Lighting angle and cross over?

[Figthewesternrescue]

Hello!
New member here. I am rescuing a female western tortoise and picking her up this weekend. This is a very temporary enclosure until her health is built back up from her neglect and we can build an outdoor set up.

That being said, I have questions about where is best to fit my lights. I have the t5 on moveable stands and the heat flood lamp will hand from the wooden part. I have read it is best for the lights to cross over so I have placed the t5 on and angle. Is this best or should I have the t5 running along one side the whole way down the enclose. The tortoise has a large hide section to recreate too and she does have an underbite from neglect so I want to get her uv up as I don’t think she had adequate lighting in her previous home.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!

 

[Tom]

Hello!
New member here. I am rescuing a female western tortoise and picking her up this weekend. This is a very temporary enclosure until her health is built back up from her neglect and we can build an outdoor set up.

That being said, I have questions about where is best to fit my lights. I have the t5 on moveable stands and the heat flood lamp will hand from the wooden part. I have read it is best for the lights to cross over so I have placed the t5 on and angle. Is this best or should I have the t5 running along one side the whole way down the enclose. The tortoise has a large hide section to recreate too and she does have an underbite from neglect so I want to get her uv up as I don’t think she had adequate lighting in her previous home.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!
View attachment 398628

Hello and welcome. The way you have them arranged looks good. You want the UV tube near the basking lamp as their skin needs to be warm for the UV to work effectively. Do you have a Solarmeter 6.5 to make sure the T5 height is set correctly? Don't forget to add more LED lighting to keep it bright and "sunny" during the day.

Check this out:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[wellington]

Do you have a digital thermometer? That round puck like one is no good, very inaccurate and the gauge/probe/unit depending on type you get, needs to be at tortoise height.

 

[Figthewesternrescue]

Do you have a digital thermometer? That round puck like one is no good, very inaccurate and the gauge/probe/unit depending on type you get, needs to be at tortoise height.

Hi yes I have two they aren’t set up yet but you can see the, dangling over the walls of the table, I will secure the probe at substrate height. They have humidity sensor too

 

[Figthewesternrescue]

Hello!
New member here. I am rescuing a female western tortoise and picking her up this weekend. This is a very temporary enclosure until her health is built back up from her neglect and we can build an outdoor set up.

That being said, I have questions about where is best to fit my lights. I have the t5 on moveable stands and the heat flood lamp will hand from the wooden part. I have read it is best for the lights to cross over so I have placed the t5 on and angle. Is this best or should I have the t5 running along one side the whole way down the enclose. The tortoise has a large hide section to recreate too and she does have an underbite from neglect so I want to get her uv up as I don’t think she had adequate lighting in her previous home.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!
View attachment 398628

Ps: this is a work in progress NOT complete set up yet and tortie is not living in this yet

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello!
New member here. I am rescuing a female western tortoise and picking her up this weekend. This is a very temporary enclosure until her health is built back up from her neglect and we can build an outdoor set up.

That being said, I have questions about where is best to fit my lights. I have the t5 on moveable stands and the heat flood lamp will hand from the wooden part. I have read it is best for the lights to cross over so I have placed the t5 on and angle. Is this best or should I have the t5 running along one side the whole way down the enclose. The tortoise has a large hide section to recreate too and she does have an underbite from neglect so I want to get her uv up as I don’t think she had adequate lighting in her previous home.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!
View attachment 398628

Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member! Always great to see folks this side of the pond joining the forum, you’ve found the best place with all the up to date information!it’s so wonderful you’ve opted to rescue! Love that

I think that positioning for your basking and uvb should work fineI do second the comments about adding some ambient led lighting, and switching that analog gauge for a digital monitor.

I’d also actually consider removing the top from the hide area, generally from what I’ve seen with those kind of set ups, is the tortoise doesn’t always make the most use of that area during the day because it’s not as well lit or adequately heated, it’s best to just add your own hide imo.

I do just want to give a heads up too, that it can sometimes be a little tricky managing ambient heat in the uk this time of year with open tops, a lot of folks have to use a covering of some kind. Do you plan to potentially brumate later this year? This is a good thread to read if so

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

I can see you have some of the Arcadia optimized52, great stuff! Most tortoises love it, but it could take a while for her to get used to, they’re very stubborn by nature, so don’t worry if it takes weeks/months of attempts for her to eat it.

I’m going to include some links below you’ll hopefully find useful to look through if you haven’t already.

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, definitely double check bulb types, folks unfortunately sold the wrong ones often), correct levels, appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and the tortoise table link

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room! Check comments too, I’m always adding to it, I have a huge back log I need to add.

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Now that housing thread discusses an open top set up, which is fine for adult tortoises, but as I say, knowing how cold our uk winters get, for those who don’t brumate their temperate species, they can really struggle keeping their temperates where needed, a cover can come in really handy for maintaining your heat, the most efficient closed set ups are melamine/pvc vivs. A place called Southdown aquatics actually does custom sized vivs in the uk If you’re ever considering that kind of set up

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope this all comes in useful for you! Let me know if you ever need uk links to products

 

[Figthewesternrescue]

Hello and welcome. The way you have them arranged looks good. You want the UV tube near the basking lamp as their skin needs to be warm for the UV to work effectively. Do you have a Solarmeter 6.5 to make sure the T5 height is set correctly? Don't forget to add more LED lighting to keep it bright and "sunny" during the day.

