what would you guys recommend for night time basking lamp i currently have a daytime basking bulb 100w about 12in high its keeps it about 95 to 110 in that area then opposite side i have a 100w heat emitter keeps it about 80 then i have a uvb bulb in between them that i only keep on for 12 hours during the day but i feel like since i dont have a night bulb he never uses his hide.
night heat
- Thread starter Tkramer20
- Start date
Attachments
If you need to keep the night heat in then you will need a cover over your enclosure otherwise you will be trying to heat your room with a small reptile heater. You may as well leave your central heating on if you don’t cover your enclosure... it will be more effective.
Assuming you build a closed chamber (a covered enclosure) then you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter which must be used with a thermostat. This gives off heat without light. It can be left on 24/7 as the thermostat ensures will only cut in when needed. The CHE gets very hot so the bulb holder must be ceramic, not plastic, and mounted at least 12 inches from the substrate surface.
Assuming you build a closed chamber (a covered enclosure) then you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter which must be used with a thermostat. This gives off heat without light. It can be left on 24/7 as the thermostat ensures will only cut in when needed. The CHE gets very hot so the bulb holder must be ceramic, not plastic, and mounted at least 12 inches from the substrate surface.
- Joined
- Jul 8, 2017
- Messages
- 5,750
- Location (City and/or State)
- Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
An urgent word of advice!
Find a way to secure your dome so if/when the clamp fails, it can't fall into the enclosure. This has happened many times with sometimes devastating consequences.
Fires that burned the house down have happened. And we just had a keeper here on the forum whose lamp fell onto her baby tortoise, trapping and killing her.
Find a way to secure your dome so if/when the clamp fails, it can't fall into the enclosure. This has happened many times with sometimes devastating consequences.
Fires that burned the house down have happened. And we just had a keeper here on the forum whose lamp fell onto her baby tortoise, trapping and killing her.
What species, and what size tortoise?
Sulcata and it is about 3in lol its still a nugget i really just wish he would start using his hide and i have looked into making it enclosed on top but in all honesty my humidity levels stay decent and the temp stays pretty average also its just that i dont have a specific night time basking light so it stays pretty bright in there all night and i was wondering if that might be why hes not using his hide.
That is no problem. I got the message.
Here is a breakdown of the heating and lighting you ought to have:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. 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.
- 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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
- 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.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
tortoiseforum.org
Thank you
thank you very much im surprised flood lights produce enough heat nice to know though thank youThat is no problem. I got the message.
Here is a breakdown of the heating and lighting you ought to have:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
For more detailed info on all other aspects of care, give this a read:
- Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. 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.
- 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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
- 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.
- UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
Golden Greek Tortoise 567
Well-Known Member
Flood lights are just for light, not for the heat. @Tom mentioned that he uses CHE for heat, not the flood bulbs.
Incandescent flood bulbs provide basking heat in the basking area directly under them. CHE's or RHPs help to maintain ambient temp in the whole enclosure above the thermostat's set point.
Wattage needed will vary, as does the mounting height. Let your thermometer be your guide for both.
