Which lamps should I get?

[Akuma]

Hey.
Buying lamps for my tortoise box and I cannot decide which ones to buy.
How many and how strong lamps should I buy for my Pancake Tortoise?

I'm currently looking at these.

EXO TERRA SUN GLO Halogen but I don't know how many watts?
50? 75? 100? 150?

Exo-Terra Repti-Glo UVB-lamp. 2.0? 5.0 or 10.0?

HEAT-GLO R20/50W Heat Lamp.

What are your suggestions?

The lamps I buy are from this site

Please help me out.
Cheers.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I recommend none of those. I think you should get either a Mega Ray or T-Rexs Mercuty Vapor Bulb, which is combined UVB, heat, and light all in one. THey have the best UVB output, and are the best your money can buy. They are surprisingly cheap when you consider you only have one fixture, save on energy costs, and only replace them every 12 months vs 6 months like a tube UVB.

With a typical enclosure, you'd need a 100 watt bulb. They run $42+ plus shipping. You need a lamp stand to adjust the height. You also need a large diameter, deep, hood fixture with a ceramic socket. The bulb face needs to be parallel to the substrate.

That's my opinion! I don't like any of those options you presented. What country are you in? What voltage do you use? Maybe I can help you find someone that sells these. Best wishes. Congrats on the tort!

 

[Akuma]

I recommend none of those.

Sadly, I live in Sweden and those are my limited options.
$42 + shipping does not in any way sound CHEAP.
For that price I can buy 3 of those lamps.

I cannot order anything in the US due to outrageous shipping rates. I am only limited to sites in the European Union.

If you know of any site from EU that has the lamps you recommended for a cheap price (I doubt they even have those - much less selling them for cheap. Since EU V.A.T is near 40% it'll probably be TWICE the price that of the US)

I chose those lamps because it is what I can afford right now for the moment and because its the only ones I have access to.

---

I recommend none of those. I think you should get either a Mega Ray or T-Rexs Mercuty Vapor Bulb

I did some research on the Internet.
There is currently no reseller in Sweden that sells Mega Ray lamps nor T-Rex lamps.

They are surprisingly cheap. They run $42+ plus shipping.

The only site I managed to find those lamps in are in a British reseller and they cost around 52£. That's 90 US DOLLARS excluding shipping.

 

[Akuma]

I also found some ZooMed PowerSun lamps in a couple of shops here in Sweden.
The cost for those? $85 US Dollars.

I posted this site for a reason.
They have the only affordable lamps I can possibly buy. I know you don't like any one of those, but look at it from my perspective. It's either those or none.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I hope another member can come along and answer your question then, as I have no experience with the products you link to. Honestly, I've spent probably $500+ easily on my tort so far! I think $90 is nothing if you tort will be happy and healthy. Sorry but I'm brutally honest. If you post more about your enclosure (size, temperature of the room, etc), tort type, and pictures, then I think you have a better chance of recommendations for the set up. Do you have fixtures already? Which fixtures?

 

[Akuma]

I hope another member can come along and answer your question then, as I have no experience with the products you link to. Honestly, I've spent probably $500+ easily on my tort so far! I think $90 is nothing if you tort will be happy and healthy. Sorry but I'm brutally honest. If you post more about your enclosure (size, temperature of the room, etc), tort type, and pictures, then I think you have a better chance of recommendations for the set up. Do you have fixtures already? Which fixtures?

With all do respect, it's not that I don't want to spend $500 on lamps. I can't spend that kind of money on my tortoise. If it was simply a question wether I wanted to spend or not I wouldn't be bothering you nor the rest of the people in this forum about this. No matter how brutally honest you must realize that for me it is impossible to spend - even $90 on lamps as of now.

I posted info on my encloser on my very first post. If you click on the word tortoisebox on the very first post you would have seen an entire video of me explaining everything there is to know about the enclosure. If that doesn't work check this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtXiCZ15Eig

The tortoise-type is an African Pancake Tortoise Malacochersus tornieri.

There is also a picture of it in my avatar.

I have no fixtures what so ever.
I'm contemplating on buying one of these fixtures:
http://shop.landskoldpaddor.se/cubecart/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=6

I have no idea which ones to buy because I don't know which lamps or how many I will need.

 

[Millerlite]

I dont know the what kind of weather is in sweden, but if you can put them outside every now and then, and use some vitamin supplements, you don't really need a uvb bulb. I rarely use them, and i have done fine without them. There are a few members on here as well that does not use them and there tortoises are healthy and some even producing healthy babies.

 

[Akuma]

I dont know the what kind of weather is in sweden, but if you can put them outside every now and then, and use some vitamin supplements, you don't really need a uvb bulb. I rarely use them, and i have done fine without them. There are a few members on here as well that does not use them and there tortoises are healthy and some even producing healthy babies.

*sigh*
People here obviously do not read my threads.
I live in a studentapartement, smack in the middle of a massive metropolitan area.
I don't live in a massive house nor mansion where garders are plenty. They are no gardens here in a 20 mile radius.

