Sulcata lighting

[UnHooked]

I was just wondering personal opinions. Should I have my larger uvb light by the basking light or should it be fine cause Johnny is always wondering around. Just want to make sure he is getting enough. With it being colder he hasn't gotten outside as much. And any pointers on an easier way for water dish?? Lol as soon as I replace it he dirties it up again!!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’d personally only use the t5 uvb and place it by the basking bulb, ideally you’re wanting to create one desirable basking zone with uvb next to it, any additional compact uvb is unnecessary imo if you’re using the zoo med or Arcadia t5

 

[UnHooked]

Its an Arcadia T5. Thank you. I am cleaning out the enclosure next month. When I replace bulbs and substrate Ill do a switcharoo with the lights. Again thanks so much!

 

[Tom]

The UV tube should be mounted near the basking flood bulb.

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.

Be careful. Your tortoise is quickly approaching the size where over head heat lamps and CHEs should not be used anymore. Those types of heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace while not warming the tortoises core. Its time to start designing and building larger accommodations.

 

[UnHooked]

Would these flood lights be ok for basking? And yes i have the arcadia. And what lights specifically are u saying i dont need anymore? I have noticed his shell beginning to look dry? His basking spot stays at 103. And I have a che on that side as well, on thermostat, to keep up with overall temps in enclosure then a uvb bulb. On the opposite side, cool side is a che, on a thermostat, with a normal light. Then the arcadia. The room itself stays at 77. Cool side at 83. Warm side 93. Any suggestions? Not able to make outside enclosure just yet. He does get outside when weather permits. Am I overdoing it with lighting? Absolutely dont want him to be cold. This my baby. I stress over him way too much. Lol

 

[UnHooked]

Would these flood lights be ok for basking? And yes i have the arcadia. And what lights specifically are u saying i dont need anymore? I have noticed his shell beginning to look dry? His basking spot stays at 103. And I have a che on that side as well, on thermostat, to keep up with overall temps in enclosure then a uvb bulb. On the opposite side, cool side is a che, on a thermostat, with a normal light. Then the arcadia. The room itself stays at 77. Cool side at 83. Warm side 93. Any suggestions? Not able to make outside enclosure just yet. He does get outside when weather permits. Am I overdoing it with lighting? Absolutely dont want him to be cold. This my baby. I stress over him way too much. Lol

 

[UnHooked]

 

[UnHooked]

The UV tube should be mounted near the basking flood bulb.

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.

Be careful. Your tortoise is quickly approaching the size where over head heat lamps and CHEs should not be used anymore. Those types of heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace while not warming the tortoises core. Its time to start designing and building larger accommodations.

guess it needs to be dimmable for thermostat correct?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Would these flood lights be ok for basking? And yes i have the arcadia. And what lights specifically are u saying i dont need anymore? I have noticed his shell beginning to look dry? His basking spot stays at 103. And I have a che on that side as well, on thermostat, to keep up with overall temps in enclosure then a uvb bulb. On the opposite side, cool side is a che, on a thermostat, with a normal light. Then the arcadia. The room itself stays at 77. Cool side at 83. Warm side 93. Any suggestions? Not able to make outside enclosure just yet. He does get outside when weather permits. Am I overdoing it with lighting? Absolutely dont want him to be cold. This my baby. I stress over him way too much. Lol

Far as I can tell, all the bulbs above are floods which means they’re fine for basking, but do wait for further opinions.

In terms of the lighting/heating, Tom does recommend steering away from bulbs as a heat source once the tortoise starts getting bigger, I can totally understand why, they’re so big, that the concentrated heat from the bulbs can start to slow burn the carapace instead of actually heating the core of the tortoise properly. He can explain better than I can.

