First tort! (Hermann's) Need some tips & reassurance!

dmmj

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I would go with a UVB bulb daytime ceramic heat emitter at night
 

Hrairoo

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Hm, that is a good thought! I will see about getting one of those! It's great that there is cactus in it

I guess I should try to get a ceramic heater, but I cant find any lighting fixtures and such, so I don't know how I could possibly attach it in the enclosure :/
 

Big Charlie

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Hm, that is a good thought! I will see about getting one of those! It's great that there is cactus in it

I guess I should try to get a ceramic heater, but I cant find any lighting fixtures and such, so I don't know how I could possibly attach it in the enclosure :/
They usually sell the kind with a clamp in pet stores. You just screw the bulb in. It isn't a good idea to actually use the clamp to attach them since it isn't secure enough. You can figure out how to attach it to the lid of your enclosure. There are plenty of examples in the enclosure section of the forum.
 

W Shaw

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Hm, that is a good thought! I will see about getting one of those! It's great that there is cactus in it

I guess I should try to get a ceramic heater, but I cant find any lighting fixtures and such, so I don't know how I could possibly attach it in the enclosure :/

I use the zoomed wire cage fixtures because they prevent the heat build-up than can cause fixtures to short out. Of course the disadvantage is that more heat escapes, rather than being reflected into the enclosure. The other ceramic fixtures have to be almost a foot across before they can handle a big enough heat lamp or MVB, so I like the option of a more compact fixture. My main fixture is clamped on a vertical post, using the attached clamp, but then modified with nails that prevent it from slipping in any direction.
 

Hrairoo

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That's a great idea! Would non-zoomed ceramic heater fit in it? I really don't trust that brand when it comes to lights and such...
Sorry if that is a silly question
 

dmmj

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I think what he means is that heat mats radiate heat from above and ceramic heaters radiate heat at the bottom so that the heat travels down. :)
the mat radiates heat from below which is wasted on a tortoise, a CHE radiates heat from above which is more beneficial to a tortoise
 

spud's_mum

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the mat radiates heat from below which is wasted on a tortoise, a CHE radiates heat from above which is more beneficial to a tortoise
When I said from above I meant that the heat goes upwards :D
They were talking about sticking it on top or on the sides not underneath the substrate. What are your thoughts on this?
 

W Shaw

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That's a great idea! Would non-zoomed ceramic heater fit in it? I really don't trust that brand when it comes to lights and such...
Sorry if that is a silly question

Yep. That's why I got my first one. So many others said they weren't safe with CHEs. The open structure of it prevents overheating, so it works well. In my situation I have to use higher wattage bulbs in general 150 -250 watt, so I need fixtures that can safely handle them.
 

Hrairoo

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I figured that all heat goes up, but if the heat source is on it's side, it could radiate across the area as well as go up.

:/ I've looked into exo terra CHEs and they also seem to have horrible reviews! I really don't want to spend $60+ on two pieces of, pardon my language, crap.

For hermann's, I hear temps are supposed to drop while they sleep/when it's night time. Would it be alright if there were no sources of heat in the enclosure, but keep the room it's enclosure is in quite warm at night? (At about 21 degrees celcius?)
 

spud's_mum

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I figured that all heat goes up, but if the heat source is on it's side, it could radiate across the area as well as go up.

:/ I've looked into exo terra CHEs and they also seem to have horrible reviews! I really don't want to spend $60+ on two pieces of, pardon my language, crap.

For hermann's, I hear temps are supposed to drop while they sleep/when it's night time. Would it be alright if there were no sources of heat in the enclosure, but keep the room it's enclosure is in quite warm at night? (At about 21 degrees celcius?)
I didn't use heat for spud over night at first, until he got too cold one night and slowed down a lot.
I'm not entirely sure what temperature is too low at night.
 

Hrairoo

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Hm... Multiple people have said (on a different forum) that about 20 degrees is ideal for a hermann's at night. I think I will go with keeping the room at this temperature, I know that I myself will appreciate the extra warmth in the colder seasons. I will keep a close eye if the tort starts to slow down, if he does, I'll up the temps?
 

DPtortiose

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Hm... Multiple people have said (on a different forum) that about 20 degrees is ideal for a hermann's at night. I think I will go with keeping the room at this temperature, I know that I myself will appreciate the extra warmth in the colder seasons. I will keep a close eye if the tort starts to slow down, if he does, I'll up the temps?

Well the general 'problem' is that everyone has an opinion, but few people actually explain their reasoning behind their opinion. The best thing to is to look at what wild animals experience and mimic that as much as possible. Tortoise experience temperatures well below 20 degrees Celsius at night in the wild. It's a common misconception that all ectothermic animals need to be warm all the time. A night time drop can be very important for the body to function properly. Climate readings can be easily obtained through a quick google search.

