Fire Safety, URGENT

[Mistabagel12]

My father will not let me house my RT vladimir bc he thinks the lamps are too much of a fire hazard. It is quite upsetting thinking I have to get rid of vlad, so as one last effort I ask, if their anyway to house a RT without the use of heat lamps? I can raise the thermostat in the basement where he lives, to 80 degrees to ensure sufficient ambient temperature. But I have no idea if it's possible to create a basking spot of 90+ degrees without a heat lamp/ceramic heater? If anyone has had this issue or knows a resolution it would be much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

You can always let him hibernate.

 

[wellington]

You can also use a regular light bulb to get the needed higher basking temps and use a tube fluorescent light for the UVB.
Good luck. He shouldn't have a problem with what I suggested. He uses the regular bulbs all the time.

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Btw, not the coil type.

 

[Mistabagel12]

I've only had him for a year. He's probably not more than 2-2.5 years old. Is hibernating him a difficult process? He's my first RT so I'm fairly new to husbandry.

 

[Mistabagel12]

I will definitely try that, is a normal light bulb strong enough to raise the temp by 10-15 degrees tho? Suppose I could always use two side to side.

 

[stinax182]

a Russian tortoise would do fine in a house with ambient temperatures of 70-80°. all he would need is a regular incandescent bulb like you would use in any household light fixture (not the coil energy efficient ones, they have been known to cause blindness) if you have the light on one of those metal clamps, it may be a fire hazard. a better method for hanging a fixture is by using small link chain and hang it from ceiling. that way it could never fall into the enclosure. or they make handy little light hangers for lights http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/light-fixtures/-/zoo-med-small-lamp-stand/

and a uvb florescent tube bulb (not a mvb) does not produce heat so that shouldn't be a fire hazard. and if you can get your tort outside for a couple hours a week for real sunshine, you won't need the uvb light at all. but they do need some sort basking light, there is no way around that.

 

[wellington]

I will definitely try that, is a normal light bulb strong enough to raise the temp by 10-15 degrees tho? Suppose I could always use two side to side.

Yes, a 60-100 watt should work. You might have to play with the different wattages and the height of the bulb, but they will work. I would start with a 60 watt.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

I'm using a 60 watt regular old household lightbulb for basking.



It's a clamp lamp, clamp removed and hanging from a cheap plant hanging bracket.
It's set on a timer. On the wall is a 24" fluorescent "under the counter" style fixture you can buy at Walmart for $8.99
The tube is a ZooMed ReptiSun UVB fluorescent. $17

 

[mike taylor]

Thats all I use as a basking lamp a 60 watt lamp . If you mount your fixtures right you cut out the fire hazards. They sell stands for them . You can mount them to your enclosure.

 

[Tom]

It appears your dad is upset about something. Clamp lamps are not safe, but he ought to be able to figure out a way to safely hang your basking bulb. Millions of people safely use light bulbs all the time. Why do you think he doesn't want you to have a tortoise?

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I've only had him for a year. He's probably not more than 2-2.5 years old. Is hibernating him a difficult process? He's my first RT so I'm fairly new to husbandry.

Brumating a tortoise artificially is never without risk, much more so if you don't know what you're doing...regular light bulbs, a tube UV light, and sun any day you can, is much safer for him.

 

[N2TORTS]

Have Pops sleep in the front yard tonight ...." no blanky"

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

The ambient temp of 80F is even slightly high for nighttime for a russian. 70F will be sufficient, and for day time a 50 or 75 watt Illuminating spot or flood bulb will make a good day to night gradient with light. To sustain a russian over winter inside I don't think you need to worry about UV illumination as long as during the summer months the tortoise is outside.

Something I am not getting from your inquiry is 'in that year' that you have had him, how else has he been housed? Always inside, and in the basement? Was he outside for the past summer, and now is coming in for the winter?

If he is inside all the time, UV light is a good idea, along with some form of food that provides D3 in it's formulation. Mazuri and ZooMed Grassland, are two examples among many.

I have bred russians from multi year indoor habitats with only illuminating light and infrared bulbs for heat, no UV light at all.

Will