Newbie concerns uvb light

[1eturner]

Hi all please be kind we are brand new owners of a hermann hatchling 3 months old we bought the set up from the breeder but as the tortoise is in my daughters bedroom I’m worried about the brightness of the uvb bulb on her eyes i wondered if there is any way of making or buying a shield for the light, what makes it a little more difficult is that although the bulbs heating and uvb are separate they are wired into one plug so I can’t just buy a new one without replacing the whole thing ( yes I’m a woman on her own with two kids) I’m really not good with electrical issues! I have attached a picture to see if anyone could offer any advice?
Thanks

 

[wellington]

That coil uvb bulb is the wrong kind and can hurt your tortoises eye. Replace it with a tube florescent. Also the basking bulb should be in a dome fixture. You can get them at home Depot, it's a fixture that has a big metal dome on it. Be sure it has the ceramic socket
Also the enclosure needs to be a closed chamber with high humidity and no lights on at night. Ceramic heat emitters are used for night heat with no light.
Unfortunately your breeder has a lot to learn too.

 

[wellington]

Read this Thread 'The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...ise-any-temperate-species-of-tortoise.183131/

 

[1eturner]

Thank you, as I said I am new to this so learning all the time I thought tortoise tables were better than vivs is this not the case? Sorry just 1 more question are the tubes easy to fit as I can just buy a new heat lamp and dome?
Thanks

 

[wellington]

No, vivs are not better for hatchlings, that's old, outdated info, which is about all you will find out there.
The tube fluorescent will need a fixture and yes, pretty easy to make work. We can help you if needed. Same with the dome. Just don't use the clamp that comes with the dome, they fail. You will also need the same kind of done for the ceramic heat emitter for night heat.

 

[1eturner]

No, vivs are not better for hatchlings, that's old, outdated info, which is about all you will find out there.
The tube fluorescent will need a fixture and yes, pretty easy to make work. We can help you if needed. Same with the dome. Just don't use the clamp that comes with the dome, they fail. You will also need the same kind of done for the ceramic heat emitter for night heat.

Would this be ok I’m in the UK

 

[wellington]

Yes

 

[Tom]

Hi all please be kind we are brand new owners of a hermann hatchling 3 months old we bought the set up from the breeder but as the tortoise is in my daughters bedroom I’m worried about the brightness of the uvb bulb on her eyes i wondered if there is any way of making or buying a shield for the light, what makes it a little more difficult is that although the bulbs heating and uvb are separate they are wired into one plug so I can’t just buy a new one without replacing the whole thing ( yes I’m a woman on her own with two kids) I’m really not good with electrical issues! I have attached a picture to see if anyone could offer any advice?
Thanks

Hello and welcome. Don't get overwhelmed. Almost everyone gets the wrong info to start out with. We will help you wade through it all and get the tortoise set up correctly.

In addition to the thread linked by Wellington, this one will help a lot too:

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...

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