There are ways to implement heat bulbs to create a basking spot for larger species, it’s something @Markw84 can expand on, but it was also recently discussed in this thread here if you’re interested giving it a look over

Heating & Heat Mat Question

Hi all. Quick question, I'm based in the UK and so are unable to purchase a Kane heat mat which is widely recommended on here. That said, I've found a pig heat mat (recommended by members to search for), but this doesn't have the same in-built temperature controls/safety measures a Kane heat mat...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[UnHooked]

Yes then I believe I am needing to start looking for like a dhp? I take it im looking for more of the heat and less of the damage of the lights? So are chs still good to use too? Are you trying to tell me that of course with him getting the uvb from lighting I can find other ways to heat the enclosure without the damaging lights? Please fill me in lol cause I am in the middle of ordering everything to do his 6month revamping of substrate lights etc. I dont know if yall can tell by size of enclosure and knowing the temps currently....what would u suggest? If course I have my temps guns and will check everything. Distance from light to top of his shell is little less than a foot. Thank yall so much

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes then I believe I am needing to start looking for like a dhp? I take it im looking for more of the heat and less of the damage of the lights? So are chs still good to use too? Are you trying to tell me that of course with him getting the uvb from lighting I can find other ways to heat the enclosure without the damaging lights? Please fill me in lol cause I am in the middle of ordering everything to do his 6month revamping of substrate lights etc. I dont know if yall can tell by size of enclosure and knowing the temps currently....what would u suggest? If course I have my temps guns and will check everything. Distance from light to top of his shell is little less than a foot. Thank yall so much

Yeah radiant heat panels do generally work better for the big guys, there’s also the Kane mat brand, I don’t have personal experience with them, hopefully others can chime in with specific product links(my uk links don’t work for US members)

But yes you can still use the t5 uvb and any ambient led lighting, it’s just any heat producing bulbs you can start to phase out(including CHE’s), he’s kind of in that transitional size where you can still rely on the bulbs till you get things figured out, so wait for some more input from folks like Tom and mark. If you’re using a 12% uvb, that is a little too close to the shell, you want around 18-20 inches

 

[Tom]

Would these flood lights be ok for basking? And yes i have the arcadia. And what lights specifically are u saying i dont need anymore? I have noticed his shell beginning to look dry? His basking spot stays at 103. And I have a che on that side as well, on thermostat, to keep up with overall temps in enclosure then a uvb bulb. On the opposite side, cool side is a che, on a thermostat, with a normal light. Then the arcadia. The room itself stays at 77. Cool side at 83. Warm side 93. Any suggestions? Not able to make outside enclosure just yet. He does get outside when weather permits. Am I overdoing it with lighting? Absolutely dont want him to be cold. This my baby. I stress over him way too much. Lol

When buying flood lamps for your tortoise to bask under, be sure they are not "65 watt replacement" types, or "65 watt equivalent". Those are LEDs and they produce almost no heat. They are great for lighting the enclosure, but useless for basking. You need regular incandescent flood bulbs, not halogens.

You can use basking lamps for larger tortoises, but it has to be done VERY carefully. The issue is that a single bulb will not properly warm a larger tortoise, so they sit under it excessively. This is very common when they are outside in a box and people try to use a heat lamp to warm them. The floor of the outdoor box sucks the heat right out of them from underneath, and the little bulb over them can't get enough heat into them. The result is typically a "slow-burned" carapace. The scute material doesn't ignite, but the excessive prolonged heat dries out the keratin and kills the living tissue under and around it.

To use heat lamps for larger tortoises, you need a bank of them to create a large area, and they need to be high enough overhead that they are not overheating the top of the carapace. Check the basking temperature by placing a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb at tortoise shell height, and letting it cook for an hour or more. This will give you a good idea of how hot the top of the carapace is getting.

I avoid all of the problems with bulbs and CHEs by using other equipment to heat them once they move outside full time at around 8-10 inches. Here are two examples of safe and effective heating strategies for larger tortoises:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

When buying flood lamps for your tortoise to bask under, be sure they are not "65 watt replacement" types, or "65 watt equivalent". Those are LEDs and they produce almost no heat. They are great for lighting the enclosure, but useless for basking. You need regular incandescent flood bulbs, not halogens.

