Sun light bulbs

[mary t]

Iffy for the unprofessional name but I'm looking for a good bulb I can put in willies house for our Florida yuk rainy days? I have one that is a Sulla day blue light incandescent bulb. It's a 100 watt. I don't want hurt his eyes. It gives heat and UVA rays but seems super bright in the wooden box. It was fine in the glass tank because I needed the heat and the light wasn't confined. Thanks for any suggestions. House is 3x4 inside, roof 3ft slops to 2 1/2 feet. That's should give you the idea of the space I'm trying to light up.

 

[Tom]

I don't find any reason to light up the inside of their house. In the wild during bad weather, either too hot or too cold and cloudy, they simply retreat into their dark underground burrows. In captivity our manmade shelters sort of take the place of those burrows. I like to leave mine dark and they can see the daylight, or night as the case may be, through the door flaps.

If you did want to light it up anyway, a regular incandescent flood bulb from the hardware store should work just great and warm him too. If you want light, but no heat, then an energy efficient florescent tube from the hardware store should fit the bill nicely.

NOTE to everyone: Maryt lives in sunny warm FL and I live in sunny warm CA. Our torts enjoy bouts of warm sunny weather in outdoor pens all winter long. If you live in a colder area and your tortoises "shed" is a place he/she has to hang out in for weeks or months at a time, then this is a totally different story... There are lots of good examples of how to do that in a colder climate here on the forum. No offense to anyone else, but Maggie has posted extensively on her fine set up for Bob up in the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Kristina]

I agree with Tom. The days that Willie will be able to be out in the sun and bask will more than make up for the days that he won't. I keep all of my tortoises indoors for up to six months at a time with no UV lighting, and what they absorbed over the summer months has always sustained them through the winter. I would save your money, you could invest in a $10 250 watt brooder bulb for heat if needed, or, just use regular incandescent bulbs for light. At 4 for a dollar or there abouts, much better than paying $60+ for a bulb that you really don't need.

 

[Zamric]

WalkingRock spends up to a week at a time huddled in his house here in Texas due to cold weather. I keep a mini Oiled-filled radiator in his house only for heat during these times.... no UV or light bulbs nessacery.

 

[mary t]

Wow... That's why I love the forum. Thanks for all the wonderful info and I won't worry about a build. I also keep a small oil filled heater in his house for our chilly night. I keep it at about 75 to 80 I try never to have the house warmer than what he nests outside temp will be, I know this is a little excessive but since he's alway been inside I figured I'd work a little harder for a few months until he is acclimated to the outside life...