Lighting/heat ideas.

[Kevin Kaz]

I use a UVB bulb for my day light, but sometimes I don't think it I fully produces enough heat and lighting to the enclosure. Basking area is 100-105, cool areas ranges around 75-85, whole area fluctuates 75-90 except the basking area. Should I put in a white CHE bulb for extra heating on a temp control thermostat? I use a black CHE at night on temperature control set at 90 degrees for the high. Anything I should be doing different?

 

[Tom]

I would keep the basking area 95-100. Heat is necessary, but excessive heat will dry out the carapace and contribute to more pyramiding.

I'd keep over all ambient at 80. 75 is too cool. 90 is too warm at night.

Since they produce no light, it doesn't matter what color CHE you use. Use enough to keep the enclosure warm enough. No harm in using two to spread the heat out more.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

I would keep the basking area 95-100. Heat is necessary, but excessive heat will dry out the carapace and contribute to more pyramiding.

I'd keep over all ambient at 80. 75 is too cool. 90 is too warm at night.

Since they produce no light, it doesn't matter what color CHE you use. Use enough to keep the enclosure warm enough. No harm in using two to spread the heat out more.

So 2 UVB lights is fine?

 

[Tom]

So 2 UVB lights is fine?

Yes. But what type are you using?

 

[Kevin Kaz]

Yes. But what type are you using?

Here are the photos. The light fixture I have with my leps is the bigger version of the one in the photo

 

[Tom]

Here are the photos. The light fixture I have with my leps is the bigger version of the one in the photo

Those bulbs make no UV, and you shouldn't use spot bulbs. They concentrate too much IR-A in one small area and it desiccates the carapace which contributes to more pyramiding.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

Those bulbs make no UV, and you shouldn't use spot bulbs. They concentrate too much IR-A in one small area and it desiccates the carapace which contributes to more pyramiding.

It's says UVA on the box. What do you recommend?

 

[Tom]

It's says UVA on the box. What do you recommend?

Heating and lighting questions come up a lot. Here is a post I did for another member a few months ago:

"Let me break down the heating and lighting thing. You need three or four elements:
1. Heat. During the day this is best accomplished with 65 watt flood bulbs from the hardware store set on digital timers. These also give some light. Move them higher or lower to get the basking temp under them correct. I buy them in 6 packs, so if they burn out I always have a spare on hand.
2. Light. Sometimes the basking bulb and ambient room light are enough. If not, use a tube style florescent strip light form the hardware store. Run it on the same timer as the heat lamps. Try to get a bulb in the 5000-6500K color range. The more common 2500K color range bulbs look yellowish.
3. Ambient temp maintenance and night heat. Tortoises need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with the use of a CHE in a ceramic based fixture. Get the 11" ceramic based domes from Home Depot for all your heat lamps.
4. UV. Best to sun them for an hour two or more times a week. Its okay to skip a few weeks over winter and this will do no harm. Since you live in the frozen North (Okay, Midwest, but its a figure of speech…), you will need to provide some artificial UV. Several options for this:
a. Use a mercury vapor bulb, like the power sun for your basking bulb. Use this in the Home Depot fixture I mentioned, not in a small pet store dome or deep dome. Replace it every fall.
b. Use a long tube type 10.0 florescent bulb. These MUST be mounted no more than 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective.
c. Get an Arcadia 12% HO bulb from lightyourreptiles.com. These are great, but they make a lot of UV. Mount it at least 18" and as much as 26" away from the tortoise and put it on its own timer for only about 4 hours a day."

Ask more questions if this doesn't tell you what you need to know.

 

[Tom]

This is directly copy pasted from the care sheet, for more explanation:

"Heating and Lighting:
I use a 65 watt incandescent flood bulb on a 12 hour timer and adjust the height of the fixture to get a hot spot of around 100 directly under the bulb. Then I use a ceramic heating element set to 80 degrees on a reptile thermostat to maintain my ambient temperature in the enclosure. Sometimes the basking lamp raises the day time ambient into the low 90s. This is fine and the thermostat will keep your CHE off during these times, but ready to click on after the basking lamp clicks off and the ambient temperature starts to drop at night. I use long florescent tubes when I want to brighten up the whole enclosure and I run these on the same timer as the basking bulb. The above are just what works for me and are suggestions for what might work for you. Every enclosure and home is different, and some customization will usually be necessary to get things "just right".

UV:
Tortoises MUST have regular exposure to the right kind of UV rays. Real sunshine is best, but be careful. Shade should always be available as babies can overheat and die surprisingly quickly. If your tortoise can get some regular sunning time in a safe outdoor enclosure, even just a couple of times a week for most of the year, you don't need any artificial UV. Its okay if you have to skip two or three weeks of sunning time during a cold winter spell. If you live somewhere with long frozen winters, then some artificial UV might be in order for that time of year. I prefer mercury vapor bulbs. Long florescent UV tubes seem to work okay too nowadays, but I have yet to test that theory. I recommend against any type of coil or cfl UV bulb. I have personally seen these cause eye issues too many times. More research is needed to find out exactly what the problem with the cfl UV bulbs is, but there is no denying that there is a problem at least some of the time."

 

[Kevin Kaz]

This is directly copy pasted from the care sheet, for more explanation:

"Heating and Lighting:
I use a 65 watt incandescent flood bulb on a 12 hour timer and adjust the height of the fixture to get a hot spot of around 100 directly under the bulb. Then I use a ceramic heating element set to 80 degrees on a reptile thermostat to maintain my ambient temperature in the enclosure. Sometimes the basking lamp raises the day time ambient into the low 90s. This is fine and the thermostat will keep your CHE off during these times, but ready to click on after the basking lamp clicks off and the ambient temperature starts to drop at night. I use long florescent tubes when I want to brighten up the whole enclosure and I run these on the same timer as the basking bulb. The above are just what works for me and are suggestions for what might work for you. Every enclosure and home is different, and some customization will usually be necessary to get things "just right".