You can use basking lamps for larger tortoises, but it has to be done VERY carefully. The issue is that a single bulb will not properly warm a larger tortoise, so they sit under it excessively. This is very common when they are outside in a box and people try to use a heat lamp to warm them. The floor of the outdoor box sucks the heat right out of them from underneath, and the little bulb over them can't get enough heat into them. The result is typically a "slow-burned" carapace. The scute material doesn't ignite, but the excessive prolonged heat dries out the keratin and kills the living tissue under and around it.

To use heat lamps for larger tortoises, you need a bank of them to create a large area, and they need to be high enough overhead that they are not overheating the top of the carapace. Check the basking temperature by placing a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb at tortoise shell height, and letting it cook for an hour or more. This will give you a good idea of how hot the top of the carapace is getting.

I avoid all of the problems with bulbs and CHEs by using other equipment to heat them once they move outside full time at around 8-10 inches. Here are two examples of safe and effective heating strategies for larger tortoises:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank god you noticed that about the floods, at first glance I thought they had reptile in the titles, didn’t realise they’re just leds

 

[UnHooked]

Yea i noticed the one was led. Not getting that one lol.

 

[UnHooked]

If I were to incorporate a report where would it be better on cool side or atleast further from warm side. Depending on my temps could that take che away at night? Or maybe put in center to acclimate temps from warm to cool side and keep che over hide at night. If i have the tf and 65w floodlight on warm side that may keep it warm enough for me to just add the rhp kind of close to his hide at night? Im just going through ideas and I always feel like im going crazy when im redoing enclosures lol

 

[UnHooked]

If I were to incorporate a report where would it be better on cool side or atleast further from warm side. Depending on my temps could that take che away at night? Or maybe put in center to acclimate temps from warm to cool side and keep che over hide at night. If i have the tf and 65w floodlight on warm side that may keep it warm enough for me to just add the rhp kind of close to his hide at night? Im just going through ideas and I always feel like im going crazy when im redoing enclosures lol

Not report rhp. Stupid auto correct

 

[Tom]

If I were to incorporate a report where would it be better on cool side or atleast further from warm side. Depending on my temps could that take che away at night? Or maybe put in center to acclimate temps from warm to cool side and keep che over hide at night. If i have the tf and 65w floodlight on warm side that may keep it warm enough for me to just add the rhp kind of close to his hide at night? Im just going through ideas and I always feel like im going crazy when im redoing enclosures lol

Generally speaking, a CHE or a RHP should be over the middle to dispense heat evenly and warm the overall ambient temperature. In some cases, multiple RHPs or CHEs are needed to heat some enclosures and spread the heat out more evenly.

 

[UnHooked]

Yes its a 7ft by 4.5ft. I have a che on both sides. Thinking of getting a 120w rhp to put in center so I only have che maybe on night hide. He doesnt like to sleep on basking side which sucks cause thats where I put his mudflaps for shading (12in wide area) and hide. He loves to sleep on opposite side of enclosure. U think if I made that side the basking side he would eventually move to the other for sleeping? Tried for 3 days when first put him in. However he doesnt like to sleep on that side. Lol so had to switch the heating all around. Anyways just trying to get some of these bulbs off his shell but still heat the whole thing. Need to get plexiglass fitted to top of it. Right now its just chicken wire.

 

[Tom]

Yes its a 7ft by 4.5ft. I have a che on both sides. Thinking of getting a 120w rhp to put in center so I only have che maybe on night hide. He doesnt like to sleep on basking side which sucks cause thats where I put his mudflaps for shading (12in wide area) and hide. He loves to sleep on opposite side of enclosure. U think if I made that side the basking side he would eventually move to the other for sleeping? Tried for 3 days when first put him in. However he doesnt like to sleep on that side. Lol so had to switch the heating all around. Anyways just trying to get some of these bulbs off his shell but still heat the whole thing. Need to get plexiglass fitted to top of it. Right now its just chicken wire.

I wouldn't try to heat the hide. The entire inside of the enclosure should be warm so that it doesn't matter where the tortoise sleeps. For a sulcata, no lower than 80 anywhere in the enclosure at any time day or night. Then, during the day time, the whole enclosure should warm up to around 90 with all the lights on.