UV & Heat question for Russians

[DayDreamer]

Alright so, I do plan to take the tortoise outdoors as often as possible (once a day for a few hours until I am able to build a outdoor enclosure where s/he can be safe from cats however it will always be taken in at night due to rats in the area ick! that i am worried about) I was told by a few people on here that I prob. wont even need a UV light if I take it outdoors for sun. however I do have a 5 year old and sometimes stuff happens and i just might not be able to have a few hours to sit on the deck with the tortoise and keep a eye on it. (deck is closed off with a 7ft fence but cats get in there so until i can build something it will have to be fully supervised out there)

its hot here all year round so im a bit worried about over heating... if thats even possible? temps are in the mid 70's-90's we have no a/c in our house just open windows so temps are around the same if not a bit warmer at night indoors.

what would be needed here? I have been looking at the mercury lights that have both heat and UV but at the petstores here they are super expensive is there somewhere online that i might be able to find them at a lower price?


what would be the best in this situation for a 3x7 enclosure? and what wattage?

 

[wellington]

With those temps, you won't need any artificial UVB or heat. Just put a regular 40-60 watt bulb or a cooler Florescent tube bulb for light on the indoor enclosure and get him outside at least 3-4 times a week for an hour or so and all will be fine.

 

[DayDreamer]

oh wow really?? ill prob do that and buy a really good one closer to hurricane season then

how are these by the way?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000256EAI/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
aside from the reviews saying they burn out pretty fast i thought they might be good enough for lets say hurricane season when it gets a bit cooler inside and rains non stop for weeks.

also what kind of fixture is best? i noticed they come in a lot of different sizes... this light stuff is confusing lol!

 

[wellington]

I would buy a ceramic heat emitter for those few cooler days/nights. They are cheap and last forever. Then if you want to also give some UVB during those same times, I would get a small flourescent tube bulb and fixture. If you think you will need more heat then just the ceramic heat emitter, then I would go with the mercury vapor bulb and a CHE. The mercury bulb gives out heat light and UVB. They are a little more expensive, but last longer then a flourescent and you won't be using it much within a years time, so would probably last you a couple years.

 

[DayDreamer]

perfect ill look into those, thanks so much!

what size of light fixture is good with these? are the larger ones better for the mercury bulbs? and can i use the same fixture for all lights? like just change the normal 40wat bulb for the mercury bulb when needed?

last thing for now. will the 40wat bulb you were talking about work for basking when not out in the sun or is that just to add a bit more heat in the enclosure?