Confused about lamps! help please!

[Supersmile]

well im getting tortoise to babysit and i need to know what lamp to get.
it gets pretty cold in my house so i need to have one on almost all the time
.
what type should i get, do i need to get different bulbs for night and day?
what about uv lighting? should i get separate lamps?

itll be snowing outside in a month so i wont be taking it outside.

Thanks

its a sulcata tortoise and is 6 inches

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

What kind of tortoise is it, and how large?

If it were me, I would head to Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot (or similar establishment) and purchase a 10" dome (silver-bowl-shaped) light fixture...should be in the tools/hardware section. Should cost about $10-$12.

As far as bulbs go, I'm partial to Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVBs) myself. A little high wattage (125 watts or more) and pricey initially ($35+) but the advantage is that you have heat and adequate UVB output in a single bulb. Unless the tortoise is large, or one of the secretive forest species (redfoots), a MVB should work fine. Most petstores that carry herp supplies should have these. Keep your receipts!

 

[Tom]

Doesn't it already have a set up? I usually like a mercury vapor bulb on a 12 hour timer over one end of the enclosure and a ceramic heating element on a thermostat over the middle. They need it dark at night. How cool you let it get at night depends on the set up. At 6" humidity isn't all that important anymore, so you can keep them dryer and let the night temps drop into the low 70's. If you are keeping him damp then shoot for temps around 80 24/7, but with a basking spot of around 100 for 12 hours a day.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

You can get a black light bulb for night time heat. Then it will be dark but warm still...I get mine at K-Mart

 

[DeanS]

I use a 160W Zoo Med Powersun and I like high wattage CHEs at night...doesn't interfere with their sleep cycle...also...with sulcatas...don't be afraid to take them outside in he snow...as long as the sun is out, they can take brief periods outside w/ supervision.

 

[Madkins007]

I would try hard to just borrow what it already has instead of buying your own stuff. If you do need to do something like get a fixture to hold the bulb, get a fixture, dome light, or whatever that is heat resistant- ceramic, rather than plastic for the main socket.

 

[Supersmile]

I would try hard to just borrow what it already has instead of buying your own stuff. If you do need to do something like get a fixture to hold the bulb, get a fixture, dome light, or whatever that is heat resistant- ceramic, rather than plastic for the main socket.

ya the problem the person who im babysitting it for, hasnt bought it anything to take care of it. its in a 10 gallon tank. i got so mad at them. i just made it a large table with now, a heating and uv system i want to give it the best home possible!