Lighting Question

[LudusPlus]

I just have a quick lighting question.

When I got my tortoise his UVB tube light fitting was broken, and his basking (my parents "think" it was a uvb/heat combo but its irrelevant anyway because it was years old) bulb was measuring 50 CELCIUS.

I immediately removed the basking bulb and all I could get last minute was a 3% UVB & heat combo bulb. The heat is perfect.

I've just fixed his tube light fitting too so now we have the proper UVB lighting, should I remove the combo bulb immediately and find a just heat bulb?

Is it possible to have too much artifical UVB if I don't change it? (He is indoor only)

Pictures are of what I believe he had beforehand (but I'd get a suitable one that isn't that hot i think the age of it caused a malfunction maybe) and what I have now (the cheap clip on lamp).

I still have the fitting for the previous bulb. His UVB is the Arcadia fitting and bulb.

 

[LudusPlus]

By the way I'm pretty sure he survived almost 10 years inside without any UVB lighting because the bulb I just threw away only states Solar/heat on it.

Is that even possible? He's been assessed and his health is supposedly all good.

Also the old bulb that was too hot once fell onto the enclosure and it actually set on fire and burned a hole in the side (this was when he didnt live with me). Luckily it was caught. It also burned my hand and scarred me which is why I did panic and bought that cheap one because it had fast delivery.

 

[wellington]

Remove both of those lights. You need a incandescent flood bulb for basking. A straight tube fluorescent for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for night heat and if added day heat is needed
The mercury vapor bulb will cause pyramiding even in the best conditions. The other o believe is a halogen and is just as bad as the mercury bulb.

 

[LudusPlus]

Remove both of those lights. You need a incandescent flood bulb for basking. A straight tube fluorescent for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for night heat and if added day heat is needed
The mercury vapor bulb will cause pyramiding even in the best conditions. The other o believe is a halogen and is just as bad as the mercury bulb.

Hiya, these aren't both the bulbs I have. Ones already been binned and I'm trying to replace the clip on one, don't worry.

He has the straight fluorescent UVB I have just put in today.

 

[LudusPlus]

Remove both of those lights. You need a incandescent flood bulb for basking. A straight tube fluorescent for uvb and ceramic heat emitter for night heat and if added day heat is needed
The mercury vapor bulb will cause pyramiding even in the best conditions. The other o believe is a halogen and is just as bad as the mercury bulb.

I just looked up the care sheet here for examples and it did say

"If your tortoise must live inside all the time, then I recommend long tube style florescent UV lights or mercury vapor bulbs"

Is this outdated advice? It does say I can use both at the same time but you believe it will cause pyramiding, is that more from a basking standpoint?

I've found floodlights, I work in a hardware store myself but they all say halogen in the information. Are these ones to avoid?

 

[wellington]

Yes. The mercury used to be the best and most recommended. It has since be found out that even with the high humidity, the mercury will still cause pyramiding. It also doesn't give the UV once thought.
The tube fluorescent, incandescent and ceramic heat emitter or a radiant heat panel are the best to use.

 

[wellington]

Yes, not halogen. You want incandescent. You can find them on Amazon

 

[Tom]

I just have a quick lighting question.

When I got my tortoise his UVB tube light fitting was broken, and his basking (my parents "think" it was a uvb/heat combo but its irrelevant anyway because it was years old) bulb was measuring 50 CELCIUS.

I immediately removed the basking bulb and all I could get last minute was a 3% UVB & heat combo bulb. The heat is perfect.

I've just fixed his tube light fitting too so now we have the proper UVB lighting, should I remove the combo bulb immediately and find a just heat bulb?

Is it possible to have too much artifical UVB if I don't change it? (He is indoor only)

Pictures are of what I believe he had beforehand (but I'd get a suitable one that isn't that hot i think the age of it caused a malfunction maybe) and what I have now (the cheap clip on lamp).

I still have the fitting for the previous bulb. His UVB is the Arcadia fitting and bulb.

Read through this thread. Toward the end is the heating and lighting breakdown of what you should be using:

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

MVBs and halogens are both hard "no"s. Both will cause pyramiding. Yes, you can have too much UV and one problem with using MVBs is that you don't want UV on all day long. You only want UV on for a few hours mid day. Its all in the thread...

 

[LudusPlus]

Read through this thread. Toward the end is the heating and lighting breakdown of what you should be using:

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

MVBs and halogens are both hard "no"s. Both will cause pyramiding. Yes, you can have too much UV and one problem with using MVBs is that you don't want UV on all day long. You only want UV on for a few hours mid day. Its all in the thread...

Awesome thank you both.

I have ordered an incandescent flood bulb & he has the UVB flourescent tube up and running. Sorry I ask a lot of questions. Usually I guess people have the whole setup before getting the animal but the conditions in which I got him didn't really allow for much planning.

 

[Tom]

Awesome thank you both.

I have ordered an incandescent flood bulb & he has the UVB flourescent tube up and running. Sorry I ask a lot of questions. Usually I guess people have the whole setup before getting the animal but the conditions in which I got him didn't really allow for much planning.

