Lighting timings 1 year old Horsefield

cpl1307

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I'm sorry for so many questions, but how long do I leave my uvb strip on and uva floodlight on for each day. Also I've just bought some Repti Bark to use as substrate, as it helps with humidity and moisture. Silly questions but do I wet it before putting on her floor. 1 year old Horsefield?? 😊
 

wellington

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Uvb can be on for 4 to 6 hours, the flood light and any other lights 12 hours.
You can wet it before hand or once it is in, pour a small amount of warm water into the corners to wet the underneath.
 

cpl1307

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Uvb can be on for 4 to 6 hours, the flood light and any other lights 12 hours.
You can wet it before hand or once it is in, pour a small amount of warm water into the corners to wet the underneath.
Thank you. I use a heatmat at night, but only in really cold nights, as the temperature in the room never drops below 15c
 

wellington

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Heat mats should not be used for little ones. They don't know to get off them and can burn. Tortoise heat always comes from above/sun not under them. They could burn waiting for their top shell to get warm.
If you use one then a heat source needs to be placed over it and both should be on a thermostat.
Even large tortoises should really have a heat source over the heat mat to insure the tort will move off when they get warm enough.
 

cpl1307

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Heat mats should not be used for little ones. They don't know to get off them and can burn. Tortoise heat always comes from above/sun not under them. They could burn waiting for their top shell to get warm.
If you use one then a heat source needs to be placed over it and both should be on a thermostat.
Even large tortoises should really have a heat source over the heat mat to insure the tort will move off when they get warm enough.
It's in the side of the enclosure. There's no way of him getting close to it as his hide is crated at least 3 inches between
 

wellington

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Not sure what that means except the heat mat is on the side, like the side wall? That's good.
 

cpl1307

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Not sure what that means except the heat mat is on the side, like the side wall? That's good.
I know. I read that back and it didn't make sense to me either. Yes it's on the side and the his long park of his hide goes along it. So basically the heat has to go through the wood to recharge the tortoise. Does that make sense
 

jaizei

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Is the hide touching it or is there an air gap?
 

wellington

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Yes it makes sense except for what Jaizei asked. Be sure nothing is touching it or it could cause the mat to over heat and burn.
 

Tom

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I'm sorry for so many questions, but how long do I leave my uvb strip on and uva floodlight on for each day. Also I've just bought some Repti Bark to use as substrate, as it helps with humidity and moisture. Silly questions but do I wet it before putting on her floor. 1 year old Horsefield?? 😊
Questions are good! This is info form the thread I linked previously:

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
  3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
 

cpl1307

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I know. I read that back and it didn't make sense to me either. Yes it's on the side and the his long park of his hide goes along it. So basically the heat has to go through the wood to recharge the tortoise. Does that make sense
It's auto correcting my words. It's on the side where the hide goes. So the heat has to penertrate through the hide wood.
 

cpl1307

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Uvb can be on for 4 to 6 hours, the flood light and any other lights 12 hours.
You can wet it before hand or once it is in, pour a small amount of warm water into the corners to wet the underneath.
I've been leaving my uvb strip on for 8-10 hours. Vet advice again! I trust your opinion more
 

wellington

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Because it's not needed all day and the uvb bulbs don't last real long with providing the uvb, I do about 4 to 5 hours. Like Tom said, even less can be used, 2 to 3 hours. Because my enclosures are big, bigger tortoises, and the uvb doesn't cover all of the enclosure, I leave mine on longer. Once they can go outside, I don't use them at all, even on rainy days when they might not go out as they would likely get out the next day.
If I remember right, in your other thread, the light covers the majority of the enclosure, you could easily do the 2 to 3 hours.
 

cpl1307

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Because it's not needed all day and the uvb bulbs don't last real long with providing the uvb, I do about 4 to 5 hours. Like Tom said, even less can be used, 2 to 3 hours. Because my enclosures are big, bigger tortoises, and the uvb doesn't cover all of the enclosure, I leave mine on longer. Once they can go outside, I don't use them at all, even on rainy days when they might not go out as they would likely get out the next day.
If I remember right, in your other thread, the light covers the majority of the enclosure, you could easily do the 2 to 3 hours.
Yeah, it covers 1 end to the other. I got the new strip light in November, So when would you think I shoukd replace it. Its been on at least 10 hours a day for 5 months
 

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