There be no gardens here



Oh, I forgot to mention, Sweden is located almost in the North Pole, we have snow 10 months per year, -4 °F in Winter and cold as hell all year around. There is no way an African tortoise can survive in this enviroment.

If the possibility of my tortoise living outside existed - I wouldnt bother people with these rants.


But seriously now.
I need lamps.
Please
I don't need gardening tips

 

[Kadaan]

100W in a 10" ceramic fixture seems to be the standard indoor 2'x4' size. You'll want some way of adjusting the height so you can adjust the temperature at the tort's level. I'm not sure about the UVB one though.

The official site (http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/compact_fluorescent_bulbs.php) has more descriptive information, and says the Repti Glo 10.0 is "Ideal for all desert dwelling reptiles." The 5.0 is "Ideal for all tropical and sub-tropical reptiles" and the 2.0 says it's good to use in conjunction with other UVB bulbs.

 

[tortoisenerd]

All I have to add right now is that $90 for a bulb that lasts for a year plus one fixture and stand may still be cheaper than three bulbs, replacing the UVB one every 6 months, and 3 fixtures and stands/clamps. How about pricing it out? When I did for my locality, the MVB was both cheaper and better for my tort. I did not spend $500 on bulbs. I have spent that much total, approximately. I was trying to illustrate that tort ownership is expensive and if you don't have $90, I was questioning whether you had the money for other care items such as substrate, food, vet care, heating/lighting, cage furnishings, etc. I don't want to pry into your personal life. Members here do not read all posts and remember all their content. Sorry. Thank you for the link. I don't watch videos. Want to post dimensions of the enclosure and room temperature (throughout the year)? Is that included in the video? For the non-MVB setup you would at least need the UVB tube, basking light, and heat emitter. It depends on enclosure dimensions and room temperature how much you need (any additional light/heat for a large enclosure, higher wattage for a colder room), and it's also more trial and error to get the temperature gradient. I highly doubt any set up of heat emitter, UVB tube, basking light, fixtures, and stands will be less than $90. Sorry I can't be of more help on this without more information.

---

Which fixture on that website? It's a long list of them, not a specific one. You would need a hood fixture for a basking light, a long fixture for the tube light, and either a hood fixture or wire cage for a heat emitter.

 

[Akuma]

All I have to add right now is that $90 for a bulb that lasts for a year plus one fixture and stand may still be cheaper than three bulbs, replacing the UVB one every 6 months, and 3 fixtures and stands/clamps. How about pricing it out? When I did for my locality, the MVB was both cheaper and better for my tort. I did not spend $500 on bulbs. I have spent that much total, approximately. I was trying to illustrate that tort ownership is expensive and if you don't have $90, I was questioning whether you had the money for other care items such as substrate, food, vet care, heating/lighting, cage furnishings, etc. I don't want to pry into your personal life. Members here do not read all posts and remember all their content. Sorry. Thank you for the link. I don't watch videos. Want to post dimensions of the enclosure and room temperature (throughout the year)? Is that included in the video? For the non-MVB setup you would at least need the UVB tube, basking light, and heat emitter. It depends on enclosure dimensions and room temperature how much you need (any additional light/heat for a large enclosure, higher wattage for a colder room), and it's also more trial and error to get the temperature gradient. I highly doubt any set up of heat emitter, UVB tube, basking light, fixtures, and stands will be less than $90. Sorry I can't be of more help on this without more information.

---

Which fixture on that website? It's a long list of them, not a specific one. You would need a hood fixture for a basking light, a long fixture for the tube light, and either a hood fixture or wire cage for a heat emitter.

---

The cost for mentioned things depends greatly on where I puchase them. If I go to an UK online exportshop and buy one of those spanking brand new Mega Ray lamps it will cost me probably $110 with shipment, no fixture.

The sites I displayed in my thread have Basking Lamp + UV-B lamps, heating lamps and night lamps that cost around $10-$15 each.
Fixtures aside everything together will be well under $90.
Stands, wire cages etc. I can manufacture myself from some spare parts I have in the carpentry center where I made the enclosure.

This is where I am asking for your help; WHICH lamps of the Swedish sites are the ones that are recommended?

http://www.akvariumbutiken.se/gloedlampor/vaermelampor_45/
and
http://shop.landskoldpaddor.se/cubecart/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=6

The dimensions for the tortoise box are approx. 195 x 75 x 30 cm in the format of Length / Width / Height.

The temperature in-door variates between +20 °C during days and +17 °C during nights.

AS for now, I would be glad with any lamps I have, no matter if they need to be switched in 6 months. I'd rather do that and then maybe I will be able to afford those pricey Mega Ray or T-Rex lamps. For now, my tortoise needs a home, even if a temporary one.

As for the substrate I'm using 50% sandboxsand and 50% soil but I'll siwtch the soil into some of the other moist substrates.