New to the forum- want to know if you have UK experience

[Speedy's mum]

Hi I am new to the forum. I live in the UK and have an approximately 3 year old Sulcata (a rescue case) I've had him/her for 14 months, he has a very varied diet (not difficult as we have a large garden and he loves Timothy hay) and is quite lively, he comes down in the kitchen with me everyday and wanders quite happily collecting various treats set out on his usual route. Question is if I put a heat lamp and UV lamp in the corner of his room (we are converting a room for him) how far above his shell should it be for him to get the maximum benefit. Thank you x

 

[HotdogKnight]

How big is he at the moment?
I know a lot of lamps differ depending on their size, the size of the room, the wattage etc. Also a lot of them say on the box, I know Arcadia have a diagram saying what temperate it would roughly be at which height.

Why is this UK specific? Also welcome to the forum!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. One does not need to be from the UK to know the answer to your question.

Down on the floor is not safe for tortoises, and its much too cool for this tropical species.

Any sort of heat lamp should be set to get the correct basking temperature at tortoise shell height. You'll need a thermometer to set the height. I assume you are using this for heat only, so I wish to point out that a tortoise on a cold (relatively cold by sulcata standards...) with a heat lamp over it is going to have a tough time warming up and is likely to sit under the bulb far longer than it would if it were in a properly heated large enclosure. There is a UK researcher named Frances who happens to be a member here too, and she has demonstrated at length the desiccating effects that our heat lamps can have on the carapace. Excessive basking under artificial incandescent bulbs will lead to pyramiding and malformation of the carapace. These bulbs are at this time still a necessary evil, but using them in the way you intend will most likely lead to problems.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

I'm not an advocate of allowing a tortoise loose in the house. I believe tortoises need their own territory, with substrate, lighting, etc. There are many hazards lurking on the floor for unsuspecting tortoises, plus the floor is awfully cold. You can have the air temperature in the house around 78F degrees, but if you lay on the floor with no clothes on, it will be much cooler than that on your bare skin.

I keep my lights around 12" from the top of the carapace, but it really depends upon the size of the light and the temperature you're trying to achieve.

 

[Jacqui]

Hello. Not UK, but a lot will depend on the specific bulb and fixture you use. The packaging normally will give you basic infor on suggested distances.

 

[bouaboua]

Hello. Not UK also. But welcomes you to the forum.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello and welcome to the TFO from AZ,USA .

 

[Speedy's mum]

Thank you all for your comments. The room that is being converted for him is 10ft x 12ft (temporarily) and is being designed specifically for speedy to thrive until we will have a garden room built for him. I don't have any hazards on my kitchen floor and we have underfloor heating so he doesn't get cold at all and he has grown so fast that he needs to exercise and being the UK its too cold and wet for him to go outside. I have now found the info on heights as suggested by Jacqui and hotdog knight, thank you.

 

[pam]

Welcome

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!