HELP! Switching MVB for T5

[bella1984]

Hi, I'm new here, we've had our Western Hermann for about 8 weeks and he/she is approximately 18 months old.
We currently have a 3x2 foot enclosure but we do intend to get a larger one as the tortoise grows.
We are using a MVB at the moment but wish to change to a t5 and separate basking lamp.
Can anyone recommend a suitable T5 for us please? We have a mesh screen approximately 10" from substrate. There is so much different advise on line and I want to get it right!
Thank you

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

@Alex and the Redfoot can probably advice you on what would be the option to your enclosure.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

A mesh top isn’t ideal for a tortoise as young as yours, you need to house him in a closed chamber, ideally one with more height(roughly 2-2.5foot, maybe 3 if you want to add a shelf) however you could fashion a topper over the enclosure for now, hang tight on Alex’s suggestion for the uv based on the current height!

In the meantime hopefully you’ll find this indoor housing thread I made useful, it covers correct equipment(lighting, heating, uv), levels, importance of a closed chamber, appropriately maintaining humidity, 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!

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 some other closed chamber options, some might work for your tank!

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 is also really good to familiarise yourself with, 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!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello and welcome!

I posess no secret knowledge here

Some generic points first:
1. Get only high quality UVB lamps: e.g. from Arcadia (preferred), ZooMed (not Repti Zoo!) or Reptile Systems
2. I suggest to get 24W/22" lamp and fixture. It's a bit longer than needed for your enclosure but replacement lamps are easier to get (than for shorter versions) and such fixture will work fine in larger enclosure.

With 10" between mesh and substrate you have two options:
1. Use lamps with less UVB percentage and put fixture right on the mesh. I like this solution less: lamp will still output strong UVA, you can't adjust lamp height, when upgrading to larger enclosure likely you will have to replace the lamp with the one with higher UVB percentage. If you still prefer this option, suitable lamps are Arcadia ProT5 Forest 6%, ZooMed Terrarium Hood T5 with a 5.0 lamp or Reptile Systems T5 Kit Fergusson Zone 2.
2. Get two lamp stands or build a frame to hang higher percentage UVB lamp at suitable distance. This way you can adjust lamp height when its UV output will degrade, reuse lamp as is in the new enclosure, get more even UV coverage (with more mild UVA exposure). Also, you can remove mesh so it doesn't obscure UVB output (mesh can filter out from 15 to 50% of UV and you just guess how much without Solarmeter). In this variant you will need Arcadia ProT5 Desert 12%, ZooMed Reptisun with 10.0 lamp or Reptile Systems Fergusson Zone 3 kit.

Adding a greenhouse top over the enclosure has been suggested above and that's probably an optimal solution: you will get a frame for hanging lights and can keep temperatures and humidity in preferred range easier.

 

[bella1984]

Thank you all for the advice! How long would you recommend keeping him in a closed chamber for? The humidity in his enclosure is currently 50-60% in the daytime.. Is this OK I should I aim for higher?
I will take time to read through all of the advice and decide where to go from here.
Thanks again

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you all for the advice! How long would you recommend keeping him in a closed chamber for? The humidity in his enclosure is currently 50-60% in the daytime.. Is this OK I should I aim for higher?
I will take time to read through all of the advice and decide where to go from here.
Thanks again

Closed chamber is fine for any age - just because you better control the environment inside.

Higher humidity (a gradient across the enclosure 50-80%) is the most beneficial during fast growth period (usually up to 3 years). But size of the tortoise is more important - the closer he is to the average adult size the less humid environment can be.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

A linear strip florescent HO T-5 UVB is what you want.
NOT any type of UVB source that screws in like a light bulb