Russian heat and uvb

[jax0109]

Good evening,

My son and I are setting up an indoor enclosure before getting a new Russian tortoise. We were planning to use a MVB. We got a 100w but it didn't get the basking area warm enough so we got a 160w but I am concerned that if I put it close enough to get the temp correct that it will be too close for uvb. Also wondering if it is ok to have uvb on for the 12 hour cycles need for heat.

Any constructive thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[jax0109]

This is the guide on the 160w box

 

[wellington]

Mercury bulbs should not be used.
A tube florescent for uvb is needed. An incandescent flood bulb for basking and a ceramic heat emitter for night heat and any added day heat needed.
UVb only needs to be on 4 hours a day.

 

[jax0109]

Mercury bulbs should not be used.
A tube florescent for uvb is needed. An incandescent flood bulb for basking and a ceramic heat emitter for night heat and any added day heat needed.
UVb only needs to be on 4 hours a day.

I have read some love MVB and some don't but I don't have a way to mount all that so i was trying the all in one. I've never seen anyone suggest that a night heat source is needed.

 

[wellington]

I have read some love MVB and some don't but I don't have a way to mount all that so i was trying the all in one. I've never seen anyone suggest that a night heat source is needed.

Mercury bulbs do not give out good UV and it is too decimating to the shell and will cause pyramiding even in the best humidity.
The info you are using is not correct.
Night heat usually isn't needed. But when they are not brumating, they need to be kept a little warmer and have a brightly lit enclosure to keep them from wanting to brumate.
If the area the enclosure is in stays warmer then 60's then added heat isn't needed.

 

[wellington]

If you are getting an adult Russian then a 4x8 foot enclosure is needed.
The proper size enclosure would fit everything needed.
The enclosure you have is good for a hatchling size wise, but a hatchling needs a closed chamber enclosure. This can be done by adding a pop up portable greenhouse over the enclosure. Those of us that have Russians need to do the same and are able to.
The tube fluorescent can sit on top. A long with the ceramic heat emitter if it's needed and the mercury light should be returned for the correct light which will fit in your fixture.
A wider dome is better than the narrow one you have and can be bought cheaper at Home Depot. But if you can't return the one you have then use it.

 

[wellington]

Please 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/

 

[jax0109]

We are planning to get a well started juvenile and double the table as he gets older.

Thanks for the info. We will switch uvb. I thought sitting it on the top would be too close to him. No? We have other fixtures because we had a veiled chameleon that recently passed after a full long life.

It stays in the low 70s here inside even in the winter because he is in my son's room so we don't need night heat.

 

[wellington]

How high is the top from the floor? Usually 12 to 16 inches is the normal distance most sit.

 

[jax0109]

The incandescent flood bulb has many colors (warm white, soft white, clear). Do you have a link to one that you recommend?

Is t5ho 10.0 a good choice for uvb?

 

[jax0109]

How high is the top from the floor? Usually 12 to 16 inches is the normal distance most sit.

We will have to make a structure to hold it. I have deep substrate for digging so it would be safer to raise it a bit.

 

[wellington]

The best way to do it, is to get everything set up and running for a few days, day and night with a digital thermometer under the basking spot and another on the cooler side away from the basking. This way you will know what needs adjusting before the tort is added. Much less nerve wracking that way.

 

[jax0109]

As I said in my original post, we are doing this before getting the tortoise.

Incandescent bulbs are very hard to find as most only sell LED.

 

[Tom]

As I said in my original post, we are doing this before getting the tortoise.

Incandescent bulbs are very hard to find as most only sell LED.

Here is a breakdown of the four heating and lighting essentials:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. 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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient 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. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

At 70+ degrees, you will not need night heat for a Russian.

Do you already have a source for the tortoise? Most people sell little babies after starting them for a month or two. The pet stores sell wild caught adults. No one hangs on to a baby for a year or two and then sells it as a well started juvenile. That would not be cost effective given what people are willing to spend on a Russian and what it costs to house and feed them for several months or years.

 

[jax0109]

Yes a friend has kept turtles for 40+ years and his breeder also has tortoises. It's less of a business and more of a hobby for a retired husband and wife so they aren't worried about profit so much as care and good homes.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

As I said in my original post, we are doing this before getting the tortoise.

Incandescent bulbs are very hard to find as most only sell LED.

There are incandescent bulbs made for reptiles. Arcadia Solar Basking Floodlight, for example. They are more expensive, but perhaps that's the only option left as incandescents are getting banned everywhere.

 

[SinLA]

As I said in my original post, we are doing this before getting the tortoise.

Incandescent bulbs are very hard to find as most only sell LED.

So good for you for trying to find the best way to get everything set up before you get the tortoise - 99.9% of everyone else (myself included) did it the other way. Other good news is Russians are one of the hardier species and can take a lot of poor care (tho of course they should not, but they survive it better).

Here's the bad news - that box is crap (I should know I have them!). They are too small for adults, and to "open" on top for juveniles. I know they are sold as a "tortoise house" but that's just marketing, slap the name tortoise on it doesn't make it "good" for them.

If you are getting a baby, you are better off getting a plastic tub, like the kind used to hold wrapping paper or under the bed storage, you'll be able to keep the temps and humidity better with that.

In the VERY SHORT FUTURE they will need way more than that box would allow anyway. Don't get me wrong, zillions of people keep tortoises in tanks and boxes that size, but its not good - its terrible in fact, but people keep doing it.

One thing about those boxes is you can string them together like habitrails, so if you have space for it you can extend on until you get to the number you need (around 6 for an adult).

Truly: Start here its the best place to go especially since you haven't gotten your tortoise yet.

 

[Tom]

In the VERY SHORT FUTURE they will need way more than that box would allow anyway. Don't get me wrong, zillions of people keep tortoises in tanks and boxes that size, but its not good - its terrible in fact, but people keep doing it.

So true, sadly. Its like keeping a goldfish in a bowl. Its horrendously inhumane and cruel.

 

[Hollymacd63]

Yes a friend has kept turtles for 40+ years and his breeder also has tortoises. It's less of a business and more of a hobby for a retired husband and wife so they aren't worried about profit so much as care and good homes.

where are they located?

 

[jax0109]

Washington DC Metro area