Wooden table or plastic table?

[matthewfletcher]

I'll be getting a horsfield tortoise soon and was wondering what would be best? To make a wooden tortoise table or use a plastic under bed storage box? Thanks in advance

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Matthew:

With a Russian I'd go with a tort table. The under-the-bed storage bins have real low sides and after you've added 3 or 4 inches of substrate they're too low and he can climb right out. Also, with an adult Russian there isn't the pressing need for all that wet substrate. That's more for the grassland-type tortoises, not the Mediterranean type.

 

[matthewfletcher]

Thanks Yvonne! Also done a bit of reading on lighting and heating but I'm not 100% sure on what's best to go for? What kind of heat lamp could you recommend and would you say a UVB strip light with reflector would be better than a UVB spot light? Thank you

 

[matthewfletcher]

Ok thanks, how what would you recommend with regards to heating and lighting?

 

[Yvonne G]

I like to use the MVB (Mercury Vapor Bulb) because it is heat and light with UVB all in one fixture. Trouble with them is they can get the habitat a little too hot. You have to be creative in the way you hang them.

 

[matthewfletcher]

Ok thanks.... Could you use a thermostat of some type with one of these bulbs??

 

[Spn785]

I have a Russian, and I use both an MVB and a UVB strip light. an MVB gives basking and UVB, but Russians like to wander, so I like to have UVB throughout the whole enclosure.

 

[LolaMyLove]

I use a MVB in my indoor table. It does a good job of heating and lighting the whole enclosure. Of course he is only in it over night and each morning he goes outside to hang out, weather permitting. Will you have an outdoor area for your tort too?

 

[Rogue]

Ok thanks.... Could you use a thermostat of some type with one of these bulbs??

MVBs are self-ballasted, so once you turn them off, you can't turn them back on for about 15 min. Might not be an issue, but I think the best approach for longer bulb life is leave them on during the day and adjust the bulb height so the basking spot is the right temp, and add a ceramic heating element (CHE) bulb on the other end on a thermostat only if you need it, and/or at night only if you need it.

I also agree an additional UVB tube would be benefitial to light the rest of the enclosure if you use a MVB on the hot end. For a russian kept indoors especially, the enclosure needs to be as large as possible as they like to roam.

 

[matthewfletcher]

It's quite a large enclosure... Went to the pet store today and they said I should go for the longest UVB light possible to fit my table and to maybe go for the ceramic heat lamp with or with out a thermostat depending how large my table is they said. I live in England on the not so sunny east coast so the little fella will not be outside as much as id like but when its warm enough he/she can have a wonder in the garden. Does the light/heat set up sound ok that they recommended? Thanks for all your help guys

 

[Spn785]

Definitely go with the longest UVB tube, which I think is 4 feet. I personally don't like CHEs for a Russian, because Russians like the light. If you want, you can use a standard incandescent bulb for a basking spot instead of a MVB.