New Digs!

[KatAttack]

Hi all! It's been a hot minute since I posted last! Our little Tortini is getting close to 2 (wow!) and she's getting a new house! Right now I'm sorting out lightning. About half her new house will be covered by a greenhouse (trying to control humidity in CO = super fun!). I'll hang basking bulbs and ceramic heating elements to get the temps where they need to be, but I'm wondering about opinions on this UVB I found. It's long enough to fit across the enclosure from side to side (which I really like).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9JFFRRP?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Here's the beginning of the setup, I'll post more pics as it evolves and post move-in day pics!!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi all! It's been a hot minute since I posted last! Our little Tortini is getting close to 2 (wow!) and she's getting a new house! Right now I'm sorting out lightning. About half her new house will be covered by a greenhouse (trying to control humidity in CO = super fun!). I'll hang basking bulbs and ceramic heating elements to get the temps where they need to be, but I'm wondering about opinions on this UVB I found. It's long enough to fit across the enclosure from side to side (which I really like).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9JFFRRP?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Here's the beginning of the setup, I'll post more pics as it evolves and post move-in day pics!!

Hello!
UVB lamp should not span whole enclosure - 1/3-1/2 near basking zone is usually enough. Tortoise need some space to escape from UV.

Chinese UVB lamps are unreliable source of UV (shorter lifespan, quality issues, some have potentially dangerous UV output spectrum). Stick to Arcadia or ZooMed (not ReptiZoo).

 

[Tom]

Hi all! It's been a hot minute since I posted last! Our little Tortini is getting close to 2 (wow!) and she's getting a new house! Right now I'm sorting out lightning. About half her new house will be covered by a greenhouse (trying to control humidity in CO = super fun!). I'll hang basking bulbs and ceramic heating elements to get the temps where they need to be, but I'm wondering about opinions on this UVB I found. It's long enough to fit across the enclosure from side to side (which I really like).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9JFFRRP?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Here's the beginning of the setup, I'll post more pics as it evolves and post move-in day pics!!

I agree with Alex.

I would enclose the entire enclosure to maintain heat and humidity. Having half of it open completely defeats the purpose and lets all of your heat and humidity out into the room.

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.

 

[KatAttack]

Thanks guys! We're in the process of measuring temp and humidity before she moves in to see exactly what we'll need to do. I'm thinking that the UV we've got now will work, it's 19" long. During the summer we get her outside, but definitely not now (10°F) today. She's actually got her own space heater that heats her room when it gets really cold.

Will continue to update!

 

[KatAttack]

These, correct? Do you guys have a place you prefer to buy them from?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

These, correct? Do you guys have a place you prefer to buy them from?

Yes, these are correct fixture and bulb (just in case - the kit comes with a lamp already). This lamp should be installed at 18-20" above the substrate.

I've seen LightYourReptiles recommended in some posts but have no experience with them: https://www.lightyourreptiles.com/products/arcadia-pro-t5-24-watt-fixture-22-5.html

 

[KatAttack]

Hi again! So we're finished-ish with the new tort house! I'll take out the black house in the corner and move the purple house back, but at present my daughter insisted it stay, and I don't win that many "discussions" with 6 y/olds lol. My last question is the UV light. Right now we've got it over the corner where she eats. Will that be sufficient? Or do we need a larger one? Over the summer (and we're getting closer!) she'll get regular outdoors time too.

Thank you all!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi again! So we're finished-ish with the new tort house! I'll take out the black house in the corner and move the purple house back, but at present my daughter insisted it stay, and I don't win that many "discussions" with 6 y/olds lol. My last question is the UV light. Right now we've got it over the corner where she eats. Will that be sufficient? Or do we need a larger one? Over the summer (and we're getting closer!) she'll get regular outdoors time too.

Thank you all!

I would move UVB light to the corner where basking lamp is. So she can bask and get warmth and UVB at the same time.

The fern there probably will dry out and die - ferns don't do well in dry conditions and under heat sources.

 

[KatAttack]

I would move UVB light to the corner where basking lamp is. So she can bask and get warmth and UVB at the same time.

The fern there probably will dry out and die - ferns don't do well in dry conditions and under heat sources.

Ok cool, thanks! Ya when the plants are looking sad, I just pull them out and move them to my plant shelf to recover. I leave them in their pots to make it easier.

Thanks!