Need some help and advice on lighting.

[LiamFitz_93]

Setting up for a red-footed tortoise and gathering supplies. I'm a bit confused about lighting. I'm planning on using the Arcadia LumenIZE Pro T5 6% for UVB, and I'd love to create a bioactive enclosure to mimic their natural environment. I've heard that I'll need an LED light, like the Arcadia Jungle Dawn LED Bar, to keep plants alive. I've read conflicting advice on whether this helps with mental stimulation and basking by mimicking natural sunlight, especially since UVB is dim.
Would both lights be to much ?

I've also seen conflicting advice on basking lights – some say to just use a ceramic heater, others say the opposite. I'm happy to buy what's needed, but I'm super conscious of not overdoing it and have more of a negative impact the positive. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mojo_1]

Redfoots don't need basking lamps a led in the 5500K range is good. If you have a controller that can mimic the daylight then get less that are truly dimming. The uvb light i would go with the 12% if the top of your enclosure is over 12 inches tall. The 6% barely puts out and the uvb bulb gets weaker as time goes on. You can get extended use out of it if you monitor and adjust height as needed with a uvb meter. But about 6 months of use is standard for uvb that is in a fixed location. Also uvb is only on for 4 hours a day from noon to 4pm. So you need a different light for the daylight source.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Agree with everything mojo says above!

Just a heads friendly heads up(not many people in the uk realise this before getting a baby red foot) but this species is incredibly hard to keep in the uk, not impossible, but very expensive, they can’t spend much time outdoors in our climate, meaning they need absolutely massive indoor spaces(talking room sized), bear in mind they have high humidity requirements for life! This is very difficult to achieve on the scale they need. Honestly, they do really do best in climates that allow them to be in large outdoor spaces year round, that’s just my opinion, no indoor housing options for an adult red foot is ideal in the average uk household.

All that said, I do hope these links can help answer some of your questions above.

This housing thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for red foots(only way to maintain the humidity you need indoors), appropriately maintaining the humidity(they are prone to shell rot so this is important! No misters or humidifiers), safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, a diet list and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’d personally recommend you go with a vivarium.

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers a bunch of closed chamber options, vivs are absolutely the most efficient

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is probably most important to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I really hope this helps! Always feel free to ask further questions! Welcome to the forum