UVB LED lights
- Thread starter Aisling8
- Start date
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Hello! Yes got good suggestions!
It’s best going with a separate uvb and heat set up, having combined heat and uv, means when adjusting your height to create the desired basking temperature, you’re messing with your UVI zone, they are much more desiccating on the shell and their uv output often very unreliable.
There’s the added fact of uv timing, with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity. Whilst not necessarily dangerous, it’s potentially annoying to the tortoise to have 12hours on uv in the enclosure.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed) will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense
The most recommended up to date indoor uv option is t5 tube fluorescent bulbs, they disperse the uv light over a much wider area. Recommended brands are Arcadia proT5 kit 12% or zoo med reptisun t5 10.0(hood usually sold separate)
Can I just double check if it’s an adult or baby you have? I can pass the right care sheet on that way that includes visuals on the correct lighting with how to mount it
It’s best going with a separate uvb and heat set up, having combined heat and uv, means when adjusting your height to create the desired basking temperature, you’re messing with your UVI zone, they are much more desiccating on the shell and their uv output often very unreliable.
There’s the added fact of uv timing, with the uv timing, every other source of information will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity. Whilst not necessarily dangerous, it’s potentially annoying to the tortoise to have 12hours on uv in the enclosure.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics(if needed) will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hope that all makes sense
The most recommended up to date indoor uv option is t5 tube fluorescent bulbs, they disperse the uv light over a much wider area. Recommended brands are Arcadia proT5 kit 12% or zoo med reptisun t5 10.0(hood usually sold separate)
Can I just double check if it’s an adult or baby you have? I can pass the right care sheet on that way that includes visuals on the correct lighting with how to mount it
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
I believe there isn't a reliable LED UVB for tortoises yet, but @Alex and the Redfoot can probably correct me if I'm wrong.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Perfect! No problemThanks so much for your advice, I was looking at the Arcadia ProT5 12% so I think I'll go for that option!
Care sheet would be great thank you, he's an adult he's 16
I made this one using the forums care information, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), sizing(you can get away with slightly smaller indoors if you can build a larger outdoor space when weather permits, but here in the uk, I’d have as big a indoor set up as possible), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything near the bottom, and a really handy diet link to check out!
Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors
Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...
tortoiseforum.org
This one here is also good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying
Common keeping errors
Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...
tortoiseforum.org
Hope they come in useful!
That is the best one. Don't forget ambient light and a regular incandescent flood lamp for basking.Thanks so much for your advice, I was looking at the Arcadia ProT5 12% so I think I'll go for that option!
Care sheet would be great thank you, he's an adult he's 16
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
If you scroll down near the bottom of the care sheet there’s a few examples on how to mount the uv(you want it close to your basking bulb) it might require some minor diy, for open tops a popular way is to attach the brackets that come with the kit to a piece of timber, on the opposite side drill some hooks in, then suspend from a chain or clothing line from a makeshift stand. For a closed set up, if it’s high enough you can mount straight onto the roof using the brackets
Hopefully this makes sense
