Which Exoterra light bulb should I use?

Mvroccan

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Aug 16, 2021
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Rotterdam
Hi everyone,

Im planning to get a 1 year old Hermanns tortoise after I do the needed research and know im completely ready
I already did a lot of research in everything but lights still confuse me a lot.
I wanted to ask yall which basking light bulb by exoterra would be best to use for him/her that covers everything, from heat to uv etc. And how much watt it should be.
Thank you in advance!
 

Mrs.Jennifer

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Kudos to you for asking BEFORE you get the tortoise--thats 95% of the game! ;) Read the attached (comprehensive) care sheet and ask as many questions as you need answered.

 

Tom

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Hi everyone,

Im planning to get a 1 year old Hermanns tortoise after I do the needed research and know im completely ready
I already did a lot of research in everything but lights still confuse me a lot.
I wanted to ask yall which basking light bulb by exoterra would be best to use for him/her that covers everything, from heat to uv etc. And how much watt it should be.
Thank you in advance!
None of them. Get your basking bulb from a hardware store. Get your CHE or radiant heat panel from a pet store or online source. Get your HO UV tube from a pet store or online source. Finally, get your ambient lighting, usually LED, from the hardware store. There is no Exoterra bulb I would recommend for a tortoise.

Here is a simplified heating and lighting explanation:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
  3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you need indoor UV die to living in a cold climate with frozen winters, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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None of them. Get your basking bulb from a hardware store. Get your CHE or radiant heat panel from a pet store or online source. Get your HO UV tube from a pet store or online source. Finally, get your ambient lighting, usually LED, from the hardware store. There is no Exoterra bulb I would recommend for a tortoise.

Here is a simplified heating and lighting explanation:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
  3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you need indoor UV die to living in a cold climate with frozen winters, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
Thanks, Tom
I agree
 

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