UVA basking light

[jaredpotts]

bought a basking light for the tort while he is waiting out this rain in socal. Got one from petco that was for reptiles and said it gave off UVA. didn't say anything about UVB. Does this sound like an ok light?

 

[jeffbens0n]

Your tort needs UVB as well. The bulb you got is ok for basking but he will need UVB also either from the sun if he will be outside alot, or from an additional bulb such as a fluorescent tube or a mercury vapor bulb.

 

[jaredpotts]

are there bulbs that have both UVB and UBA? also, he is outside whenever it is sunny so i hope its fine to have just the UVA bulb while its rainy in socal

 

[coreyc]

What kind of bulb is it ? who makes it?

 

[Madkins007]

If he is outside a good chunk of the time, then UVB is not as critical- but then, there are cheaper bulbs for basking than UVA in that situation as well. Plain sunlamps, etc. are cheap and make perfectly good heat and light combos.

 

[tortoisenerd]

If he's getting out more days than not, then you can just use a household flood light--no need to pay extra for the useless UVA reptile lamp. If you are worried he won't get out enough, then get a good bulb, such as a Mercury Vapor Bulb, T-Rex Active UV Heat, Mega Ray, or Powersun, as these provide UVA and UVB, and most closely mimic the sun. The opinion of how much sun is enough varies, but I'd think more days than not for an hour or few is plenty. If your tort is going to be indoors for a week at a time, etc, you may want to get the MVB and turn it on just during those times, which will extend the life of the bulb and therefore cut costs (they have a useful life of 12 months of being on 12 hours a day). With the MVB you need a ceramic socket hood fixture, lamp stand, and an accurate thermometer like a temp gun. They are much cheaper online, where you should be able to find one shipped for under $50 (vs. $80+tax at Petco for a Powerun I think).