People have this for tortoises. I have no clue what it is. How its constructed or what its purpose is for! Can they be used for red foots?
Thanks!
-Andrew
Thanks!
-Andrew
What the heck is a heat emitter?
- Thread starter tupacliveson16
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A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) is a sort of bulb that emits no light that is used to provide heat in a reptile enclosure.
It looks like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00267VOOG
By day, Torts need UVB light to help them process Calcium and have healthy bones and shell... this can come from the sun, if your tort goes outdoors often, or from an MVB or tube UVB light fitting. The compact UVB (sometimes called coil) are not recommended as they have been shown to cause serious eye problems and, in my opinion, should be banned from sale. Unfortunately the petstores still push them hard
Your tort also needs basking heat by day so that it gets the heat to move and also to help it digest food. This is done by using a light emitting basking spot lamp. You can use a special reptile one, or a standad household spot lamp (cheaper) or by buying the MVB bulb mentioned above which provides both UVB and basking heat in one go.
Both these lamps are great in day time, but at night your tort needs complete darkness to sleep, so the best idea is to put the above on timers.
Overnight, depending on the species and the temperatures in your home, your tort might need additional heat without lihht and that is where the CHE is used... it's basically a heater.
It looks like this http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00267VOOG
By day, Torts need UVB light to help them process Calcium and have healthy bones and shell... this can come from the sun, if your tort goes outdoors often, or from an MVB or tube UVB light fitting. The compact UVB (sometimes called coil) are not recommended as they have been shown to cause serious eye problems and, in my opinion, should be banned from sale. Unfortunately the petstores still push them hard
Your tort also needs basking heat by day so that it gets the heat to move and also to help it digest food. This is done by using a light emitting basking spot lamp. You can use a special reptile one, or a standad household spot lamp (cheaper) or by buying the MVB bulb mentioned above which provides both UVB and basking heat in one go.
Both these lamps are great in day time, but at night your tort needs complete darkness to sleep, so the best idea is to put the above on timers.
Overnight, depending on the species and the temperatures in your home, your tort might need additional heat without lihht and that is where the CHE is used... it's basically a heater.
Good summation Joes Mum.
You can also look into radiant heat panels as well. Same concept as a CHE, but it spreads the heat out over a larger area. They work really well in closed chambers. I recommend that any heating device be run on a thermostat. Theit can maintain ambient temps for you effortlessly day and night, while your basking bulb can provide a warmer area during the day, if your tortoise is of an individual or species that needs this.
You can also look into radiant heat panels as well. Same concept as a CHE, but it spreads the heat out over a larger area. They work really well in closed chambers. I recommend that any heating device be run on a thermostat. Theit can maintain ambient temps for you effortlessly day and night, while your basking bulb can provide a warmer area during the day, if your tortoise is of an individual or species that needs this.
Thanks guys! But im not going to have a UVB for my reds
tupacliveson16 said:
Will they be outside to get the UVB? If not, then you have to provide it. It is a requirement they need.
Well im following that one red foot thread, the one that is the best for red foots, im sorry i cant remember the name, but he never onced used UVB. So i just want a perfect little tortoise, and everybody said to follow him.wellington said:
(The one where he thanks god because its his website his tortoises his information)
Turtletary!
tupacliveson16 said:
Turtletary knows his stuff when it comes to redfoots, I do not have UVB bulbs for my redfoot adults but they are outside everyday. I also do not have UVB for my hatchlings but they get outside when the sun is out and its warm enough. Whatever the case may be they need UVB one way or another to develop properly. If they do not get this they will suffer and you may not see it for awhile but it will surface sooner or later. If you are not planning on having UVB in the enclosure will you be able to get them outside on a regular basis?
fixture but
Yes i did. But i would get a UVB fixture but im scared to make them blind
bigred said:
Yes i did. But i would get a UVB fixture but im scared to make them blind
UVB will not make them blind. Do not get the coil type. Get the tube fluorescent type is all that's needed for RF. You don't need the UVB light, if you can get them outside, but they [/b]have to have it some how. Either a light or the best is sun light. Either way, but, they HAVE to get one or the other!
wellington said:
Exactly this.
You MUST have some form of UVB otherwise your tort will be VERY sick indeed.
If they will be kept indoors, get an MVB or a tube fitting. Do not get a compact (coil) bulb.
tupacliveson16 said:fixture butbigred said:
Yes i did. But i would get a UVB fixture but im scared to make them blind
As others have stated it will not make the tortoise blind, Coil type could bother your torts eyes but a Mercury Vapor type UVB would be fine. You also need to make sure you do not place a mercury MVB to low. A 100 watt is what I use for my other tortoises but havent been using it much because they are outside alot. Were you going to be able to get your redfoots outside?
tupacliveson16 said:
I know Terry K. He is a member here and we used to converse regularly. He mentioned to me that hatchlings redfoots do not need to be bombarded with UV from the moment they hatch. He did not say that RFs NEVER need UV. All of his RFs live outside in the Tennessee heat and humidity during the warmer parts of the year. Because of this, he never used any artificial UV bulbs. If you do it the way he does it, and your climate allows for this, I think you will also realize his success.
IF I recall correctly, he said he does not worry about UV for hatchlings for the first six months or so. He also mentioned that due to their diet, he thinks at least some of a RFs D3 needs are met with the right foods.
I'm just paraphrasing based on memory of conversations from years past, so please verify the specifics on his website, and don't take my word for it.
So we're clear, red foots are native to South America where they get plenty of natural UV. You currently live in the UK? where there is minimal UV year round? How do expect this tortoise to absorb calcium from it's diet without UV? I don't care how much calcium you shove into this animal, without UV it will not get absorbed. You will need to provide synthetic UVB or at times natural sunlight on days where it is warm enough. We don't make this stuff up. Your tortoise WILL develop metabolic bone disease. Guaranteed.
deadheadvet said:
Due to the diet of this species (some meat specifically), is there any truth to some of the D3 needs being met by diet? I've heard this about snakes and some lizards for years, and judging from how they are kept and the positive results, it appears to be true, at least in some cases. Please share your knowledge on the subject.
That is true in some carnivorous reptiles. Snakes especially with their ability to process calcium differently. With the number of cases we see related to metabolic bone disease in vegetarian tortoises. When no UV is present, it will happen.
Thank you Doctor.
lots of debate over the years on this subject,
I'll admit that I no longer keep a uv lamp over my redfoots, but I did at first as "insurance". Hypothetically some natural sunshine during the summer plus a little D3 in the diet should be enough... seems to be for mine, but maybe I'm wrong and they're getting MBD. Living in the "rainshine" state (washington) this is a topic of debate for human health as well.
I'll admit that I no longer keep a uv lamp over my redfoots, but I did at first as "insurance". Hypothetically some natural sunshine during the summer plus a little D3 in the diet should be enough... seems to be for mine, but maybe I'm wrong and they're getting MBD. Living in the "rainshine" state (washington) this is a topic of debate for human health as well.
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I'm over here with Balboa in the good ol' Rainshine State as well. However, I'm over in Eastern WA (For those of you that know the state lol) Much less rain, and much more sun. However I still use a 12 inch 5.0 UVB in the enclosure that's on from 8-8 every day. I just figure it's not worth risking it. I can only get my tort outside for a couple hours at a time since the humidity never reached higher than 30-40% over here on the east side.
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