uvb/uva lighting advice?

[Bass.Isles]

Hey y'all, I posted earlier in the week about my new 2 year old sulcata tortoise, Isla. I have since set up her temporary enclosure (I am working on building a 24ft x 16ft out in my yard, over the next year), but need some help getting the lighting right. I've attached some pics, but just fyi I have setup and added a humidity chamber since the pics were taken 3 days ago. the light pictured is a 75 watt uva/uvb bulb. not sure exactly what temp it's getting to, directly beneath, but am going to purchase a special thermometer (and hygrometer for inside her humidity hut) in a few days. My question is, since this enclosure is on my back porch and I live in a pretty (very, most of the year) hot & humid climate (85-95 during the day & never below 60 at night this time of year), do I need to get one of those really long cylinder uva/uvb bulbs to cover more of her enclosure? I've already ordered a second lamp like the one I have now and am going to set that up as soon as it arrives. Also, I AM supposed to keep her heat lamp on at night, right? because I have been.

p.s. in the pic where the light is shining very close to the lattice, don't worry, It's specially coated and not made of wood, as to withstand heat and weather.

thanks, everyone! any and all advice is welcome & very much appreciated. have a nice day!

 

[rearlpettway]

This is the best UV lighting system available.
36" T-5 HO Fixture *High Output* with ARCADIA D3+ 12% HO Bulb *
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ho...b-2x-daylight-bulbs-plant-pro-built-in-timer/
These bulbs hit the same UV numbers as natural sunlight even at 18" to 24 " away.
These bulbs don't get hot.
The heat from the traditional UV bulbs get really hot and can potentially dehydrate the shell causing localized pyramiding.

 

[Tom]

Outdoors on the back porch in an open topped enclosure is not a suitable place for a baby to live. If it must be outdoors, then it needs to be in a closed chamber with thermostats to control the temperatures.

This is a tropical species of tortoise. 60 at night, especially with humidity, is way too cold. Night temps should not drop below 80. The lamp needs to be off at night because they need it dark, but it still needs to be warm. Most people use a CHE or a radiant heat panel controlled by a thermostat for night heat.

There is no special coating that is going to protect that lattice from the heat of that bulb. At close range it gets way hotter than the sun, and its a fire hazard. Invest in some hardware cloth or welded wire for your lid. "UV" protection, doesn't mean it won't melt or catch fire with enough heat.

If this enclosure gets any direct sun during the day, then you don't need a UV bulb. Be careful it doesn't over heat in summer. If your daily temperatures are that warm, then you should build an outdoor sunning enclosure in an area that does get sun. An hour a couple of times a week is enough to meet your baby's UV needs.

Please give these a read:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Bass.Isles]

thanks for your input. I will look into the CHE today. And will also start bringing her inside for the night, until the temps no longer fall below 80 (June). she's 2 years old, when will she no longer be considered a "baby"? like, when are they considered more of a juvenile instead?

 

[Bass.Isles]

I just read the mistakes article and you say "the bigger the better", if I'm supposed to keep her indoors while she's a baby how would I go about giving her a "big" enclosure? she's 5 inches long. and I thought sulcata were a desert tortoise, not tropical. do you just mean that they need a tropical climate (hot and humid), not that they hail from a tropical place? I'm confused about that, now. anyways, thanks for helping me out. I'm still learning and working to get it all right, yah know?

p.s. I don't know what kind of freaky coating the lattice has but I let that light sit directly atop it for almost 2 hours, went back out, picked the light up, felt the lattice and it wasn't really even warm. at all.

 

[Bass.Isles]

This is the best UV lighting system available.
36" T-5 HO Fixture *High Output* with ARCADIA D3+ 12% HO Bulb *
http://www.lightyourreptiles.com/ho...b-2x-daylight-bulbs-plant-pro-built-in-timer/
These bulbs hit the same UV numbers as natural sunlight even at 18" to 24 " away.
These bulbs don't get hot.
The heat from the traditional UV bulbs get really hot and can potentially dehydrate the shell causing localized pyramiding.

thanks so much, I'll check out the link.

 

[Tom]

I just read the mistakes article and you say "the bigger the better", if I'm supposed to keep her indoors while she's a baby how would I go about giving her a "big" enclosure? she's 5 inches long. and I thought sulcata were a desert tortoise, not tropical. do you just mean that they need a tropical climate (hot and humid), not that they hail from a tropical place? I'm confused about that, now. anyways, thanks for helping me out. I'm still learning and working to get it all right, yah know?

p.s. I don't know what kind of freaky coating the lattice has but I let that light sit directly atop it for almost 2 hours, went back out, picked the light up, felt the lattice and it wasn't really even warm. at all.

If you are going to keep this species indoors, or any tortoise that is 5+ inches long, you need a minimum of 4x8'. A closed chamber of that size, in combination with a larger outdoor enclosure to be used during the day when the weather is favorable, should keep them growing smooth and healthy until it is time to move them outside full time with a heated night box when they reach 8-10". When that time comes, you'll need something like this for them to sleep in at night and on cold winter days: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/

Sulcata are NOT a desert species. They are a Grassland/Forrest edge species. It takes a lot of annual rainfall to maintain grasslands and forests. This is a huge and very persistent misconception about this species. Here is another misconception about "desert" species of tortoise: The weather two meters above ground, where the weather stations get their readings, is totally irrelevant for a species like a CA desert tortoise that spends most of its time underground. In their savannah grassland areas, which are somewhere arid for part of the year, wild sulcatas are underground. They are not experiencing those hot dry conditions. Further, the babies hatch at the start of the 3-4 month long rainy season. It is hot, humid, rainy and there are puddles, marshes, and green growing food every where. These "monsoon" conditions are what baby sulcatas thrive in.

Tropical means it naturally occurs in the geographic region between the tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Tropical does not necessarily mean wet, rainy or humid. The range of the sulcata is largely in the Northern section of this tropical band as it crosses the African continent.

 

[Tom]

okay, awesome! thanks so much for explaining. Is it really imperative that I keep her in an inside enclosure full time at 5 inches long? if I want to continue keeping her outdoors most the time but bring her in when it is cool at night, what kind of outdoor enclosure would you recomend? i mean, the one I have now, is on my porch like you saw, but it gets sunlight and I keep it covered almost all the time with the lattice. the pics I posted where the top was open were ones I just snapped when I had the lattice up and off while I did some cleaning up and watering. what can I do to make her outdoor enclosure more appropriate?

Here are some ideas for outdoor enclosures:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-enclosures.121732/

At 5" your tortoise can stay outside most of the day if the weather is nice, but I'd bring it in every night and leave it in on cool days.

 

[Bass.Isles]

Thank you! I think I will start by making a removable top/cover out of wire mesh or something like what I saw in the photos in the thread you shared. But she will have to stay in the 72"x34" enclosure/space she is in now, for another 8-10 months while I work on a really nice 24ft x 16ft enclosure out in the yard.