Light Fixture for Mercury Vapour Bulb Question+ wood question

[Arshi]

Hi everyone!
This might be a silly question but I’m ordering a 100 watt MVB (mega ray) and I’ve seen on this forum that it’s recommended to get a ceramic fixture that is pretty wide like 10 inches. I know that Flukers has a 10 inch wide fixture, it is for 250 watts. Will it be okay to use my 100 watt bulb with this fixture?

Thanks!!

Edit: I also wanted to add another question, sorry haha, I also bought my tortoise these bendy hamster bridge that’s made out of natural wood logs.. i’m planning to bend it into a hide for him and add some moss inside. Is it safe to use this wood?

Ok thank you I’m sure I’ll be back with more enclosure questions!

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone!
This might be a silly question but I’m ordering a 100 watt MVB (mega ray) and I’ve seen on this forum that it’s recommended to get a ceramic fixture that is pretty wide like 10 inches. I know that Flukers has a 10 inch wide fixture, it is for 250 watts. Will it be okay to use my 100 watt bulb with this fixture?

Thanks!!

Edit: I also wanted to add another question, sorry haha, I also bought my tortoise these bendy hamster bridge that’s made out of natural wood logs.. i’m planning to bend it into a hide for him and add some moss inside. Is it safe to use this wood?

Ok thank you I’m sure I’ll be back with more enclosure questions!

What species and size tortoise are we talking about?

You shouldn't be using a MVB at all. These are not reliable bulbs, they are overpriced, delicate, many stop producing UV prematurely, and all of them cause pyramiding in a growing tortoise. If you want to use one anyway, that fixture should be safe.

You also shouldn't be using moss. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

The wood hide should work, but you might also want a humid hide.

 

[Arshi]

What species and size tortoise are we talking about?

You shouldn't be using a MVB at all. These are not reliable bulbs, they are overpriced, delicate, many stop producing UV prematurely, and all of them cause pyramiding in a growing tortoise. If you want to use one anyway, that fixture should be safe.

You also shouldn't be using moss. They will eat it and it can cause impaction.

The wood hide should work, but you might also want a humid hide.

I have a redfoot cherryhead tortoise who is 5 months old.

Oh no! Really? I looked around this forum and saw so many users suggest a MVB! Okay I will not purchase this then.
Should I use a strip UVB fluorescent light instead? I went to pet smart and they have so many I’m not sure which one is good for my enclosure -the light fixture I have right now is fixed 10 inches above my substrate. I saw at pet smart they have this zoomed reptisun 5.0 t8 15W UVB light (I took a screenshot of it how it looks) they have it in 10.0 as well but I’m worried that might be too strong? I’m sorry if I sound kind of dumb I’m doing my best to do research. Can I use this in combo with a heating lamp or another bulb that produces heat? Truth is I made a mistake by buying a compact UVB bulb so now Im trying to replace that since it’s bad for the tortoise.

As for the moss, again, I was informed that moss helps with humidity since I have to keep it very high from 80-90%. I use sphagnum moss, should I remove this and use something else?
I was thinking of making two wood hides, one with and one without the moss. But I won’t use this if it’s not recommended to use moss.

 

[Yvonne G]

MVBs used to be the go to bulb, but we have evolved. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to go back and correct our archives.

 

[Arshi]

MVBs used to be the go to bulb, but we have evolved. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to go back and correct our archives.

Ah, I see. I won’t purchase this bulb then, do you have any recommendations on what I should do?
I have a redfoot Cherryhead tortoise who is 5 months old and the light fixture is fixed 10 inches away from the substrate. I’m thinking to keep the basking light I have in there or replace it with a recommended heat bulb if I have to and buy a strip fluorescent UVB light specifically the reptisun t8 5.0 15 watts, I saw it in store, I provided a screenshot of how it looks:
Is this okay? Or should I get the 10.0 version, or just something completely different?

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Ah, I see. I won’t purchase this bulb then, do you have any recommendations on what I should do?
I have a redfoot Cherryhead tortoise who is 5 months old and the light fixture is fixed 10 inches away from the substrate. I’m thinking to keep the basking light I have in there or replace it with a recommended heat bulb if I have to and buy a strip fluorescent UVB light specifically the reptisun t8 5.0 15 watts, I saw it in store, I provided a screenshot of how it looks:
Is this okay? Or should I get the 10.0 version, or just something completely different?

Thats the t8 bulb. This would work well

 

[Arshi]

Thats the t8 bulb. This would work well
View attachment 309211

Thank you SO much! Is it alright if I purchase the 22 inch? It’s 24 watts. Is that too little? Should I may get the 34 inch for 39 watts? Or does it not matter which one I get?

