General tortoise care

[NickPoole]

OK... wow. I'm looking at £50 ($70) for a Mega-Ray.

I'd still not want to import T-rex's though as I'd have be relying on the bulbs not being damaged on a pretty long trip. Not to mention having to get an inverter.

 

[nrfitchett4]

I was just shocked that someone was selling them that cheap. they had some other bulbs there, zoomed and some new german company that were more normally priced.

 

[NickPoole]

I've seen Zoo Med and Exo Terra bulbs are more commonly available over here (UK), but I've not heard many reviews. The Exo Terra bulbs are almost half the price of the Mega-Ray equivalent, so I'm kind of dubious. I'd rather spend my money on what is tried and tested, rather than risk using a bulb which could have lost most of it's UVA/B output within months.

Any recommendations for lamp holder/reflector sizes for a 100-160W bulb. I'd rather not go too big to start with, so would I be able to get away with the 8.5" Exo Terra "Lamp Clamp" or would i need to use the 10" version?

 

[Crazy1]

Here are the outputs of some of the bulbs you mentioned plus several others including florescent light and natural sunlight in several areas so you can compare the bulbs to that. This shows different wattage for several of the bulbs and the UVB and or UVA that is put out at specific distances from the substrate. http://www.russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercuryvapourlamps.htm MVB lamps
http://www.uvguide.co.uk/mercvapourreflectortests.htm Dome Reflector info (this site has so much information about lighting your head will spin, but if you want to know something its there)
What you have to remember with the size of the dome and the reflecting material will make a difference. I have used the 8.5 and the 10 inch with my Greeks but find I really like (simply a personal opinion) the 10" for my MVB. Just make sure it has a ceramic fixture not a plastic one as these bulbs will melt the plastic fixtures.

 

[tortoisenerd]

I've also heard the 10" being recommended for the Mega Ray, and that's what I use. I think it helps disperse the heat/light a little better than directly focusing it.