Right lights or not

astridthetortoise

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Can someone tell me if I have the right lighting or not? The previous post of mine when I stated tortoise having eye problems has been bad today, I’m worried it’s something to do with the light? And when I feed her she seems to be getting blinded by the light if she looks near it! She definitely can see because I call her and she looks at me and usually has bright eyes but any help would be good. Her right eye looks watery and when she scratches and blinks it looks red on the eyelid, I can’t tell if maybe there’s a little spot there? So hard to see IMG_1550946235.129286.jpgIMG_1550946293.676930.jpgIMG_1550946117.725997.jpg
 

astridthetortoise

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And also I have heard clamp lamps are dangerous and shouldn’t be clamped however I have it screwed into the wood and also stuck on with lots of tape so it’s safe
 

Maro2Bear

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Hi there, the holder looks good, BUT, take a picture of the actual bulb itself. Thst will help as well.

One other thing, is that folks here on the Forum highly recommend not/not using that substrate with the white perlite type particles. It encourages torts to nibble at and eat their substrate (leads to impaction issues). Best to swap it out.

Good luck
 

astridthetortoise

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Hi thanks for the advice, I also have another substrate which is top soil mix with play sand but because of her eye issues I’m not sure if this would become too dusty. What do you think?
 

Tom

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You've gotten some bad advice.

Your tortoise is pyramiding a lot. This is because the environment is too dry, and because of the "spot" bulb you are using. Those bulbs don't usually hurt their eyes, but they concentrate too much heat into too small of an area and they dry out the carapace which is what causes the pyramiding.

Are you using any other type of light for UV?

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them.
  2. 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.
  3. Light. I use florescent tubes or LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish.
  4. 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.
Both of the substrates you mentioned are bad. Soil should never be used because you can't know what composted materiel it is made of. Sand is no good because it is a skin and eye irritant and an impaction risk. The Pets At Home stuff is no good because it is soil and sand, and the little lime stone bits encourage the tortoise to eat it. For a baby like yours, I prefer coco coir. It goes by many names (Eco-Earth, Bed-a-Beast, etc...), but its finely ground up coconut husk. Its safe, it resists mold and bacterial growth and it holds moisture very well, which is what your babies desperately needs.

Please read these. If you follow the info in them, your tortoise's life will improve tremendously:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
 

Maro2Bear

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Hi thanks for the advice, I also have another substrate which is top soil mix with play sand but because of her eye issues I’m not sure if this would become too dusty. What do you think?


I think Tom covered the substrate issue, sand is a non-starter as well. Pretty much the same reason, leads to ingestion followed by eventual possible impaction issues. Find some coco coir, it will be safer.
 

astridthetortoise

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Hi everyone, thanks for the advice, i never knew pyramiding was an issue with my tortoise as I have looked up pictures of pyramiding and not very clear what it means. I have tried coco coir the little bits go in her eye and it irritates her , is there anything else I can try? As for lighting I’m confused how to set it up in a tortoise table and where to buy these lightings and how to install them. Any help is appreciated and I will take a look at the links provided thank you!
 

Ben02

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Hi everyone, thanks for the advice, i never knew pyramiding was an issue with my tortoise as I have looked up pictures of pyramiding and not very clear what it means. I have tried coco coir the little bits go in her eye and it irritates her , is there anything else I can try? As for lighting I’m confused how to set it up in a tortoise table and where to buy these lightings and how to install them. Any help is appreciated and I will take a look at the links provided thank you!
I use coco coir and orchid bark on the top. My tortoises hated coco coir for the first few days and now they love it so I’d just keep trying and she will get used to it. It keeps humidity well also.
 

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