Picture of the one I’m planning to get off amazon

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

22 will work

 

[Tom]

Disclaimer: I don't keep RFs and have very little experience with them.

That being said, I've been reading RF threads and posts here for years and see what our group of successful RF keepers do and don't do.

Most of them don't use a basking lamp for this species. They maintain warm ambient temps in a closed chamber with a CHE or RHP on a thermostat, and then add lighting on a timer. For tortoises that see the great outdoors on a regular basis, there is no need for indoor UV. For RFs living in the frozen north that won't see the sun for more than half of every year, UV tubes are usually used. Which type depends on mounting height. At 10", the one Chubbs recommended should work well.

Moss doesn't add humidity any more than a water bowl or damp substrate. I think RFs are less prone to eating than other species, but I still wouldn't risk it because it doesn't do anything.

 

[Arshi]

Disclaimer: I don't keep RFs and have very little experience with them.

That being said, I've been reading RF threads and posts here for years and see what our group of successful RF keepers do and don't do.

Most of them don't use a basking lamp for this species. They maintain warm ambient temps in a closed chamber with a CHE or RHP on a thermostat, and then add lighting on a timer. For tortoises that see the great outdoors on a regular basis, there is no need for indoor UV. For RFs living in the frozen north that won't see the sun for more than half of every year, UV tubes are usually used. Which type depends on mounting height. At 10", the one Chubbs recommended should work well.

Moss doesn't add humidity any more than a water bowl or damp substrate. I think RFs are less prone to eating than other species, but I still wouldn't risk it because it doesn't do anything.

Thank you! I’m up here in Canada, so I’ve ordered the UVB light recommended by Chubbs. I will also purchase a CHE and toss out this basking light! CHE doesn’t have light, is the UVB light enough for the tortoise to see and stuff?

I already have a bit off moss from when I first got Simba (my tortoise) which he hasn’t ate but I’ll think of removing it anyways. I have a hard time keeping the humidity up! I mist the substrate multiple times daily, I have a reptile humidity fogger, and I’m soon gonna cut a plexi glass lid. Do you have any more recommendations that I can do to up the humidity? I currently sit around 70-80% but sometimes it’ll get really low like in the 50/60 range!

I am asking a lot of questions I know, but I really appreciate your patience and time with me. Thank you very much! Simba (My tortoise) is thankful too

 

[Tom]

Thank you! I’m up here in Canada, so I’ve ordered the UVB light recommended by Chubbs. I will also purchase a CHE and toss out this basking light! CHE doesn’t have light, is the UVB light enough for the tortoise to see and stuff?

I already have a bit off moss from when I first got Simba (my tortoise) which he hasn’t ate but I’ll think of removing it anyways. I have a hard time keeping the humidity up! I mist the substrate multiple times daily, I have a reptile humidity fogger, and I’m soon gonna cut a plexi glass lid. Do you have any more recommendations that I can do to up the humidity? I currently sit around 70-80% but sometimes it’ll get really low like in the 50/60 range!

I am asking a lot of questions I know, but I really appreciate your patience and time with me. Thank you very much! Simba (My tortoise) is thankful too

Misting the substrate does very little, as you've seen. Torts shouldn't be breathing water vapor, so humidifiers are a no go too. You need to invest in a closed chamber enclosure. This will make your tortoise's life immeasurably better, and it will make your life way easier. Open topped enclosures simply don't work for species that need higher levels of humidity.

Like these:

New Stack of Animal Plastics CLosed Chambers

AKA: Tom's baby emporium. @GStars asked for a pic on my new baby raising enclosures the other day. I only had a partial, but I took a fuller one today. Each cage is 96x30 and divided in the middle into two 48x30 cages for starting babies. The colored tape on each upper right corner shows the...

tortoiseforum.org

Lights inside, and you could omit the basking lamp for a RF.

 

[Arshi]

Misting the substrate does very little, as you've seen. Torts shouldn't be breathing water vapor, so humidifiers are a no go too. You need to invest in a closed chamber enclosure. This will make your tortoise's life immeasurably better, and it will make your life way easier. Open topped enclosures simply don't work for species that need higher levels of humidity.

Like these:

New Stack of Animal Plastics CLosed Chambers

AKA: Tom's baby emporium. @GStars asked for a pic on my new baby raising enclosures the other day. I only had a partial, but I took a fuller one today. Each cage is 96x30 and divided in the middle into two 48x30 cages for starting babies. The colored tape on each upper right corner shows the...

tortoiseforum.org

Lights inside, and you could omit the basking lamp for a RF.

Awesome! Okay I’m going to work on closing his enclosure with plexi glass and get into perfecting his light situation. Ditching this humidifier as well.
Thank you so much !!