I need help with lighting!!!!

[Mallykc]

Man, I’ve had my tortoise for a year and after joining this forum I feel like I’ve been raising him wrong. So now I’m positing to ask for help on the lighting. I have 3 light bulbs on his tank 2 are on for about 12 hours during the day and then a night bulb comes on to keep him warm at night.
His day bulbs are a coil UVB Repti Glo bulb that’s 26 watts and a zoo med 60 watts sunlight bulb. At night he has the zoo med red night bulb that is 60 watts. His tank usually stays at about 85-90 degrees.
I couldn’t find anywhere on the forum that talked about what kind of bulbs to buy just comments on different post. So any help would be greatly appreciated. My parents were taking care of him for the last 4 months so now I have him back and trying to get everything sorted out.

He is starting to form slight pyramids could having the wrong lights cause this?

Thank you in advance for any help yall can provide. This forum is so helpful I wish I would have found it a year ago when I first got him!

-Mallorie

 

[October]

Hi Mallorie!

You need to get rid of the coil bulb ASAP. They've been known the cause blindness.

The preferred setup is to have zones. You need a basking area where the temp is 100+, somewhere about room temperature (80-90ish, though lower is okay because he'll have the choice to go in between hot and cool) and night temps about 75-80. I only use a 75w Zoo Med Repti Basking Bulb and the hood light for the tank they're currently in. They get plenty of sunlight, so I don't bother with a UVB, though they are necessary if outdoors is not an option. Try lowering or raising the bulbs as needed to get the right temperatures. My basking light is on one end, so the other side can be the cooler part.

Pyramiding isn't caused by incorrect lighting usually; most of TFO and myself, think it's humidity. Try and get the humidity up as high as you can. Using a substrate that holds moisture is a good start, such as peat moss, coco coir, etc. Make sure to soak often and mist occasionally through the day, if possible.

 

[Tom]

Hi Mallorie. Where are you?

Katie has got it all right. Typically I use a Mercury Vapor Bulb or an appropriate wattage regular incandescent flood bulb on a 12-14 hour timer on one end and a 60 watt Ceramic Heating element over the middle or toward the warm end that is on 24/7. The CHE keeps night temps warm enough and then when the lightbulb kicks on in the morning, things slowly warm up to nice daytime temps. You'll need a thermometer with a remote probe and an infrared temp gun to check your temps. Make adjustments by lowering or raising your fixture or your wattage.

Here's how I like to keep sulcatas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1PSX7dKk6

Here's a very long thread explaining all sorts of the latest info on pyramiding:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-The-End-Of-Pyramiding#axzz1PSX7dKk6

And yes, ditch that coil bulb right away!

 

[Mallykc]

Thank you so much! Those links are very helpful!
Just double checking, I can remove the night bulb completely as long as temps stay around 75- 80?

Thanks again!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Tom doesn't agree with colored bulbs at night, but I do. I use a black light bulb in every habitat I have that I feel the animal needs to stay warm for whatever reason. I sleep with my windows open so sometimes it gets fairly cold here in Oregon. So the black light bulbs keep things nice and toasty and none of my animals that have black light bulbs eat the substrate. I buy mine at K-Mart for $3. So I think it's a personal preference...

 

[Mallykc]

Thanks Maggie! I live in North Carolina so it doesn't get that cold here during the summers so i think I'll remove the night bulb and see how it goes. He never sleeps under it anyway.

Is the basking bulb and CHE the same thing or different???

 

[Maggie Cummings]

CHE is a ceramic heat element. It's a round looking ceramic coil thing that emits heat but no light. The MVB is a Mercury Vapor Bulb that is a basking and heat bulb...you'd have one at one side and the other the CHE left on 24/7 away from the basking bulb...make sense?

 

[Mallykc]

Yes that makes perfect sense! Thanks so much! so those are really the only 2 bulbs i need now as long as i take the little guy outside everyday. Sorry for all the questions just trying to get back on track.

 

[Livingstone]

A picture is worth a thousand words. Here is how Im doing it, 2 100watt zoomed mvb bulbs and one che pointed at the opening to the house(not visible).

 

[Mallykc]

Hi Guys,

I have another question about the lights. I went to the store today and i simply cant afford the MVB at the moment (recent college graduate who is still unemployed). The cheapest one i could find was 80 dollars at a pets store. Lowes (the home improvement store) had an MVB for 20, but i wasn't sure if it was the right type. So i bought a zoo med 100w basking spot light. My new question is if i'm allowed to put this on the screen/tank lid (like all my bulbs in the past have been) or do i need to remove the screen/tank lid and use a lamp clip?

My plan is to only use this bulb as long as the tank stays the right temp. I take him outside for 30min - 1 hour everyday so as of now i don't think i need a UVB bulb.

Any suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Livingstone]

Heat is what keeps metabolism going, so yes keeping the temps correct is going to help alot.
The difference between a MVB and a basking light is the ultra voilet spectrum. The basking light does not output UV light, so although your torts metabolism will be processing the food because of the heat, the calcium, vitamins, and minerals in the diet will not be absorbed properly.

Taking the tort outside is a good way to counter this, but in my opinion because its a baby with a soft shell and delicate skeleton you should have it outside for longer, even in the shade the UV light from the sun permeates and helps to build a strong foundation for a young tortoise to grow healthy and happy.

***Also be sure that the 100watt basking bulb doesn't make the tank too hot, you will cook the tortoise.

 

[Mallykc]

Thanks for the reply. I think the 100w bulb was too hot so i'm going to take it back tomorrow. Is the MVB at the home improvement store the same as the ones you find at the pet store? I might just go back and get that one because it has the UVB in it too.

I'm still wondering if it's ok to put these bulbs on the screen cover or if i should remove the screen.

Thanks again!

 

[October]

I don't use an MVB and someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the mesh will block some of the effects of the UVB rays. Whether or not it makes a difference, I would guess no, especially if you are giving them real sunlight.