lighting

[phoebes15]

Would I need a UVB and heat bulb separately or could I use an all in one bulb for the UVB and heat ?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Would I need a UVB and heat bulb separately or could I use an all in one bulb for the UVB and heat ?

Hello!
In short - it's better to have separate: incandescent lamp for daytime heating and T5 fluorescent tube as UVB source.

Now a bit more more details (you may skip this part if you want):
1. All-in-one lamps (most common are mercury vapour bulbs) have short lifespan, you have to replace them every 6 months. Good T5 tubes last for 1 year and more.
2. With a single lamp you it's not easy (if at all possible) to tweak basking zone area and temperature and keep desired UVB level. Choose any two of three
3. You can't set different timers for heating and UVB (4-6 hours of UVB exposure is closer to sunlight UV levels). With 4 hours timer UVB lamp will serve up to 2-4 years (you can adjust its height to maintain desired UVB level).
4. All-in-one lamps have high infrared A output, supposed to be desiccating to tortoise shells.
5. Some mercury vapour bulbs have unpredictable UV output (too strong or degrades too quick). Same applies to cheap T5 tubes, though.
6. Mercury vapour bulbs have very limited visible light spectrum (like any fluorescent lamp).

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Here’s examples of the uv and heat bulb you need that Alex has mentioned above🙂

The floodlight should be on a 12hour timer, and you may wish to add some ambient lighting on the same timer.

You’ll probably also need a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) for night heat as we’re quite a cold climate out of our summer months. This should be on a thermostat.

The zoo med or Arcadia brands are best to go with for uv, mount 18-20 inches above substrate, on a 4 hour timer from noon.

Always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour👍

May I ask what kind of tortoise/set up it is you’re going for?
Welcome from a fellow uk member!😊

 

[Tom]

Would I need a UVB and heat bulb separately or could I use an all in one bulb for the UVB and heat ?

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.

More here:

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

 

[ZEROPILOT]

+1
Save your money.
Don't buy a 3 in 1 bulb. They don't even do one thing well

 

[iliketurtlez]

All-in-one bulbs sound convenient, but I've heard they can be tricky to get right. Separate bulbs have worked better for me, tho it's a bit more expensive upfront. just my experience!

 

[phoebes15]

Here’s examples of the uv and heat bulb you need that Alex has mentioned above🙂

The floodlight should be on a 12hour timer, and you may wish to add some ambient lighting on the same timer.

You’ll probably also need a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) for night heat as we’re quite a cold climate out of our summer months. This should be on a thermostat.

The zoo med or Arcadia brands are best to go with for uv, mount 18-20 inches above substrate, on a 4 hour timer from noon.

Always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour👍

May I ask what kind of tortoise/set up it is you’re going for?
Welcome from a fellow uk member!😊

I have a Herrmann's tortoises and its a open top table. x

 

[Tom]

I have a Herrmann's tortoises and its a open top table. x

More info on that here:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I have a Herrmann's tortoises and its a open top table. x

Aw Herman’s are beautiful little torts, you got a photo of them?🥰
Do you know how old they are? I only ask because younger ones need higher humidity which you’ll struggle to achieve with an open top, a great way to tackle this is a greenhouse style topper. Obviously if yours is older though it won’t be necessary🙂

Whilst you’re here I don’t suppose you mind letting us know what substrate it is you’re using?

I’m also going to add a link to this website for the diet side of things because it’s been a very helpful tool for a lot of members here, myself included! being from the uk, in the wildflower section you’ll find loads of plants that thrive in our climate! You could buy some seeds online and plant them in safe organic soil, and forage from them as they grow😁be very wary picking from places you don’t know, there could be fertilisers and pesticides, there’s also lookalikes that can be toxic, definitely safest growing your own if you’re up for it🙂

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

 

[phoebes15]

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Here's a photo of her or him i don't know and him or her is one year. i Have only just got it. You have to zoom in that's the only photo i have. I also use sand like the pet shop told me and i will read the guide you have sent thanks so much. xx

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Here's a photo of her or him i don't know and him or her is one year. i Have only just got it. You have to zoom in that's the only photo i have. I also use sand like the pet shop told me and i will read the guide you have sent thanks so much. xx

SO cute!🥰

Sand is an absolute no go I’m afraid, it can cause lethal impactions and respiratory problems, pet shops are following very old outdated information, as well as lots of breeders, Facebook and internet pages😕this forum has the best most up to date care info, that results in healthy torts long term😊

One as young and tiny as yours could really do with a closed chamber to retain the humidity, again a lot of stores will tell you it’s not necessary for the species, that’s true as adults, but as hatchlings higher humidity helps avoid pyramiding and keeps up hydration. Also do daily soaks.