UV:
Tortoises MUST have regular exposure to the right kind of UV rays. Real sunshine is best, but be careful. Shade should always be available as babies can overheat and die surprisingly quickly. If your tortoise can get some regular sunning time in a safe outdoor enclosure, even just a couple of times a week for most of the year, you don't need any artificial UV. Its okay if you have to skip two or three weeks of sunning time during a cold winter spell. If you live somewhere with long frozen winters, then some artificial UV might be in order for that time of year. I prefer mercury vapor bulbs. Long florescent UV tubes seem to work okay too nowadays, but I have yet to test that theory. I recommend against any type of coil or cfl UV bulb. I have personally seen these cause eye issues too many times. More research is needed to find out exactly what the problem with the cfl UV bulbs is, but there is no denying that there is a problem at least some of the time."

Any specific recommendations? Pictures? What is the exact timer you use? I just want to make sure I do this right. From all my reads I came across on here, it's seems like you are one of the several people with the most knowledge.

 

[Tom]

Any specific recommendations? Pictures? What is the exact timer you use? I just want to make sure I do this right. From all my reads I came across on here, it's seems like you are one of the several people with the most knowledge.

Nothing specific. The basking bulbs I use are Sylvania, but other similar bulbs should be fine. Any digital timer from Home Depot or Walmart will work.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

Nothing specific. The basking bulbs I use are Sylvania, but other similar bulbs should be fine. Any digital timer from Home Depot or Walmart will work.

Thanks!

 

[QriousJhan]

Yes. But what type are you using?

I have a question about lighting too. I live in a deserted city in California with strong strong sunlight over 350 days a year! I place his whole enclosure (box house) outside under the sun at least 5 days a week for at least 4 hours. Is that enough UVB for my baby tortoise? Or should I still get a bulb to use while he is indoor? I always make sure of warm temperature by the way

 

[Tom]

I have a question about lighting too. I live in a deserted city in California with strong strong sunlight over 350 days a year! I place his whole enclosure (box house) outside under the sun at least 5 days a week for at least 4 hours. Is that enough UVB for my baby tortoise? Or should I still get a bulb to use while he is indoor? I always make sure of warm temperature by the way

That is plenty of UV, but be very careful that your tortoise does not overheat that way. Use at least two thermometers and check them frequently.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

Heating and lighting questions come up a lot. Here is a post I did for another member a few months ago:

"Let me break down the heating and lighting thing. You need three or four elements:
1. Heat. During the day this is best accomplished with 65 watt flood bulbs from the hardware store set on digital timers. These also give some light. Move them higher or lower to get the basking temp under them correct. I buy them in 6 packs, so if they burn out I always have a spare on hand.
2. Light. Sometimes the basking bulb and ambient room light are enough. If not, use a tube style florescent strip light form the hardware store. Run it on the same timer as the heat lamps. Try to get a bulb in the 5000-6500K color range. The more common 2500K color range bulbs look yellowish.
3. Ambient temp maintenance and night heat. Tortoises need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with the use of a CHE in a ceramic based fixture. Get the 11" ceramic based domes from Home Depot for all your heat lamps.
4. UV. Best to sun them for an hour two or more times a week. Its okay to skip a few weeks over winter and this will do no harm. Since you live in the frozen North (Okay, Midwest, but its a figure of speech…), you will need to provide some artificial UV. Several options for this:
a. Use a mercury vapor bulb, like the power sun for your basking bulb. Use this in the Home Depot fixture I mentioned, not in a small pet store dome or deep dome. Replace it every fall.
b. Use a long tube type 10.0 florescent bulb. These MUST be mounted no more than 10-12" from the tortoise to be effective.
c. Get an Arcadia 12% HO bulb from lightyourreptiles.com. These are great, but they make a lot of UV. Mount it at least 18" and as much as 26" away from the tortoise and put it on its own timer for only about 4 hours a day."

Ask more questions if this doesn't tell you what you need to know.

This is the type of bulb you mean in the picture?

 

[Alexio]

Yes this is the MVB bulb Tom mentioned in 4a it produces both uvb as well as heat. I use them for all my leopard enclosures to save room on fixtures because I need the ceramic heat emitters for night heat.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

Yes this is the MVB bulb Tom mentioned in 4a it produces both uvb as well as heat. I use them for all my leopard enclosures to save room on fixtures because I need the ceramic heat emitters for night heat.

Thanks!

 

[Tom]

This is the type of bulb you mean in the picture?

The box says its a mercury vapor bulb, but I am not familiar with that brand. It might be okay, or it might be some sort of sales gimmick. I'd want to put my UV meter under it before I'd trust it.

The Powersun is one I've personally used and tested and it works.

 

[Kevin Kaz]

The box says its a mercury vapor bulb, but I am not familiar with that brand. It might be okay, or it might be some sort of sales gimmick. I'd want to put my UV meter under it before I'd trust it.

The Powersun is one I've personally used and tested and it works.

I just currently don't have the funds for one of those at the moment. Probably in a couple weeks. I was talked into buying a $1100 snowblower so now I have to pay that CC off

 

[Alexio]

I haven't heard of that brand either I use the " mega ray" brand MVB. Some of the Amazon reviews seem to like it and some don't, so, mixed bag. it is nearly half the price of other MVBs which is a little concerning. Like Tom said only want to be sure is to use a thermometer and UV meter, or go with another brand.