Thank you for your reply. Before i had him (and the first year i had him), his enclosure was really dry. I wasn't aware that they needed, or liked humidity. I am now keeping him in a enclosure which is nice and humid, with a humid hide.Yes, there is some very mild pyramiding. It looks like it was a bit too dry during some of the early growth. Maybe a mercury vapor bulb too? Damp substrate, a humid hide, and daily soaks should help make the new growth smoother.
He needs a light for basking. They go to the sunlight in the wild so they need light in captivity. They have to be able to heat/bask themselves under 95-100 temps to properly digest their food.Thank you for your reply. Before i had him (and the first year i had him), his enclosure was really dry. I wasn't aware that they needed, or liked humidity. I am now keeping him in a enclosure which is nice and humid, with a humid hide.
I soak him every other day.
I do have a MVB but i switched it out for a CHE as he has the Arcadia uva/b light. I thought having another light would annoy him.
When i get his final large enclosure, I'll add a MVB. Xx
Don't worry, he has a light and a spare basking bulb. XxHe needs a light for basking. They go to the sunlight in the wild so they need light in captivity. They have to be able to heat/bask themselves under 95-100 temps to properly digest their food.
Try to find a incandescent flood bulb to fo this. Don't use a mvb specially seeing you already have a uvb.
Don't worry, he has a light and a spare basking bulb. Xx
I do bring him outside if it is warm enough too. Under his heat lamp it is 33°C so..98F.. i think (i dont work with Fahrenheit).
He excretes well and often so i know he's warm enough.
Thank you for clarifying that. I think I'm good in all areas and my house never drops below 18°C at night.There are four elements to heating and lighting:
And this might offer some help too:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
- Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
- Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In the UK, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...tortoiseforum.org
Except in rare cases, the heat lamp should not be on a thermostat. The "sun" shouldn't turn on and off all day. The basking lamp is meant to offer a warmer than ambient area so they can warm up as if basking in the sun.Thank you for clarifying that. I think I'm good in all areas and my house never drops below 18°C at night.
I did have another question though. I see many basking bulbs not run through a thermostat e.g. On/off thermostat. Do you not have to have one of these once you use a thermometer and adjusted the height to get the right basking temperature?
Thank you xx
Ahhh, i see, thank you for clearing that up. Sorry i sound like a such newbie ?. I just thought they blow alot if they get too hot.Except in rare cases, the heat lamp should not be on a thermostat. The "sun" shouldn't turn on and off all day. The basking lamp is meant to offer a warmer than ambient area so they can warm up as if basking in the sun.
Number two above, is what should be used to maintain ambient temp, not your basking lamp.