Red marijuana grow light.

[Ray--Opo]

Someone I know is using a red marijuana grow light in the enclosure for a leopard tortoise.
I don't want to give advice until I know the good or the bad with this type of light.
Can it damage the torts eyes?
Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Canadian Mojo]

Someone I know is using a red marijuana grow light in the enclosure for a leopard tortoise.
I don't want to give advice until I know the good or the bad with this type of light.
Can it damage the torts eyes?
Thanks for any feedback.

One of those pinkish LED grow light strips, or something else?

I decided to experiment a small strip of LED's in one area of my RF's enclosure and he seems to prefer it to the brighter UV light end. (but there was also better cover to hang out under since I added a low corner shelf with spider plants at the same time so basically he got a new den out of it)

No eye issues, and the pinkish cast isn't enough to make light colored objects look like a red berry or flower so he hasn't tried to eat anything he shouldn't.

I'm not using a high powered system, it's a single 12" strip about 3' off the floor that plugs into a USB outlet.

 

[Markw84]

I would not use that as the principle light for a tortoise. They need full spectrum lighting. Red only will mess with their daily and annual rhythms. With better color vision than humans, using an off-color lighting like that would be like you being color blind. With color such and important part of plant identification for tortoises, it would be a real detriment to their overall well-being.

I don't even like them for plants. Red grow lights became more popular as they are the cheapest LEDs to produce. Red does contribute to photosynthesis and encourages new plants to stretch and grow taller. But without adding the shorter wavelengths you won't get the best plant growth once the plant is started. Blue wavelengths encourage a plant to grow much stronger and bigger leafs.

 

[ZenHerper]

Damage to the eyes themselves? I don't know. But eyes are externalized brain parts; we should be careful with them. Light does impact day-night cycles.

I do know that I don't like sitting near my blue grow lamps. The glare is unnatural, even painful. I keep my Grow-lamp-dependent plants in their own section away from all living things that have eyes. lol

A very easy-to-read general discussion about light and its impact on day-night cycles and mental well-being in our species:

Effects of light on human circadian rhythms, sleep and mood

Humans live in a 24-hour environment, in which light and darkness follow a diurnal pattern. Our circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) in the hypothalamus, is entrained to the 24-hour solar day via a pathway from ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Ray--Opo]

Thanks for all the info. Just wanted a game plan before approaching the person.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Someone I know is using a red marijuana grow light in the enclosure for a leopard tortoise.
I don't want to give advice until I know the good or the bad with this type of light.
Can it damage the torts eyes?
Thanks for any feedback.

he maybe using a red light to grow marijuana...but that is totally wrong kind of light...Hey Ray you tell him that's why his weed is crappy...lol

 

[Yvonne G]

I use a 250 watt red brooder light I buy from Tractor Supply in my tortoise shed for ambient NIGHT TIME heat. It hangs from the ceiling and is about 3' off the floor. It, along with the pig blanket on the floor, keeps the shed around 80°F even on the coldest night. The shed is 10'x10'x8'. Have been heating tortoise sheds at night this way for many years. Never any health problems.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I use a 250 watt red brooder light I buy from Tractor Supply in my tortoise shed for ambient NIGHT TIME heat. It hangs from the ceiling and is about 3' off the floor. It, along with the pig blanket on the floor, keeps the shed around 80°F even on the coldest night. The shed is 10'x10'x8'. Have been heating tortoise sheds at night this way for many years. Never any health problems.

I’ve always been told on here they aren’t a good idea even at night because they can see the red light and need complete darkness? That and it making the substrate look like food? Maybe it’s different for a large shed?

 

[Yvonne G]

I’ve always been told on here they aren’t a good idea even at night because they can see the red light and need complete darkness? That and it making the substrate look like food? Maybe it’s different for a large shed?

No, you're right. . . that's what you've always been told. However, it's not totally true. I also use the incandescent black bulbs that you've been told is a no no. I use these bulbs at night when the tortoises are sleeping. In all my 35+ years of using these bulbs I've NEVER had a tortoise get up at night and go foraging for food. Now if you use them during the day when the tortoise is active it's a whole other ballgame.

If someone has a tortoise that roams at night then using these bulbs isn't a good idea. But if your tortoise goes to bed and stays there til morning, the red or black bulbs are fine.

Tortoises know day from night. During summer when no lights are on if I'm late opening the shed door the tortoise, in complete darkness, is at the door scratching to get out. Likewise, in the low light provided by my colored bulbs my tortoises are tucked into a corner, sleeping until morning.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

This thread seems to be a few years old.

 

[Yvonne G]

This thread seems to be a few years old.

Sheesh! I missed that!!

Not only that, but the person who revived it is probably a troll.