Uv lighting

steve g

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anyone come accrosd HONGYI uv bulbs just bought one from eBay brand new. Are they
 

Markw84

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anyone come accrosd HONGYI uv bulbs just bought one from eBay brand new. Are they
You need to be very careful about using a non reptile specific UV bulb. Most "UV" bulbs only put out UVA. Some I see that come up when I search HONGYI come up that are sterilizer bulbs - UVC. Very dangerous and you would never want to use those as UVC kills and damages cells.

Do you have a picture or link to the bulb you are considering?
 

steve g

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Thanks. It says all the right things on the box . But I just don’t feel good about it..
 

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steve g

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My Russian went missing August last year in my garden . We live in England so it’s cold. Thought that was the end of him. Dug the garden up, no joy . February he was on top of a mound looked like a statue cold and lifeless. He not been right since. Not eating well, does not move around so much.Took him the vet he gives him booster jabs now and again.

Just adjusting temp and lighting for winter. Vet says if he hibernates this year he won’t survive. So keeping viv warm and want uv levels right. I have another same age. They where both same size now the other is a fatty and poor slow is skinny .. but he does eat but once every two days and not a lot .
 

Minority2

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Thanks. It says all the right things on the box . But I just don’t feel good about it..

These compact florescent bulbs are not safe for tortoises. They have been known to cause severe eye issues in tortoises.

Linear florescent bulbs are the type of UV(B) bulbs you should use. Examples linked below:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/arcadia-desert-12-uvb/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0759V1WWG/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

My Russian went missing August last year in my garden . We live in England so it’s cold. Thought that was the end of him. Dug the garden up, no joy . February he was on top of a mound looked like a statue cold and lifeless. He not been right since. Not eating well, does not move around so much.Took him the vet he gives him booster jabs now and again.

Just adjusting temp and lighting for winter. Vet says if he hibernates this year he won’t survive. So keeping viv warm and want uv levels right. I have another same age. They where both same size now the other is a fatty and poor slow is skinny .. but he does eat but once every two days and not a lot .

Are these two tortoise being housed together?
 

Markw84

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Thanks. It says all the right things on the box . But I just don’t feel good about it..
It is the right type of bulb, UVA & UVB wise, but I don't like them for tortoises. The zone for proper UV exposure ends up being too small using these type bulbs. I like a larger UV zone than these will create. With the UVB created by artificial sources, the UV levels drop off geometrically with distance. So the effective area ends up being very small with these compact bulbs. If you put it too close to compensate, you end up with a small area of too much UVB that can be damaging. The linear Fluorescent tubes are the best choice for this. You can create an optimal zone over 3 feet (or the length of the bulb) across the enclosure - and then have a nice gradient from there. Also creates a much better ambient light with the linear tubes.
 

steve g

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It is the right type of bulb, UVA & UVB wise, but I don't like them for tortoises. The zone for proper UV exposure ends up being too small using these type bulbs. I like a larger UV zone than these will create. With the UVB created by artificial sources, the UV levels drop off geometrically with distance. So the effective area ends up being very small with these compact bulbs. If you put it too close to compensate, you end up with a small area of too much UVB that can be damaging. The linear Fluorescent tubes are the best choice for this. You can create an optimal zone over 3 feet (or the length of the bulb) across the enclosure - and then have a nice gradient from there. Also creates a much better ambient light with the linear tubes.
 

Cari48038

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anyone come accrosd HONGYI uv bulbs just bought one from eBay brand new. Are they

Does it say UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified on it? If not, I would not use it for safety reasons. I recently purchased two ceramic bulbs from Amazon not realizing they were from China and not certified. My husband is a firefighter and said not to use them under any circumstances, so they went into the garbage (not worth it to ship back). That's what I get for trying to save a buck.
 
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