Light and heat questions!

[nicolax]

Hey! I'm having some problems working out what to buy for my Russian tort Darcy. I'm unemployed at the minute and the bulb we had for her has broken and I need to replace it but don't have a lot of cash to spend at the minute (£50 on a bulb is probably doable, but I'd have to stop feeding the kids..)

So I was thinking HEAT LAMP for daytime use? BLACKLIGHT for round the clock UV light? I've been looking for a cheap thermostat to keep in there and a Ceramic Heat Emitter to keep the temp constant but can't seem to find any to buy.

I'm in the UK and the temp here is currently 7oC, gets to about 20oC in the hights of summer.

If you could provide links to what I should buy me and Darcy would very happy!

 

[cherylim]

Hey! I'm having some problems working out what to buy for my Russian tort Darcy. I'm unemployed at the minute and the bulb we had for her has broken and I need to replace it but don't have a lot of cash to spend at the minute (£50 on a bulb is probably doable, but I'd have to stop feeding the kids..)

So I was thinking HEAT LAMP for daytime use? BLACKLIGHT for round the clock UV light? I've been looking for a cheap thermostat to keep in there and a Ceramic Heat Emitter to keep the temp constant but can't seem to find any to buy.

I'm in the UK and the temp here is currently 7oC, gets to about 20oC in the hights of summer.

If you could provide links to what I should buy me and Darcy would very happy!

Am I understanding that you'd be buying three separate bulbs doing it this way, plus all the extras, and would be spending £36 on just the heat lamp and black light?

You can get everything you need in one bulb, and it is a more expensive MVB which I know you've said you can't afford, but I think when you add things up it might seem like a better deal.

I use the Arcadia Bulb myself, with this clamp.

That's £49.75 for the full set up. Great shop that, too - use them for all my purchases.

 

[Tom]

You can use a regular incandescent flood bulb from any hardware store for daytime heat and the black bulb for night time heat if you feel you need it. I would not use any colored bulbs during the day, and the tortoise will not get any UV from a colored incandescent bulb. He will need some direct sunshine several times a week if you are not able to get him the mercury vapor bulb, but with summer coming soon, you should be fine. If he had been getting regular UV prior to this point they can go a few weeks with no UV and be fine, if need be. Just make sure he gets loads of outdoor sunshine after that.

 

[Madkins007]

UVB- if he can get an hour or so of real sunlight every week or so, this is not a big deal. If this is not possible, consider a low-level UVB long tube fluorescent light in a discount store fixture. This will do light and UVB both.

Heat- sun or heat bulbs are OK, but a ceramic heat emitter does a better job for cheaper overall and much longer. I am sure you can find one mail-order somewhere.

'Blacklights' are OK for heat and UVA rays, sort of, but do not offer the sort of UVB rays they need for proper health.

 

[nicolax]

Am I understanding that you'd be buying three separate bulbs doing it this way, plus all the extras, and would be spending £36 on just the heat lamp and black light?

You can get everything you need in one bulb, and it is a more expensive MVB which I know you've said you can't afford, but I think when you add things up it might seem like a better deal.

I use the Arcadia Bulb myself, with this clamp.

That's £49.75 for the full set up. Great shop that, too - use them for all my purchases.

Thanks for the links, I've ordered the bulb and clamp

 

[cherylim]

Thanks for the links, I've ordered the bulb and clamp

No problem.

 

[DesertGrandma]

The light you ordered is great for daytime when you want the light on. At night you will want the light turned off, so you might need something to keep the enclosure warm during the night which doesn't provide any light. Check your night time temps to determine this.