LIGHTING CONFUSION

[LGM55]

Good morning all

We are new here and we have a lovely tortoise but we are unable to identify the breed ,

We have had him now over 5 years and he is growing and very healthy with no problems - we originally had a vivarium for him then we moved him into an open large wooden box with the little area in darkness we have the heat lamp and the daylight fluorescent fitting also.

My concern i have now is the fluorescent tube fittings have fused to the tube and and light has gone, However I can see some only use the heat lamps and some use both ??.

As it stands he is in front of a large glass door with light all day will we still need to use a fluorescent with all this natural light coming ?

Also i do apologies for my ignorance but we are also confused with how long the heat lamp should be on and for when to suit him best we normally have it lit all day until night ??? some say this is good some say this is best.

We just want the best for him to be a happy tortoise

Thank you and appreciate any assistance on this one
Thanks Lee

 

[JoesMum]

Here's a lighting summary which should answer your questions

Your tort needs:

1. A basking lamp
This must hang vertically, not at an angle. Basking is essential to raise your tortoise's core temperature so it can digest food.

2. UVB light
Read the instructions for the source to see how close to the substrate it must be. UVB is essential so your tort can process dietary calcium and have healthy bones and shell.

Both 1 and 2 are available from the sun for those able to live outside.

UVB does not pass through glass or perspex(plexiglass) - light must be direct to be effective not through a window. Mesh screening can also interfere with UVB.

3. A minimum overnight temperature (see the care sheet for your species) and complete darkness at night to sleep.


Notes

(a) A Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) provides combined UVB and Basking. Alternatively you can use 2 bulbs: a tube UVB and a reflector bulb for basking (a household reflector - not low energy or halogen - from a hardware store will do the job; it's the wattage that counts)

(b) Ignore any references to UVA you may read - it's misleading marketing speak.

(c) Compact coil UVB harms tortoise eyes and must not be used.

(d) Basking and UVB should be on a timer so the light(s) are on for 12 hours a day. Temperature under the basking is regulated by its height above the substrate.

(e) Overnight, depending on your home, you may need additional heat. You get this from a CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) which must be on a thermostat.

(f) Torts have outstanding colour vision and love red and purple food. Coloured heat lamps colour tank decor and torts don't always apply intelligence to what they eat, resulting them in eating tank decor. Coloured bulbs should not be used.


Measurements

There are 4 important temperatures that you must know for an indoor enclosure.
- Directly under the basking lamp
- Warm side
- Cool side
- Overnight Minimum

You will need digital thermometers for accuracy.

A temperature gun thermometer (inexpensive from Amazon) measures temperature accurately in specific places like directly under the basking lamp.

A min/max thermometer so you know the min/max temperatures in your home by day and night.

You should also get a good digital probe hygrometer to measure humidity.

Thermometers and hygrometer that stick to the side of the enclosure tend to be less accurate.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Goodness @JoesMum is well prepared!
MVB or strip plus CHE at night but no coiled bulbs @ZEROPILOT
(he knows this).

 

[Carol S]

Excellent.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome - if you post a pic of your tort someone will ID him for you. Its important you know what he is as the care - diet and temps etc are different for different species and of course the care is also affected by your climate depending on where you are located.
Once you know what he is you will probably find a good caresheet under Species Specific which will point you in the right direction.
The Beginners Mistakes thread (link below) is also a good thread to help you avoid or correct issues experienced by others and the Enclosures thread is full of great ideas. www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe plants.
If you post a pic of his enclosure too then you will get good advice on any changes you may need to make (if any) to keep him happy and healthy too.

 

[EwokLudmilla]

What Wattage does the Mercury vapour lamp need to be? 100W?

 

[Gillian M]

Good morning all

We are new here and we have a lovely tortoise but we are unable to identify the breed ,

We have had him now over 5 years and he is growing and very healthy with no problems - we originally had a vivarium for him then we moved him into an open large wooden box with the little area in darkness we have the heat lamp and the daylight fluorescent fitting also.

My concern i have now is the fluorescent tube fittings have fused to the tube and and light has gone, However I can see some only use the heat lamps and some use both ??.

As it stands he is in front of a large glass door with light all day will we still need to use a fluorescent with all this natural light coming ?

Also i do apologies for my ignorance but we are also confused with how long the heat lamp should be on and for when to suit him best we normally have it lit all day until night ??? some say this is good some say this is best.

We just want the best for him to be a happy tortoise

Thank you and appreciate any assistance on this one
Thanks Lee

A very warm welcome to the forum!

No need to apologize: we all started from ZERO and we are here to help.

Please post pics of your tort and his/her enclosure.

 

[EwokLudmilla]

is this a good bulb to use?

 

[Tom]

What Wattage does the Mercury vapour lamp need to be? 100W?

This depends on several factors. There is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Ambient temperatures in the room, seasonal temperature differences, where in the world you are, the size of your enclosure, the size of your tortoise, and the species will all be variables here.

The power sun is a good bulb, but apparently due to some change at the manufacturer, they are only making UVB for about 3 months now, while they used to last longer. The best combo now, in my opinion, is a long florescent tube coupled with a regular incandescent flood bulb for heat. In addition to those two bulbs, some species will also need night heat.

We can give you better tips if you show us a pic of the enclosure, show us a pic of the tortoise so we can ID the species, and tell us where in the world you are. You'll get different advice for London vs. Phoenix Arizona.

 

[BrianWI]

As it stands he is in front of a large glass door with light all day will we still need to use a fluorescent with all this natural light coming ?

UVB isn't making it thru the glass door. So I would recommend getting a UVB bulb. I use the UVB coil bulbs (I have no issue with them, I have seen the data showing them to be safe) and would recommend the 26W one. You can get a bit more effective distance from them with a reflector as well.