How to Get Tort to Accept UVB?

[Quixx66]

Hi,

From advice on TFO I realized that the light I had before was too intense. I got a lower intensity UVB light than before to put over Matteo’s bin. There’s now an Arcadia 6% Forest vs the 12% Desert that I used to use. It’s about 12” above the substrate, across the top of the bin. Matteo still ran away in about 5 minutes.

There’s a way for me to temporarily hang either bulb higher above the bin but in two months he’ll get his new closed chamber pvc enclosure. The height of the enclosure is 24” (60” L). What can I do to get him to accept the light? I can spend a couple of hours a week with him outside in warm weather to get sunlight but the winters here get down to daytime temps of 30F on occasion.

Any advice?

Thanks.

Terri

 

[Tom]

Hi,

From advice on TFO I realized that the light I had before was too intense. I got a lower intensity UVB light than before to put over Matteo’s bin. There’s now an Arcadia 6% Forest vs the 12% Desert that I used to use. It’s about 12” above the substrate, across the top of the bin. Matteo still ran away in about 5 minutes.

There’s a way for me to temporarily hang either bulb higher above the bin but in two months he’ll get his new closed chamber pvc enclosure. The height of the enclosure is 24” (60” L). What can I do to get him to accept the light? I can spend a couple of hours a week with him outside in warm weather to get sunlight but the winters here get down to daytime temps of 30F on occasion.

Any advice?

Thanks.

Terri

12 inches is probably too close for any HO bulb. Do you have a UV meter? That is the only way to know.

What species is Matteo?

 

[Quixx66]

12 inches is probably too close for any HO bulb. Do you have a UV meter? That is the only way to know.

What species is Matteo?

He’s a Western Hermann’s, almost 2 years old. I’ll put the UV meter on my shopping list. I’ll try to hang it.

Is a 24” ceiling (his future pvc) high enough for a Arcadia Pro5 light/other UVB?

Thanks so much!

 

[Tom]

He’s a Western Hermann’s, almost 2 years old. I’ll put the UV meter on my shopping list. I’ll try to hang it.

Is a 24” ceiling (his future pvc) high enough for a Arcadia Pro5 light/other UVB?

Thanks so much!

A hermanni should have a 12% bulb. In the wild they often hide from the mid day sun too. They don't need a ton of UV all day every day. @Markw84 wrote something a while back about them being able to do what they need to do with UV in warm skin in a few minutes.

2-3 hours of UV a day from a good bulb like the Arcadia, mounted at the correct height, with lots of shade and cover available should do the trick.

He really doesn't need to "accept it" in any way.

To review:
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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient 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 LED 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. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[Quixx66]

A hermanni should have a 12% bulb. In the wild they often hide from the mid day sun too. They don't need a ton of UV all day every day. @Markw84 wrote something a while back about them being able to do what they need to do with UV in warm skin in a few minutes.

2-3 hours of UV a day from a good bulb like the Arcadia, mounted at the correct height, with lots of shade and cover available should do the trick.

He really doesn't need to "accept it" in any way.

To review:
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. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient 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 LED 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. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Thanks so much. I’ll raise the light with hangers, the 12% one, I’ll and try again. He’s got cover over the basking area as I’ve now already got some plants overhanging the slate. I’m now planning for him to be outside for a few hours a week. Thanks for the solar meter link. It’s on my list now.

 

[Tom]

Thanks so much. I’ll raise the light with hangers, the 12% one, I’ll and try again. He’s got cover over the basking area as I’ve now already got some plants overhanging the slate. I’m now planning for him to be outside for a few hours a week. Thanks for the solar meter link. It’s on my list now.

If he is outside for a few hours a week in the warmer months, you can just unplug the UV and only use the basking bulb and ambient LED lighting when he is indoors.

 

[Quixx66]

If he is outside for a few hours a week in the warmer months, you can just unplug the UV and only use the basking bulb and ambient LED lighting when he is indoors.

Thank you! I’ll do that in warm weather.