If you are unsure what locale or (sub)species you've bought I suggest taking the advice Chris provides. The information he provides is the most useful you can find on the net, it's well-structured and reflects the animals needs and natural behavior well. He also the following piece: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/ If you want an easy overview about basic questions like temperatures, that's it.

Mega-ray and solar raptor are both excellent brands if you’re looking for a MVB. These bulbs van be screwed into a 'normal' ceramic e27 socket. Arcadia produces decent T5 TL bulbs. You need an whole armature for these, but provide UV over an entire enclosure.

For a heating bulb I really wouldn't bother with any reptile brand. Simply get a halogen bulb in any home-improvement store and you'll get a similar product for half the price.
 

Hrairoo

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Thank you!

I don't think I will be getting an MVB, as they are pretty expensive, and UVB tubes are inexpensive to replace and such.

What type of halogen bulb? Or, how many watts?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...light-halogen-bulb-0525587p.html#.Vq0R5rIrLIU
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ge-250w-r40-halogen-heat-bulb-clear-0525200p.html#.Vq0PmLIrLIU

These are the only two light bulbs I found online that I would be able to acquire in-store in my city. 250 watts seems a bit excessive though...
 

DPtortiose

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Thank you!

I don't think I will be getting an MVB, as they are pretty expensive, and UVB tubes are inexpensive to replace and such.

What type of halogen bulb? Or, how many watts?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/s...light-halogen-bulb-0525587p.html#.Vq0R5rIrLIU
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/ge-250w-r40-halogen-heat-bulb-clear-0525200p.html#.Vq0PmLIrLIU

These are the only two light bulbs I found online that I would be able to acquire in-store in my city. 250 watts seems a bit excessive though...

I really can't recommend a certain amount of Watt. It's determend by the distance to the animal, what kind of enclosure is used, the room temprature etc. 100 watt tend to be enough for me, but I really can't tell if that would be suitable for you. I tend to favor bulbs with a wide beam, that are focus in one direction.

A good UVB tube should be about as expansive as a good MVB, both cost about 40 euro/dollar here. Be sure to buy one with an internal ballest though.
 

Hrairoo

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I really can't recommend a certain amount of Watt. It's determend by the distance to the animal, what kind of enclosure is used, the room temprature etc. 100 watt tend to be enough for me, but I really can't tell if that would be suitable for you. I tend to favor bulbs with a wide beam, that are focus in one direction.

A good UVB tube should be about as expansive as a good MVB, both cost about 40 euro/dollar here. Be sure to buy one with an internal ballest though.


Ahhhh!!! So much I don't know about lights!!! With a wide beam that focus in one direction, would that be more similar to the 250 watt bulb I linked?
I don't really know of any "good" UVB tubes, so I was thinking of just going for Zoo Med UVBs...and praying I get a decent one. They are definitely not that expensive, however-NEVERMIND. I was looking at the prices in US dollars. Zoo Med UVB tubes are basically 50$, I will definitely be looking into MVBs now. (Yikes, I am not good at online window shopping!)
 

Lyn W

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The good thing about MVBs as shown by Spuds mum is that you get heat, light and uvb in one bulb so they are very easy to use for the day. Just one ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome fixture. Hanging it means you can adjust the temp by raising or lowering, clamps sometimes fail so can be a fire hazard and I believe if at an angle the amount of uvb is reduced. I also use a che for night heat run through a thermostat so that it switches on and off to keep temps even. The caresheet will advise on night temps (or ask Hermannichris)
But that is just my personal choice, obviously yours will depend on your circumstances etc. Whatever you get though make sure it isn't coiled or long thin loop cfl type as these can damage torts eyes - there are always exceptions to the rule but why risk it.
 

Hrairoo

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The good thing about MVBs as shown by Spuds mum is that you get heat, light and uvb in one bulb so they are very easy to use for the day. Just one ceramic bulb holder with a wide dome fixture. Hanging it means you can adjust the temp by raising or lowering, clamps sometimes fail so can be a fire hazard and I believe if at an angle the amount of uvb is reduced. I also use a che for night heat run through a thermostat so that it switches on and off to keep temps even. The caresheet will advise on night temps (or ask Hermannichris)
But that is just my personal choice, obviously yours will depend on your circumstances etc. Whatever you get though make sure it isn't coiled or long thin loop cfl type as these can damage torts eyes - there are always exceptions to the rule but why risk it.

Yes, I think going with a MVB will be the the way to go, only one light fixture will make things much less complicated. My bedroom has a loft in it, so almost half of the room has a low roof, maybe 5ft high, so I believe I could easily hang a light from it, so I shouldn't have to worry about a clamp malfunction ;)
 

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