Light and heating problems

[thay]

My tortoise is a sulcata named Blazer, and right now i have a 100w ceramic bulb keeping him warm. I'm thinking about purchasing a TREX Active 160w bulb, will i still need the ceramic heating bulb too? Blazer is about 4 months, how high should i be keeping the new trex bulb above him?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

My tortoise is a sulcata named Blazer, and right now i have a 100w ceramic bulb keeping him warm. I'm thinking about purchasing a TREX Active 160w bulb, will i still need the ceramic heating bulb too? Blazer is about 4 months, how high should i be keeping the new trex bulb above him?

You would use the Trex like it's the sun having it on all day, but you'd turn it off at night. You'd leave the CHE on all the time. You don't want him getting too cold at night...

 

[tortoisenerd]

The T-Rex bulb should come with info stating a safe range based upon UVB output (too close is too much heat/UVB, and too far is not enough heat and a low UVB level). You should hang it close to the max and test the temperature at the basking point, and then lower it as needed to get an appropriate basking temperature (probably around 90-95 but you should see what your tort prefers).

I wouldn't put the CHE and the T-Rex right next to each other because one spot will get really hot. I have a similar set-up and have the bulbs about a foot apart. My little guy learned (I think!) where the heat is that is available all the time and he sleeps there now. I'd check the temperatures at various areas in the enclosure to check you are getting a safe range.

I see from another thread Blazer is a hatchling...I know the 160 watt or even higher (like 250) is good for big Sulcatas, but if the enclosure isn't huge I'd just get the 100 watt. I have an 8 sq ft enclosure and the 100 watt is still plenty. Just my personal opinion though as I don't know your set-up. As you have to replace the Mercury Vapor Bulbs about every year, you'd be able to upgrade in wattage as he grows. How much height do you have to work with, or it is open top enclosure?