The only safe substrates to use are, coco coir which needs to be damp and packed down by hand, forest floor, or orchid bark(fir not pine)

I’m going to include some information below on a great starter set up for this guy! I may be repeating the lighting and stuff but it’s handy to have in one place🙂

My recommendation is you make some sort of base, just make sure the material is safe, or a bookcase with the shelves removed laid flat, or even a flower bed(pic included) for all these options simply line it with some cheap pound liner to put your substrate in, the liner going all up the sides too, you can then make your own stands out of timber for their uv and lights. Just make sure the sides are high enough to prevent escaping! Perhaps you can modify the table you have already.

Then simply secure a greenhouse topper on top to lock in humidity, you’ll find it a constant battle with an open top! don’t worry if you can’t find an exact fit, just place it like the one in the photo with the white base, I’d put some lining under the cover and base though to avoid condensate getting on your floors.

Something like a 4x4 should last you a while, once fully grown they’ll need closer to a 8x4, pet stores often advise way too small a set up, room to roam is vital for tortoise, it’s aids in muscle strength and digestion, they’d roam miles in the wild.

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour, for their basking light you want an incandescent floodlight(pic attached)this can be on a 12 hour timer. You may also wish to add some ambient lighting in the form of a screw in led light(5000-6500k colour range from the hardware store) or led strip, this can be on the same timer as the basking bulb. Create shady areas with safe plants and hides.

You’ll probably also need a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) for night heat as we’re quite a cold climate out of our summer months. This should be on a thermostat(I’ll attach an example) simply hang the CHE in the middle of the enclosure, set the thermostat for night time and place the probe in the cooler end, plug in the CHE and plug the thermostat into the mains, it’ll remain switched on at the mains 24/7 but the CHE will only turn on if the temperature drops too low👍

During the day, temps directly under the basking bulb should she 95-100f, the rest of the enclosure in the range of 75-80f, the smaller the enclosure, the tricker I can be getting a good gradient. Then night time should be somewhere in the 60’s.

For indoor UV you’ll need a t5 tube fluorescent strip bulb, I’d personally recommend the Arcadia brand 12%, mounted 18-21 inches from substrate, it comes with a built in reflector fitting as to not waste any uv light, or zoo med reptisun 10.0, I don’t use that one but many on here do. I’ll include some photos of the kind of stands people use to fit those. That can be on a separate 4hr timer from noon.
The trouble with the compact uv bulbs is they don’t give off enough uv and can’t actually hurt the tortoises eyes.

Some people even use the greenhouse frames to hang their bulbs, wrap the wires so they hang at the height you need(check with a temp gun for your basking bulb, 18-21inches for uv) then put cable ties round to make sure they’re secure.

Humidity can be much lower as they grow🙂

To maintain your substrate and humidity simply pour lukewarm water into the corners of the substrate, not loads, but enough to dampen the bottom layer, you want to aim for a drier top layer and damp under layer, to stop that top layer getting a little too dry you can mix it all now n then which will also give humidity a boost without extra water. Never use foggers or misters.

For a water dish, definitely go with a shallow terracotta saucer, they’re considered the safest, especially for smaller young torts, they have grip in the event they accidentally flip themselves. The ones pets shops sell have unfortunately known to be a hazard. Sit the saucers flush with the substrate🙂

Ignore whatever else is in the enclosures in the photos, they’re just to give you an idea👍

I definitely recommend getting a temp gun as they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment! And making sure your monitors are reading correctly😊

Hope all this helps! Any further questions please ask😁

 

[phoebes15]

Perfect i will look and sort something. 👍😃