New member

[Stez77]

Hi guys, my name is Stez Hughes and have just homed 2 baby horse field tortoises, although you can read everything on line I think even after 2/3 weeks I'm beginning to understand there habits. My question I have it these are in a vivarium and I have a uv strip and a heat lamp, the lamp has just popped? Can I use the same watt lamp in a normal house lamp or are these special just for vivariums? Hope that makes Sense. Apologies if this is a silly question!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

As long as your strip provides UV, there's no reason to buy a special reptile heat lamp. You can use a regular incandescent bulb for heat. Just don't use those spiral-shaped bulbs. They might burn the babies' eyes.

 

[Stez77]

thank you, I've gone up my local shop and got a normal house bulb.

 

[Lyn W]

Do you have any night heat without light Stez?

 

[Tom]

Hi guys, my name is Stez Hughes and have just homed 2 baby horse field tortoises, although you can read everything on line I think even after 2/3 weeks I'm beginning to understand there habits. My question I have it these are in a vivarium and I have a uv strip and a heat lamp, the lamp has just popped? Can I use the same watt lamp in a normal house lamp or are these special just for vivariums? Hope that makes Sense. Apologies if this is a silly question!!!

Yvonne already answered your question, but I wanted to say hello and welcome.

There is a lot of old, out-dated, incorrect info on-line, so I wanted to drop these here for reference:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

No question is silly when one is learning. Please keep that in mind ad ask all the questions you want. Hope you'll get the help you need, here.

 

[Stez77]

Do you have any night heat without light Stez?

no i keep the heat lamp on till i go to bed so there is a space of around 8hrs with no heat just whats stored in the viv.
i do monitor the temp and it goes down to around 15-18c at night. they are tucked away in there house under wood shavings and straw,
hope I'm doing this right?

 

[Lyn W]

no i keep the heat lamp on till i go to bed so there is a space of around 8hrs with no heat just whats stored in the viv.
i do monitor the temp and it goes down to around 15-18c at night. they are tucked away in there house under wood shavings and straw,
hope I'm doing this right?

Check the caresheet to see what temps your torts need at night - you may be OK but I know you have to be careful with babies getting too cold.
If you do need to raise it I use a Ceramic Heat Emitter which just gives heat as torts need darkness to sleep. The CHE is run through a thermostat with a temp probe so that it switches the heat on and off as needed so it's not on constantly. I bought both from The Range for about £57. Sounds a lot but they last forever and keep the elec bill down.
You can also buy black/night time bulbs there which some members use. They are cheaper but I don't know if they would make it too hot in a viv or if they would work on a thermostat. Maybe someone who does use them may be able to tell you more about them.