Hello, I am in need of some advice with my lighting set up for 3 female Sri Lankan Star hatchlings I am getting in February. I did not buy any lights yet. This question is only about UVA and UVB and not heating/basking in the enclosure.
I live in Chicago area and the climate for most of the year is not suitable for a Star tortoise in an outdoor enclosure. My Stars will be housed indoors most of the year if not all year round.
I read much lighting pages online different websites including uvguide.co.uk and startortoises.net/lighting-heating.html
and I am more confused than when I first started.
I read about UVA full spectrum is needed for their social behavior and activity levels and how a tortoise perceives their food and environment so I know that's important and is usually emitted along with the UVB.
I read about UVB natural sunlight, reptiles can detect UVB and seek it, it helps with giving them vitamin D3 etc.
My dilemma is how much is too much or too little? What a horror it would be if I later found out I was either;
Not giving enough UVB to my Star tortoise and she might develop stress and Metabolic bone disease (MBD) lack of low blood calcium D3.
Or what if I was giving too much radiation from intense UVB causing tissue damage, eye damage, or other problems.
So far I am interested in the new T-5 HO (high output) UVB tubes These new T-5 HO bulbs emit twice as much light and UVB as the traditional T-8 bulbs. T-5 HO Reptisuns are available in 5.0 and 10.0 UVB strengths. Reptisuns are high quality bulbs made in Germany.
Zoo Med started advertising their new Reptisun T-5 HO (5.0 and 10.0 UVB strengths) tubes for reptiles in Nov 2012
These are new in Europe and I have only found a couple places in USA online that sell them, like Big Apple and Pet Mountain.
Then I found, Zilla Desert 50 UVB bulbs Desert 50 T5 fluorescent bulbs with a UVB output of 50 microwatts per second that says it will surpass the competition by producing more UVB towards the wavelengths where vitamin D3 is most effectively synthesized. But it doesn't say HO high output like the ZooMed Raptisun?
Do you recommend Zilla products over the ZooMed Raptisun?
I am concerned if the 10.0 UVB is too strong and could damage their skin and eyes of a hatchling. Should I just use the 5.0 UVB strength for my hatchlings instead of the 10.0 UVB strength?
Next question; so i understand that it could be unsafe to have too much intense UVB light but what about too much UVA full spectrum light? Is there such thing as too much UVA light?
I have a 4'x4' closed enclosure, its like a small indoor greenhouse. I was thinking of finding one 36" Reptisun T-5 HO 10.0 UVB strength fluorescent tube or the Zilla 50 T5, and one 36" Zilla Daylight full-spectrum T5 bulb 6,700K nanometer range.
So for my UVA and UVB lighting set up I would have only 2-36" T5 bulbs in a 4'x4' enclosure one UVA and one UVB or that double fixture below so 2 UVBs?.
Thank you and Merry Christmas
Patrick
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I live in Chicago area and the climate for most of the year is not suitable for a Star tortoise in an outdoor enclosure. My Stars will be housed indoors most of the year if not all year round.
I read much lighting pages online different websites including uvguide.co.uk and startortoises.net/lighting-heating.html
and I am more confused than when I first started.
I read about UVA full spectrum is needed for their social behavior and activity levels and how a tortoise perceives their food and environment so I know that's important and is usually emitted along with the UVB.
I read about UVB natural sunlight, reptiles can detect UVB and seek it, it helps with giving them vitamin D3 etc.
My dilemma is how much is too much or too little? What a horror it would be if I later found out I was either;
Not giving enough UVB to my Star tortoise and she might develop stress and Metabolic bone disease (MBD) lack of low blood calcium D3.
Or what if I was giving too much radiation from intense UVB causing tissue damage, eye damage, or other problems.
So far I am interested in the new T-5 HO (high output) UVB tubes These new T-5 HO bulbs emit twice as much light and UVB as the traditional T-8 bulbs. T-5 HO Reptisuns are available in 5.0 and 10.0 UVB strengths. Reptisuns are high quality bulbs made in Germany.
Zoo Med started advertising their new Reptisun T-5 HO (5.0 and 10.0 UVB strengths) tubes for reptiles in Nov 2012
These are new in Europe and I have only found a couple places in USA online that sell them, like Big Apple and Pet Mountain.
Then I found, Zilla Desert 50 UVB bulbs Desert 50 T5 fluorescent bulbs with a UVB output of 50 microwatts per second that says it will surpass the competition by producing more UVB towards the wavelengths where vitamin D3 is most effectively synthesized. But it doesn't say HO high output like the ZooMed Raptisun?
Do you recommend Zilla products over the ZooMed Raptisun?
I am concerned if the 10.0 UVB is too strong and could damage their skin and eyes of a hatchling. Should I just use the 5.0 UVB strength for my hatchlings instead of the 10.0 UVB strength?
Next question; so i understand that it could be unsafe to have too much intense UVB light but what about too much UVA full spectrum light? Is there such thing as too much UVA light?
I have a 4'x4' closed enclosure, its like a small indoor greenhouse. I was thinking of finding one 36" Reptisun T-5 HO 10.0 UVB strength fluorescent tube or the Zilla 50 T5, and one 36" Zilla Daylight full-spectrum T5 bulb 6,700K nanometer range.
So for my UVA and UVB lighting set up I would have only 2-36" T5 bulbs in a 4'x4' enclosure one UVA and one UVB or that double fixture below so 2 UVBs?.
Thank you and Merry Christmas
Patrick
View attachment 34223
View attachment 34224
View attachment 34222
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