Happy to help. We are here to talk tortoises, and no one is born knowing all this stuff. Questions, pics, and conversation are all welcome!

 

[wellington]

Awesome thank you both.

I have ordered an incandescent flood bulb & he has the UVB flourescent tube up and running. Sorry I ask a lot of questions. Usually I guess people have the whole setup before getting the animal but the conditions in which I got him didn't really allow for much planning.

Never worry about asking too much. That's why we are here. We are always willing to help and want the best for your shelled friend and for you to have the best life with him or her.
A lot of people start out like you. Very few get the advantage of finding this forum first.

 

[LudusPlus]

Hi @Tom & @wellington

Today was the first full day with Duncans incandescent flood bulb. He was at a nice 32c on the shell when I left for work. When I came home from work he was basking (he had moved during the day because he had eaten) and his shell was at 37c.

Is this a decent temperature? It is hotter than before as he used to always be 32c underneath with my previous bulb. He has a decent gradient compared, cool end is around 20-23c & ambient sits around 25-28c.

Do you think he will move out of the way if he gets too warm? He has a dish large enough to self soak as well. He is in the bath at the moment and drank quite a lot.

 

[LudusPlus]

Also any opinions on this shedding please? It's been hanging there a while. I read on the forum that tortoises shed but elsewhere have told me it shouldn't be visible to us. It doesn't seem to hurt. He gets 2-3 baths a week, and humidity is never below 60%. I try to mist heavily at least once a day and whenever I'm passing I give a little spray on him and the substrate.

This isn't burning, is it? His UV is only on for 4 hours and his other basking temperatures where fine. I get concerned because he isn't young but I think he is still experiencing some growth since coming to me.

He still has a huge honker of a beak from this angle doesn't he!

 

[wellington]

38C is good basking. Anything between 95-100F.
His beak does need a trim though.

 

[LudusPlus]

38C is good basking. Anything between 95-100F.
His beak does need a trim though.

He's been to the vet and did have majority taken off but it was so bad that this still remains. Do you think its possible to wear this down naturally?

I really don't want to haul him back to the vet because he gets so stressed out but I'm also stressed out myself thinking of filing his beak 😭

 

[wellington]

If you feed him on a ruff flat rock and leave the food in a single layer, where his beak will rub against the rock, it may file down
Otherwise you can do it slowly with just a regular nail file. Not so stressful that way on either of you. But try the flat rock

 

[Tom]

He's been to the vet and did have majority taken off but it was so bad that this still remains. Do you think its possible to wear this down naturally?

I really don't want to haul him back to the vet because he gets so stressed out but I'm also stressed out myself thinking of filing his beak 😭

Toe nail clippers. Works quick and easy and takes little bites at a time.

 

[Tom]

Hi @Tom & @wellington

Today was the first full day with Duncans incandescent flood bulb. He was at a nice 32c on the shell when I left for work. When I came home from work he was basking (he had moved during the day because he had eaten) and his shell was at 37c.

Is this a decent temperature? It is hotter than before as he used to always be 32c underneath with my previous bulb. He has a decent gradient compared, cool end is around 20-23c & ambient sits around 25-28c.

Do you think he will move out of the way if he gets too warm? He has a dish large enough to self soak as well. He is in the bath at the moment and drank quite a lot.

Check the basking temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back at tortoise shell height and letting it bake there for an hour or more. It should be around 36-37C. If its only 34 on a cool morning that is okay. If it gets up to 38-39 on a hot summer day because room temp is hotter than normal, that is okay too. Try to keep it right around 36-37C. I have to change bulbs seasonally. You could also run the bulb through a rheostat and dial down the power to get the basking temp where you want it.

Temping the carapace does not tell you the actual basking temp because the tortoise can move in and out of it, and because of the tortoises core temp in relation to the shell temp that has been exposed to the lamp.

 

[LudusPlus]

Just got home from work and the bulb has already broken not sure how long it was off for because it was working this morning. I put my old bulb back in & it works so definitely broken bulb. But this is a spot light so need to replace again ASAP.

Does anyone recommend a specific brand? This one was Arcadia but was less than £5. Really annoyed because getting it delivered was such a hassle (it came early and I had to chase it up at the post office for redelivery).

One thing after another with this little guy, I just want him to be settled ☹️

 

[LudusPlus]

Check the basking temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back at tortoise shell height and letting it bake there for an hour or more. It should be around 36-37C. If its only 34 on a cool morning that is okay. If it gets up to 38-39 on a hot summer day because room temp is hotter than normal, that is okay too. Try to keep it right around 36-37C. I have to change bulbs seasonally. You could also run the bulb through a rheostat and dial down the power to get the basking temp where you want it.

Temping the carapace does not tell you the actual basking temp because the tortoise can move in and out of it, and because of the tortoises core temp in relation to the shell temp that has been exposed to the lamp.

Thanks Tom, I have some spare thermometers I can use for this.

I'll have to try it when I can get another bulb because it's blown already. I shouldve ordered more than one because I knew that would be a possibility reading reviews.

I am very annoyed!