Bulb Holders

[Kimbles2009]

hi,

Quick question! Can the bulb holders that i screw my exo terra solar glo bulb into stop working as well?

I kerp buying new 125 watt bulbs and they just don't seem to be as bright or get upto temperature like they used too?

Thanks

Kim

 

[Blackdog1714]

I think you are dealing with issue with Mecrury Vapor Bulbs and it is why they are not good for torts. They can get super hot and burn the carapace

 

[jaizei]

It's possible, but probably more so with an incandescent than an MVB. With an MVB, I'd expect it to work intermittently/turn off-on if there was a problem with the socket vs being dimmer.

 

[Kimbles2009]

I just dont know what to do! I've never had any issues before but now my tort is sleeping all day! I brought a new bulb as I thought it was that but it still doesn't seem to be bright or hot enough and he's still sleeping! ?

 

[Blackdog1714]

I just dont know what to do! I've never had any issues before but now my tort is sleeping all day! I brought a new bulb as I thought it was that but it still doesn't seem to be bright or hot enough and he's still sleeping! ?

post some picks of your setup. What are you temps-basking spot, cold side, hide? What substrate? What heat sources? What Light sources?

 

[Tom]

I just dont know what to do! I've never had any issues before but now my tort is sleeping all day! I brought a new bulb as I thought it was that but it still doesn't seem to be bright or hot enough and he's still sleeping! ?

I'd get rid of the MVB in favor of the following:

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

And more info here:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Kimbles2009]

I'd get rid of the MVB in favor of the following:

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

And more info here:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Thankyou, its all just blowing my mind and I'm feeling very overwhelmed with it all! I dont know where to start and don't understand why a 125 watt bulb is only giving a temperature of 29 degrees C!

 

[Kimbles2009]

I'd get rid of the MVB in favor of the following:

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb.
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

And more info here:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I have put the bulb so it is at least 30cm higher than his shell and put the thermometer probe at shell height and it is reading 26.6! The bulb is 125 watts. Do I need a higher watt bulb? The table is 3ft by 2ft, he has a much bigger table on order so i'm worried that the temp will be even lower in that!
Thank you

 

[Tom]

I have put the bulb so it is at least 30cm higher than his shell and put the thermometer probe at shell height and it is reading 26.6! The bulb is 125 watts. Do I need a higher watt bulb? The table is 3ft by 2ft, he has a much bigger table on order so i'm worried that the temp will be even lower in that!

Looks like the bulb is way too high, and also your thermometer probe is touching the substrate which might make it give a cooler reading.

This also depends on the room temp. What is the room temp?

That sandy substrate can literally kill your tortoise and it should be swapped for something safer ASAP.

This is also a reason why open tables are difficult to maintain the correct conditions in.

This thread might answer some questions for you:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Kimbles2009]

Looks like the bulb is way too high, and also your thermometer probe is touching the substrate which might make it give a cooler reading.

This also depends on the room temp. What is the room temp?

That sandy substrate can literally kill your tortoise and it should be swapped for something safer ASAP.

This is also a reason why open tables are difficult to maintain the correct conditions in.

This thread might answer some questions for you:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

The bulb is 30cm high which I read is recommended as it needs to be that far away from the tortoise, the probe isn't touching the substrate, i think its just the angle of the picture. The substrate is top soil mixed with play sand. The room temperature is 20 degrees.
When I first got my tortoise, it was this forum that recommended I used a table with that substrate as it was said that an enclosed structure wasn't good for them! There's so much conflicting advice out there, its a nightmare to know what to do! ?

 

[Minority2]

The bulb is 30cm high which I read is recommended as it needs to be that far away from the tortoise, the probe isn't touching the substrate, i think its just the angle of the picture. The substrate is top soil mixed with play sand. The room temperature is 20 degrees.
When I first got my tortoise, it was this forum that recommended I used a table with that substrate as it was said that an enclosed structure wasn't good for them! There's so much conflicting advice out there, its a nightmare to know what to do! ?

Things have changed. There are now enough stories about tortoises getting impacted from eating sand and other things in commonly sold in organic soil that it just more sense to not recommend these substrate types entirely in order to minimize the amount risks involved. Many members, including myself, have one time or another used play sand and defended it on occasions but just because it works for some doesn't mean it would work for all. Coco coir and orchid/fir bark have been proven to safely work for all.

Now we know that open enclosures aren't all that good and closed chamber enclosures are the bee's knees because of how well they insulate and retain heat and humidity.

If you're unsure about what advice is right from wrong pay attention to the date of the post. You can always start a thread and ask any questions you need answered.

 

[Kimbles2009]

Things have changed. There are now enough stories about tortoises getting impacted from eating sand and other things in commonly sold in organic soil that it just more sense to not recommend these substrate types entirely in order to minimize the amount risks involved. Many members, including myself, have one time or another used play sand and defended it on occasions but just because it works for some doesn't mean it would work for all. Coco coir and orchid/fir bark have been proven to safely work for all.

Now we know that open enclosures aren't all that good and closed chamber enclosures are the bee's knees because of how well they insulate and retain heat and humidity.

If you're unsure about what advice is right from wrong pay attention to the date of the post. You can always start a thread and ask any questions you need answered.

Well i do have some orchid bark on order too as I wantes to change his substrate anyway, i find this too dry and dusty and have to moisten it down quite alot.

So maybe I should cancel the order for his new table and look into a closed one instead! Do you have any recommendations i can look at?

 

[Minority2]

Well i do have some orchid bark on order too as I wantes to change his substrate anyway, i find this too dry and dusty and have to moisten it down quite alot.

So maybe I should cancel the order for his new table and look into a closed one instead! Do you have any recommendations i can look at?

If you're willing to throw in the dough you can always purchase one of those plastic closed chamber enclosures from Animal plastics website or from @Markw84. That's the high-end quality of pre-made enclosures.

I'm afraid there aren't many affordable options when it comes to a 8ft x 4ft enclosure. Even a grow tent at nearly that size, last I checked, runs about $200-350. At that price you're better off building your own or having a relative/friend build it for you.

 

[Tom]

If you're willing to throw in the dough you can always purchase one of those plastic closed chamber enclosures from Animal plastics website or from @Markw84. That's the high-end quality of pre-made enclosures.

I'm afraid there aren't many affordable options when it comes to a 8ft x 4ft enclosure. Even a grow tent at nearly that size, last I checked, runs about $200-350. At that price you're better off building your own or having a relative/friend build it for you.

You must be using your phone to do TFO right now. The OP is in the UK.

 

[Minority2]

You must be using your phone to do TFO right now. The OP is in the UK.

Does @Markw84 or Animal Plastics not ship to the UK?

 

[Tom]

Does @Markw84 or Animal Plastics not ship to the UK?

Not that I know of.