoise grows up? And should the entire ensloure be encased in light? Thank you very much for any feedback, I will gladly appreciate it!

Hello and welcome. Start here with this thread. There is a simple heating and lighting breakdown toward the bottom, and questions are welcome:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi! I'm new to all of this so forgive me for my potential ignorance and inaccurate terminology.
I'm getting a baby russian tortoise and am hoping to find the right kind bulbs I need for an enclosure with these specific dimensions. Height from ground to ceiling is 34 in. The length is 64 in and the width is 44 in. I plan on having a foot of substrate so that leaves 22 in to work with. I did some research and found it confusing on the intensity of the bulbs and the watts in addition to the distance needed between the tortoise and the bulbs and the size it should be. I understand a tortoise requires both visible and uv rays to function. Meaning a place to bask and also have enclosure mimic the daylight cycle. Once again, I just don't understand what sort of lamps or bulbs I should be buying that fit my enclosures dimensions.

Also another question, will I need to switch to different kinds of bulbs as the tortoise grows up? And should the entire ensloure be encased in light? Thank you very much for any feedback, I will gladly appreciate it!

Hello! How excitingdon’t suppose you have photos of the set up? It can definitely help with some tips&pointers

22inch is plenty of distance for the recommended uv bulbs, for the basking bulb you’ll use your monitor to gauge how high it needs to be mounted to create the desired basking temperature underneath.

The strength to go for with the two recommended uv models is either Arcadia proT5 12%, or, zoo med reptisun t5 10.0. The smallest watt in either of those be fine.

For the basking bulb watt, again your heat monitor will be the best way to gauge this, place it underneath the bulb for a few hours and see what it peaks at, most go with either 75 or 100w. Just don’t mount it any closer than 10inches from the tortoise.

The entire enclosure should be well lit in the day yes, but do create coverage with hides/plants.

To sum up your lighting, you’ll need one basking FLOODbulb, some ambient led lighting(either screw in or strip lighting), and a t5 uvb bulb in either the Arcadia or zoo med brand. The basking and ambient will be on the same 12hour timer, the uv will be on a separate 4hr timer from noonish.
No this lighting won’t need to change as the tortoise gets older, but you may need to adjust height slightly as he grows. obviously you’ll have to replace the uv bulb every 1-2years too.

Hopefully as well as toms link, you’ll find these useful to go over

this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chamber options, some definitely work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Please don’t hesitate to ask further questions, happy to break things down where needed, welcome to the forum!

 

[chikibebe123]

Hello! How excitingdon’t suppose you have photos of the set up? It can definitely help with some tips&pointers

22inch is plenty of distance for the recommended uv bulbs, for the basking bulb you’ll use your monitor to gauge how high it needs to be mounted to create the desired basking temperature underneath.

The strength to go for with the two recommended uv models is either Arcadia proT5 12%, or, zoo med reptisun t5 10.0. The smallest watt in either of those be fine.

For the basking bulb watt, again your heat monitor will be the best way to gauge this, place it underneath the bulb for a few hours and see what it peaks at, most go with either 75 or 100w. Just don’t mount it any closer than 10inches from the tortoise.

The entire enclosure should be well lit in the day yes, but do create coverage with hides/plants.

To sum up your lighting, you’ll need one basking FLOODbulb, some ambient led lighting(either screw in or strip lighting), and a t5 uvb bulb in either the Arcadia or zoo med brand. The basking and ambient will be on the same 12hour timer, the uv will be on a separate 4hr timer from noonish.
No this lighting won’t need to change as the tortoise gets older, but you may need to adjust height slightly as he grows. obviously you’ll have to replace the uv bulb every 1-2years too.

Hopefully as well as toms link, you’ll find these useful to go over

this thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more ideas below for closed chambers

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chamber options, some definitely work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they help! Please don’t hesitate to ask further questions, happy to break things down where needed, welcome to the forum!

Why thank you! I already bought the bulbs, but this only confirmed my choice. Thank you for your advice! I'll probably post my enclosure once I have it set up.

 

[chikibebe123]

Hello and welcome. Start here with this thread. There is a simple heating and lighting breakdown toward the bottom, and questions are welcome:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thanks!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Why thank you! I already bought the bulbs, but this only confirmed my choice. Thank you for your advice! I'll probably post my enclosure once I have it set up.

Yes would love to see it