Question about keeping tortoise warm at night

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Hey I wanted to know what the best way to keep torts warm at night and second whats the best uvb bulb or are they the same
 

Tom

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Hey I wanted to know what the best way to keep torts warm at night and second whats the best uvb bulb or are they the same

Are you talking about a baby sulcata in an indoor enclosure? The answer would be different for a russian in a tortoise table, or for an adult sulcata living outside.

For most indoor enclosures housing smaller sized tortoises a CHE set on a thermostat is my preferred method.

For the second part of your question, the "best" UV bulb depends on where and how you are using it. If my bulb needed to be mounted 10" from the tortoise I would use a long, regular 10.0 tube. If the bulb needed to be mounted 20-24 inches away, I would use an Arcadia 12% HO tube. If I have a Testudo species in a large open topped enclosure where over heating was not going to be an issue, I would use a mercury vapor bulb, set on a timer.

The the second part of your second question: They cannot be the same. Tortoises need it dark at night and any UV lamp is going to emit light.
 

ascott

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Hey I wanted to know what the best way to keep torts warm at night and second whats the best uvb bulb or are they the same

Night heat can be achieved a variety of ways..ceramic heat emitter, black night heat bulbs, red night heat bulbs, heat ropes burried in the soil..these are available for a variety of species and environments...what species of tort is in your care?
 

JoshSloane

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I actually just finished building my first closed chamber enclosure. I found that a 100w CHE on a lamp dimmer, and dimmed down to about 75% will help keep ambient temps in the high 80s, low 90s during the day, and in the low to mid 80s at night once the basking light goes off. My basking light is a 72w indoor/outdoor flood bulb dimmed down to about 60%. Every situation is different, but I really like the CHE. Just make sure that you use the CHE with a porcelain lamp, and preferably one that has a wire cage around it.
 

Tom

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I actually just finished building my first closed chamber enclosure. I found that a 100w CHE on a lamp dimmer, and dimmed down to about 75% will help keep ambient temps in the high 80s, low 90s during the day, and in the low to mid 80s at night once the basking light goes off. My basking light is a 72w indoor/outdoor flood bulb dimmed down to about 60%. Every situation is different, but I really like the CHE. Just make sure that you use the CHE with a porcelain lamp, and preferably one that has a wire cage around it.

Good tip on the porcelain fixture, but why do you thick a wire cage is needed? No one uses those and our tortoises can't reach up and touch the CHE…

I'm glad your system is working for you, but thermostats make life much easier than a dimmer switch for maintaining ambient heat. For many people their room temp changes depending on the weather and season. Using your system, the temp can get too hot or too cold whenever the weather and the current room temp changes. Your system will require frequent monitoring and adjusting. This may be just fine for people whose homes stay a fairly consistent temperature, but a thermostat would eliminate all this guess work and worry. Just set it and forget it.

Just throwing that out there for ya'...
 

JoshSloane

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From reading product manuals, it seems that deep dome lamps and other fully enclosed lamps are not recommended for CHE, as there can be a dangerously large buildup of heat. Seems that the wire cage type lamps are more appropriate from a safety aspect as they allow heat to dissipate. My home is temperature controlled, so I can rely on the background ambient room temps to remain relatively stable.

I do agree that thermostats are great, but I never operate under the philosophy of set it and forget it. Thermostats can fail. And even to a lesser degree they can lose their accuracy in measuring temps. After setting up my enclosure I took temp measurements throughout the day, and during night time. With my dimmers the temps remained perfect throughout the day, at night as well. If there aren't wild fluctuations in your background room temps, I honestly believe that dimmers are superior. With a thermostat probes can become moved, unplugged, or simply stop working. Also, I believe that with thermostats we tend to rely on, and trust too heavily in them to maintain the habitat. I rather like to check temps daily myself, with my temp guns. If I need to make changes to dimmers I do, but haven't had to as of yet.
 

Tom

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In my experience thermostats are no more prone to failure than rheostats. I have found both to be reliable over time, and both need to be observed regularly to be sure they are working properly. For someone in a house with fluctuating temperatures, a thermostat will do the "adjusting" for them, while they would have to constantly adjust the rheostat manually. Temperatures will need to be observed regularly with either device.

As I said before, I'm glad your methods are working for you, but just wanted to point out the rheostats might not be the best strategy for everyone and every situation.

In 24 years of using CHEs in domed fixtures, I have never had a "dangerously large build up of heat". I've never liked or used the deep dome fixtures, but regular ceramic fixtures that are properly wattage rated, have yet to fail me. My issue with the wire cages is that they leave that super hot bulb more exposed and easier to touch, and they don't direct the heat downward, where we want it, as well as a dome does.

Personally, I think its fantastic that you are so on top of watching and maintain proper conditions in your enclosure, with whatever equipment you choose to use.

{High five!}
 

JoshSloane

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Thanks Tom! I definitely agree that everyone's situation is different and requires a unique approach. I'm glad that you haven't had any issue with CHEs in dome lamps. I'm a scientist, and just cant help reading every single manufacturer warning, direction and safety sheet. Call me OCD, but I'm probably the only person in the world that reads all the terms and conditions for everything, in addition to hundreds of reviews before making a purchase.

On a separate note, I was shocked to come in the this morning and find my little sulcata sitting on top of his half log hide. I had no idea that tortoises could climb like that.
 

Tom

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Funny. I read all that stuff too.

You must admit that at least some of those warnings are driven by the possibility of liability and the lawyers require it, right?

Good example would be many of the drugs we use. Not sure if it has changed by now, but for many years after Ivermectin hit the scene, it was only approved for bovine use. We were all using it for everything, and with the exception of tortoises and prehensile tailed skinks, it served us pretty well. There is no way that the manufacturer would say on paper that it was okay to administer it to anything other than a cow though…

Just making conversation here...
 

JoshSloane

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Oh absolutely, there is a lot of lawyer-speak that needs to occur to cover a company due to the litigious society we live in.

That's funny you bring up Ivermectin. I am getting my PhD in Toxicology and I definitely have used Ivermectin in many veterinary applications. Heck, we even use diluted permethrin directly on snakes to treat mites. You're absolutely right that manufacturer warnings are often overplayed, I just cant help myself from reading them.
 

Tom

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Oh absolutely, there is a lot of lawyer-speak that needs to occur to cover a company due to the litigious society we live in.

That's funny you bring up Ivermectin. I am getting my PhD in Toxicology and I definitely have used Ivermectin in many veterinary applications. Heck, we even use diluted permethrin directly on snakes to treat mites. You're absolutely right that manufacturer warnings are often overplayed, I just cant help myself from reading them.

Well read on my friend.

So is Ivermectin now approved for other species? I'm pretty sure it is listed for dogs now as its in some of the heart worm meds. In the past I've used it orally on pigeons, chickens, iguanas, dogs, cats, snakes, etc… No problems to report.

And good luck with you doctorate studies. I hope you will share your toxicology knowledge here with us when the subject comes up.
 

JoshSloane

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Yes it is the active ingredient in heart guard for dogs. I'm always wary of using any organophosphates for applications directly on animals, like most flea and tick collars have. But pyrethroids and avermectins seem to do great at killing bugs and having less of a toxic effect on the host.
 
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