Lighting Questions

[dbeilfuss]

Hi,
I am trying to figure out what strength of lighting that I need to get for a 5 yr old sulcata? He will be inside throughout the winter in an enclosure that will be approx 5ft x 6ft.
I know that he will need heat and UVB?
Help would be much appreciated.

 

[Tom]

You'll probably be fine with a 160 watt Mercury Vapor Bulb. If you need more heat you can always add more bulbs. If you need night heat I prefer Ceramic Heating Elements. They give off lots of good heats, but no light. Often, in my set ups, I'll leave the CHE on 24/7 and put the MVB on a 12 hour timer.

 

[dbeilfuss]

Thanks for the guidance. How far above the enclosure/tort would you place that mvb?

 

[Tom]

Depends on how tall the tortoise is and what my thermometer says. Measure the height of his back at rest, and then put a brick or a rock under the light for an hour or more at that height. Use a temp gun to measure the surface temp of your brick and shoot for around 100. Adjust the fixture up or down to get the temp right and check the temp of your tortoise several times when he first starts to use it.

 

[dbeilfuss]

Depends on how tall the tortoise is and what my thermometer says. Measure the height of his back at rest, and then put a brick or a rock under the light for an hour or more at that height. Use a temp gun to measure the surface temp of your brick and shoot for around 100. Adjust the fixture up or down to get the temp right and check the temp of your tortoise several times when he first starts to use it.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!