Help with temps and general advice!

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tc1982

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Hi all
Hopefully you will be able to see a picture of my tortoise table attached but I need some help because I can't seem to get the temperatures right. The one on the bottom/left is the basking lamp and is usually around 28/30 degrees here when it eventually heats up but at the other end where the uv lamp is doesn't really get above 24 which I don't think is warm enough?
Any advice you could give me about this or any general comments about my set up would be really appreciated
Thanks
 

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Yvonne G

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Hi tc1982:

The biggest problem I see is that the light is pointing over to the side of the habitat. You need to forget about using the clamp, and hang the light so it points straight down. Also, if you buy a bell fixture, the light/heat is concentrated more towards the front of the light instead of all around it. I'm talking about this:

http://www.homedepot.com/buy/designers-edge-85-in-incandescent-clamp-light-e-245.html#.UKjxeuRqQTE

Only make sure you get one that has a ceramic base. The one in the picture has a plastic base and it gets too hot.

I remove the clamps when I buy these lights, and hang them from a stand.

Another trick to keep the heat in the table is to cover or partially cover the table.
 

Tom

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It would also help to know which species you are housing in there.
 

tc1982

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Thanks all - ill get the lamps sorted out. Should I hang both or just the basking lamp? The uv lamp doesn't really seem to get warm enough so am wondering whether it would get warmer of hung as well?
And Bo is a 1 year old spur thighed
 

Tortus

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I see you have the lamps mounted to wooden tortoises, so you can't really adjust them at all without changing the setup. You obviously put a lot of effort into this so I'm sure you'll get everything sorted out.

I also use the zoomed lamp stands and they work great. Some days, for whatever reason, I'll have to raise or lower the lights a little to get the temp right. You can't really do that if the lights are permanently fixed to something.
 
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