Check this out:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

Hi Tom thank you for your help. Led light is no problem I can set one up. Am I right I’m saying a solar meter is £250-£300? I cannot at all justify this price at the moment. I always take the needs of animals very seriously but as this is a rescue situation I don’t have unlimited funds. I was hoping there is a guide to the average distance of an Arcadia t5 as they are a very common lamp.

I appreciate the solar meter would be the only true accurate way of knowing but I hope you can understand my reasoning. Many thanks

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi Tom thank you for your help. Led light is no problem I can set one up. Am I right I’m saying a solar meter is £250-£300? I cannot at all justify this price at the moment. I always take the needs of animals very seriously but as this is a rescue situation I don’t have unlimited funds. I was hoping there is a guide to the average distance of an Arcadia t5 as they are a very common lamp.

I appreciate the solar meter would be the only true accurate way of knowing but I hope you can understand my reasoning. Many thanks

They are indeed very expensive, I will say they are worth the investment as a uk keeper, we simply don’t get the uv exposure year round for a tortoise, we have to rely on indoor uv of some kind, a meter will help you gauge the exact strength of your uvb, and can prevent you from replacing the bulbs too soon, they do end up paying for themselves in that regard as the bulbs can be quite expensive.

All that said, Arcadia is one of the most reliable brands there is, the general data shows their output is pretty reliable at recommended distance, which is about 18-20” inches from the tortoises shell. A Solarmeter is of course the most accurate way to measure distance, but you can probably be assured that brand bulb will last you a good year or two, perhaps you could save for a meter down the line

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Hi Tom thank you for your help. Led light is no problem I can set one up. Am I right I’m saying a solar meter is £250-£300? I cannot at all justify this price at the moment. I always take the needs of animals very seriously but as this is a rescue situation I don’t have unlimited funds. I was hoping there is a guide to the average distance of an Arcadia t5 as they are a very common lamp.

I appreciate the solar meter would be the only true accurate way of knowing but I hope you can understand my reasoning. Many thanks

I think its safe to say that MOST keepers don't have a SolarMeter. But if you're ever able to afford one, I highly recommend it. They are an invaluable part of your "arsenal"!

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom thank you for your help. Led light is no problem I can set one up. Am I right I’m saying a solar meter is £250-£300? I cannot at all justify this price at the moment. I always take the needs of animals very seriously but as this is a rescue situation I don’t have unlimited funds. I was hoping there is a guide to the average distance of an Arcadia t5 as they are a very common lamp.

I appreciate the solar meter would be the only true accurate way of knowing but I hope you can understand my reasoning. Many thanks

I completely understand.

Is the bulb a 12% HO tube from Arcadia? If yes, then 18-20 inches should be about right.

 

[Figthewesternrescue]

They are indeed very expensive, I will say they are worth the investment as a uk keeper, we simply don’t get the uv exposure year round for a tortoise, we have to rely on indoor uv of some kind, a meter will help you gauge the exact strength of your uvb, and can prevent you from replacing the bulbs too soon, they do end up paying for themselves in that regard as the bulbs can be quite expensive.

All that said, Arcadia is one of the most reliable brands there is, the general data shows their output is pretty reliable at recommended distance, which is about 18-20” inches from the tortoises shell. A Solarmeter is of course the most accurate way to measure distance, but you can probably be assured that brand bulb will last you a good year or two, perhaps you could save for a meter down the line

Thank you for your advice, I will absolutely look to getting one in the future I shall set up an eBay alert. Thank you for your help

 

[Figthewesternrescue]

Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member! Always great to see folks this side of the pond joining the forum, you’ve found the best place with all the up to date information!it’s so wonderful you’ve opted to rescue! Love that

I think that positioning for your basking and uvb should work fineI do second the comments about adding some ambient led lighting, and switching that analog gauge for a digital monitor.

I’d also actually consider removing the top from the hide area, generally from what I’ve seen with those kind of set ups, is the tortoise doesn’t always make the most use of that area during the day because it’s not as well lit or adequately heated, it’s best to just add your own hide imo.

I do just want to give a heads up too, that it can sometimes be a little tricky managing ambient heat in the uk this time of year with open tops, a lot of folks have to use a covering of some kind. Do you plan to potentially brumate later this year? This is a good thread to read if so

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

I can see you have some of the Arcadia optimized52, great stuff! Most tortoises love it, but it could take a while for her to get used to, they’re very stubborn by nature, so don’t worry if it takes weeks/months of attempts for her to eat it.

I’m going to include some links below you’ll hopefully find useful to look through if you haven’t already.

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, definitely double check bulb types, folks unfortunately sold the wrong ones often), correct levels, appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and the tortoise table link

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room! Check comments too, I’m always adding to it, I have a huge back log I need to add.

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Now that housing thread discusses an open top set up, which is fine for adult tortoises, but as I say, knowing how cold our uk winters get, for those who don’t brumate their temperate species, they can really struggle keeping their temperates where needed, a cover can come in really handy for maintaining your heat, the most efficient closed set ups are melamine/pvc vivs. A place called Southdown aquatics actually does custom sized vivs in the uk If you’re ever considering that kind of set up

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope this all comes in useful for you! Let me know if you ever need uk links to products

Wow this is beyond kind. Thank you for taking the time to write this, I will take my time to read through, Fig will be very grateful too I can imagine