UVB light suggestion!!

[DobbyRed]

Hi to all! Just looking for a simple suggestion regarding what type or what size of UVB lamp I need for this habitat that I made for my Red Foot Dobby.
This is were she was...

This is were she is now. Everything is bigger for her and I think she is getting less sun light do to the high of the walls.
I have a medium lamp with a spiral fluoricent tropical uvb 100watt bulb in one side of the habitat but I think is not enough or have the wrong bulb.
Thanks!!

 

[wellington]

The spiral will cause eye damage. Get rid of it. Your should get a tube fluorescent light and one or two ceramic heat emitters for heat. I don't use the fluorescent so, someone else will tell you the better ones to get.

 

[Raymo2477]

I would use the newer tube type cfl from zoo med, they're compact, but not the spiral type. I only use my UVB 3 days a week for my red foot. I use Che and a 75watt day light spot for heat.

 

[DobbyRed]

Well the spiral UVB lamp is gone. Got a a new CHE lamp and now the temp is between the 77F-83F. Dobby still sick with a pulmonary infecction but we continue with the antibiotics and after a few days she started to eat last night and this morning was more active. We put her under the sun and she looks more better.

 

[Redstrike]

I use the Zoo Med repti bulbs. Be sure to get a long tube florescent as others have described. Other options are Mercury Vapor Bulbs (poor CRI so not good for illuminating the entire enclosure) and metal halide (no experience with these http://www.joshsfrogs.com/exo-terra-sunray-metal-halide-bulb-35-watt.html - the bulbs are slightly cheaper than an MVB but I don't know of their reliability).

I'm glad to hear you got the tort sunlight. These bulbs barely come close to what the sun can give you for free! I'd opt to take your tort out for 30minutes or more as often as you can. It can also be shaded or semi-shaded an s/he will recieve a good amount of UVB.

 

[DobbyRed]

Thanks a lot!!!
The fluorecent tube is to be use only during the day; right?!
I'm a first timer with tortoise, so I'm kinda lost with now knowing all these differents kinds of bulbs.
During the night the habitat need to have some kind of light?!?
Cause I only have now the CHE with a timer so it doesn't overheat the habitat and stays in a cool temp cause at this time of year it gets really chill during the night.
Every night we wait to Dobby go to sleep and just turn of the room light.

 

[Redstrike]

No lights at night, the CHE is perfect for that.

 

[DobbyRed]

She never had light in the night nor heat, but now she has the CHE with a 84F temp and today we change all the cypress mulch and the repti bark so she can have a nice fresh clean habitat.


After days with no eating today she started eating but it wasn't any of her favorites fruits or veggies, it was the zoo med natural forest tortoise food.

At last she is eating!!
Thanks to all!!!!

 

[Stevenpierce]

My daughter has a 5yr old red foot she's had from a hatchling and needed a new light. I bought a 10.0 UVB CFL thinking it was a dessert tortoise. She told me today that it is tropical. The 10 has been in use for about a week. Is the 10 too high? Should I limit it to an hour or so a day or replace it with a 5.0 UVB and leave on longer? Also I just read about the spiral fluorescent making them blind. How does the shape of the bulb make one more dangerous over the other? Thanks. Also how much time is recommended? I bought timers to help automate the procedure and be consistent. I just built a new turtle table and trying to get it set up. Thanks for your input and knowledge. Oh and I have a 2.0 bulb also for a natural looking light. All CFLs. Also I have a 100w ceramic heat emitter controlled by a T-Stat to help keep 90 during day and 80 at night. Please advise if anything is wrong and needs changed. I want her to have a happy healthy turtle.