Help with lighting

[Julio8725]

Hi everyone I’m setting up an enclosure for a baby tortoise and need some help, the enclosure it’s a zoomed glass tank with front door openings and screen tops, diemsnison are 36”x18”x18”I believe 40 gallon, do I have to place the uvb light on one end of the tank and the basking on the other end or both have to be on the same end of the tank ? Also what wattage of basking and uvb are good for that size of enclosure ? Besides uvb and a heat lamp do I need any other light? Do I need a uvb light that cover the whole enclosure or just a spot ? Do I leave the heat and uvb on all the time ? If not how can I keep the ambient heat temperature during night ? What are the best thermostats to buy? Sorry for all the questions if anybody can chime in that would be awesome, the tortoise I’m gonna get it’s 4 months old by the way. Can I have led ambient light on the enclosure ?I attached some photos of the setup, TIA.

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone I’m setting up an enclosure for a baby tortoise and need some help, the enclosure it’s a zoomed glass tank with front door openings and screen tops, diemsnison are 36”x18”x18”I believe 40 gallon, do I have to place the uvb light on one end of the tank and the basking on the other end or both have to be on the same end of the tank ? Also what wattage of basking and uvb are good for that size of enclosure ? Besides uvb and a heat lamp do I need any other light? Do I need a uvb light that cover the whole enclosure or just a spot ? Do I leave the heat and uvb on all the time ? If not how can I keep the ambient heat temperature during night ? What are the best thermostats to buy? Sorry for all the questions if anybody can chime in that would be awesome, the tortoise I’m gonna get it’s 4 months old by the way. Can I have led ambient light on the enclosure ?I attached some photos of the setup, TIA.

Hello and welcome! I'm glad you found us. Somebody sold you the wrong stuff and told you the wrong stuff. This happens to almost everyone, but most people don't find out until after they already have the tortoise and things are going wrong. I know its a frustrating bummer to be told you've got the wrong stuff, but think how much of a bummer it would be if you found out too late and your tortoise got sick or died.

I have to tell you what is wrong so you'll know what to fix:
1. This is the wrong type of enclosure for a baby, and it's really too small for anything other than a tiny hatching of a small species. What species are you getting? The open top will make it difficult to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity for a baby. You need a large closed chamber.
2. Wrong type of UV bulb. Those cfl UV bulbs are ineffective and some of them will burn reptile eyes. They shouldn't be used.
3. They probably sold you the "Intense Basking Spot" bulb, right? You want a flood bulb, not a spot bulb for basking.
4. Yes, you do need additional lighting. Ambient lighting.
5. Wrong water bowl. That type is a flip hazard and a drowning hazard. Some tortoises recognize this and won't go near them. Other tortoises flip over in them and drown. Use terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware store sunk into the substrate instead for both food and water.
6. Wrong substrate. Those fibers will be eaten either accidentally or on purpose and they are likely to cause impaction. Coco coir is good, but not coco fiber.
7. Tortoises are herbivores and those plastic plants are likely to be eaten. I've tried many times over the years and never been able to make plastic plants work.

Sorry man. The good news is that now you know. Here is all the correct care info. There is a heating and lighting breakdown toward the bottom of this thread, and there are care sheets for temperate and tropical species, depending on what you are getting. 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

 

[Julio8725]

Hello and welcome! I'm glad you found us. Somebody sold you the wrong stuff and told you the wrong stuff. This happens to almost everyone, but most people don't find out until after they already have the tortoise and things are going wrong. I know its a frustrating bummer to be told you've got the wrong stuff, but think how much of a bummer it would be if you found out too late and your tortoise got sick or died.

I have to tell you what is wrong so you'll know what to fix:
1. This is the wrong type of enclosure for a baby, and it's really too small for anything other than a tiny hatching of a small species. What species are you getting? The open top will make it difficult to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity for a baby. You need a large closed chamber.
2. Wrong type of UV bulb. Those cfl UV bulbs are ineffective and some of them will burn reptile eyes. They shouldn't be used.
3. They probably sold you the "Intense Basking Spot" bulb, right? You want a flood bulb, not a spot bulb for basking.
4. Yes, you do need additional lighting. Ambient lighting.
5. Wrong water bowl. That type is a flip hazard and a drowning hazard. Some tortoises recognize this and won't go near them. Other tortoises flip over in them and drown. Use terra cotta plant saucers from the hardware store sunk into the substrate instead for both food and water.
6. Wrong substrate. Those fibers will be eaten either accidentally or on purpose and they are likely to cause impaction. Coco coir is good, but not coco fiber.
7. Tortoises are herbivores and those plastic plants are likely to be eaten. I've tried many times over the years and never been able to make plastic plants work.

Sorry man. The good news is that now you know. Here is all the correct care info. There is a heating and lighting breakdown toward the bottom of this thread, and there are care sheets for temperate and tropical species, depending on what you are getting. 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 for the reply and all the info, thank god I didnt buy the baby tortoise yet, I’m planning to get a baby leopard, planning for an indoor setup

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the reply and all the info, thank god I didnt buy the baby tortoise yet, I’m planning to get a baby leopard, planning for an indoor setup

You will definitely want a closed chamber for a baby leopard. And you will want to be very careful where you buy it as almost no one starts babies correctly. Read this thread to see what goes wrong and what questions to ask of any breeder to avoid this heartbreaking disaster:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

We love tortoises. We love the tortoise keeping hobby. When people have a tough time or when people get bad results, the tortoise suffers, and the people don't enjoy this wonderful pastime. Our goal is to help you succeed and have a successful, enjoyable, easy, rewarding tortoise keeping experience. It's a sea of bad information out there in the world, and most breeders are part of the problem. We will help you get it right.