Is this light ok

Shesabutterfly16

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I have a Russian tortoise and I am trying to perfect his new set up. I was using a 65 W incandescent flood for warmth but my tortoises behavior has been off since his new set up with new lighting. I think my thermometer may be a bit off and his basking spot may not be warm enough because he continues to just hang out in his hid most of the time. It is still winter here so it gets pretty chilly. I’m trying to find a 75 W incandescent bulb and I’m having trouble locating one. I’m thinking this would bring in enough heat so I would like to give it a try. The only thing that I can find is this 75 W incandescent grow lamp. Does anyone know if this would be OK to use for heat or does anyone know where I could buy 75 W incandescent? I probably would even try a 70 W if that’s available. Thanks in advance, Tiffany
 

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Tom

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I have a Russian tortoise and I am trying to perfect his new set up. I was using a 65 W incandescent flood for warmth but my tortoises behavior has been off since his new set up with new lighting. I think my thermometer may be a bit off and his basking spot may not be warm enough because he continues to just hang out in his hid most of the time. It is still winter here so it gets pretty chilly. I’m trying to find a 75 W incandescent bulb and I’m having trouble locating one. I’m thinking this would bring in enough heat so I would like to give it a try. The only thing that I can find is this 75 W incandescent grow lamp. Does anyone know if this would be OK to use for heat or does anyone know where I could buy 75 W incandescent? I probably would even try a 70 W if that’s available. Thanks in advance, Tiffany
You don't want a grow light over a tortoise. Wrong color.

Just lower the 65 watt bulb a little. You might need to add some ambient heat too, depending on room temp.

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. 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. 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. In the UK, 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%. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html
 

Shesabutterfly16

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ThanKyou!
yeah, I can’t lower the lamp anymore unfortunately. So if I could find the right bulb that would raise the heat in the backing spot, You think I still need the ambient heat? I will have to do more research to figure out what that is ?
 

Tom

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ThanKyou!
yeah, I can’t lower the lamp anymore unfortunately. So if I could find the right bulb that would raise the heat in the backing spot, You think I still need the ambient heat? I will have to do more research to figure out what that is ?
Why can't you lower the bulb more? If its resting on a screen top, then you've got the wrong type of enclosure.
 

Shesabutterfly16

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Converted book case
 

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Shesabutterfly16

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Easy fix. Buy a ZooMed lamp stand, or make your own from some 2x4s. Then you will be able to adjust the height of the fixture to get the temperature under it perfect.
I can not figure out how to make the 2x4 work. I’m sure it’s just my operator error but I cannot figure out how to get the clamp on there where it will hold tight. So, will the light be OK like this at a slight angle until I can get the lamp stand? Remember it’s a incandescent 65 W. I just feel like I read some thing about being able to “hurt their eyes” with certain kind of lighting and wanna make sure I’m not doing that.
 

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Tom

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I can not figure out how to make the 2x4 work. I’m sure it’s just my operator error but I cannot figure out how to get the clamp on there where it will hold tight. So, will the light be OK like this at a slight angle until I can get the lamp stand? Remember it’s a incandescent 65 W. I just feel like I read some thing about being able to “hurt their eyes” with certain kind of lighting and wanna make sure I’m not doing that.
The clamps are not safe. They always fail. At best, it falls in and breaks and you have broken glass and a live electrical socket in your tortoise enclosure. At worst, your whole house burns down.

Screw an upright 2x4 to each side of the enclosure so they are pointing up toward the ceiling. Then mount a horizontal 2x4 over the enclosure, screwing it in to the two uprights. Then you will be able to hang the light from overhead. This will allow you to adjust the height to get the correct temperature under the bulb and it also ensures your hot bulb can never fall or touch anything.

Whatever you decide to do, secure that lamp ASAP before it falls into your enclosure.
 

Shesabutterfly16

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Aurora CO
The clamps are not safe. They always fail. At best, it falls in and breaks and you have broken glass and a live electrical socket in your tortoise enclosure. At worst, your whole house burns down.

Screw an upright 2x4 to each side of the enclosure so they are pointing up toward the ceiling. Then mount a horizontal 2x4 over the enclosure, screwing it in to the two uprights. Then you will be able to hang the light from overhead. This will allow you to adjust the height to get the correct temperature under the bulb and it also ensures your hot bulb can never fall or touch anything.

Whatever you decide to do, secure that lamp ASAP before it falls into your enclosure.
ThanKyou very much!
 
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