Lighting/Health

[puppo19]

So reguarding Shakespeare... I changed his lighting twice and have started putting him outside more often for light, but i have a crazy fear he's going to get parasites from outdoors, so i don't let him out too long. So, as for lighting... What should the light actually say? UV? UVB? How many watts?

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[pfara]

It has to specifically say UVB. 2 favorite UVB sources are the Mercury Vapor Bulb and the fluorescent TUBE. Wattage is determined by a number of factors (how much heat you need, open top/closed chamber, etc). Be sure to get the appropriate fixtures. The MVB will need the ceramic fixture.

 

[puppo19]

Thank you!

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[JoesMum]

Re: RE: Lighting/Health

So reguarding Shakespeare... I changed his lighting twice and have started putting him outside more often for light, but i have a crazy fear he's going to get parasites from outdoors, so i don't let him out too long. So, as for lighting... What should the light actually say? UV? UVB? How many watts?

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Why are you concerned about parasites? Torts live outdoors in the wild and the sun is the best UVB source as well.

Your needs two forms of light/heat

1. UVB: your tort needs this so that it can make Vitamin D3 which it needs to process Calcium in its diet to make its bines and shell strong.
Sources of UVB you can use are:
A) the sun outside,
B) a UVB tube lamp. This needs changing every 6-9 months as performance declines with age. A 10.0 tube is plenty.
C) an MVB lamp. This needs changing every 9-12 months as performance declines with age. An MVB combines UVB output with a basking lamp (see below)
D) a Compact (coil) UVB bulb. These are NOT recommended as they cause eye damage in tortoises. I only mention it to warn you away from them!

2. Basking lamp: your tort needs this so that it can get hot enough to digest its food because it is cold blooded. The lamp should point vertically downward and the temperature under it should be 100-105F. Adjust the temperature by raising or lowering the bulb, the exact height depends on the the conditions in your home. Basking bulb you can use are:
A) a standard houseld spot lamp. Usually 100W is about right.
B) a special reptile basking lamp, usually 100W... all it is is A) in expensive packaging... buy a household spot
C) an MVB bulb which, as I said earlier, gives you the UVB as well.

Whatever you use, buy a timer as well, so that the lights go on and off automatically. It is much easier.

 

[puppo19]

It just seems easy for him to be vunerable to anything this weak. /:

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[zman7590]

thnx helped lots!