Light for night?

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hello all!! Newbie here!
I acquired a 1.5year old sulcata today... so very cute and so super excited! Love the idea of how long it will be around and how big he/she may get.
Anyway... this store sold us on the lighting when we left that I am not fond of... they sent me off with the "red" heat bulb and the 10.0 13w UVA/UVB bulb....question..
Can I change to a ceramic heat emitter, instead of that red bulb? Or other suggestion on preferred lighting?
I have red ear sliders on the UVA/B and just basic spot ... love it.... I also have a beardie on a 100w basking , ceramic heat emitter at night and a UVA/B slim line strip light... love it!..... I want to love the new tort setup lights too ;-) thanks in advance
 

ZEROPILOT

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Welcome. Any chance you can include a photo of that pet shop UVB "bulb"? The spiral CFL type have been known to cause tortoise eye issues and blindness.
Red lights are not the best, either as they make everything look red and red is a color that tortoises see as something to eat. They will often try to eat bedding, etc.
You want a C.H.E. for heat. It is heat without light for night time. (As you already know)
 

wellington

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Yes, most of us do not recommend the red bulbs. They don't need light at night and the red could cause them to eat whatever is showing red. The ceramic heat emitter is the way to go. Also your UVB light is not recommended as it has been known to cause eye problems. Although the manufacture was suppose to fix this problem, we still see it happening so we would never suggest using that either. A mercury vapor bulb works great give off heat, light and UVB or you could do a strip light UVB and add another heat source for day time.
 
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The UVB bulb is the zooMed 10.UVB 13w mini compact.... so that one is a "no-go".... and strip light is the way to go? And I too preferred the CHE but the lady at the store told me not to use it because if the tort flipped over, he could "burn" .. basically get too hot and die? Not sure the validity but worries me enough to walk out without one.... hope they take exchanges!!
 

Stuart S.

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Hello and congratulations are your little one!

Yes get you a good strip UV bulb, a basking bulb and a ceramic heat emitter to keep your little one warm at night! :) Are you keeping him in an indoor enclosure right now?

Sulcatas are great, with the right care you be found yourself a lifetime family member!
 
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thank you for the help with this... one last question... I know it will probably take some tweaking to get the proper temps /humidity with the light wattage and placement.... but what is actually recommended... I did read the setup sheets on this site (along with many other postings :))... but i figure i would be just fine with the CHE on a thermostat for regulation, but what about a 'basking' bulb... any recommendation for actual wattage to use? on my bearded dragon i have tried a few brands and boy are they not consistent in lower wattage, but with 100w... seemed better.... so for the Sulcata... any recommended basking bulb brand and wattage? thanks again!!!
 

Stuart S.

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So this is what I use for my basking spot and it works great, others may have a better preference. ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1492008889.389209.jpg
It'll take a few days to figure it all out but once you do and get a routine down, you'll be golden ;)

But the important things are, like you mentioned..temperatures, humidity, diet and daily warm soaks.

Don't hesitate to ask any questions, the folks on this forum helped me tremendously with my baby Sulcata and still do!
 

Bee62

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Hi,

the wattage of your basking bulb should depend how large the enclosure of your tort is. With a 100 W bulb you can easily overheat a small tank and harm your tortoise.
The second thing you should be thinking of is the distance between the basking lamp and the tort. If the basking lamp is too close to your tort, the heat may burn the shell of your tort.
So you see that the wattage of a basking bulb and a CHE depends on your enclosure.
 
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Hello and congratulations are your little one!
:) Are you keeping him in an indoor enclosure right now?
yes... the little guy is indoors... they sent him home with me in a little plastic cookie dish looking thing.. haha.... so temporarily in a 10g tank i had on hand (yes, small) with some organic topsoil and a slate rock to sit on if he wanted to get out of the moist top soil :)
I looked through many of the members setup posts and samples they had, so i am getting something together today .... including different lights now after this post question :)
 

Stuart S.

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yes... the little guy is indoors... they sent him home with me in a little plastic cookie dish looking thing.. haha.... so temporarily in a 10g tank i had on hand (yes, small) with some organic topsoil and a slate rock to sit on if he wanted to get out of the moist top soil :)
I looked through many of the members setup posts and samples they had, so i am getting something together today .... including different lights now after this post question :)


That's great and like Bee said, the wattage depends on the size of your enclosure and with a temporary 10 gallon, 100 watt basking bulb with would be too much probably! It's blast caring for these little guys.
 
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OH YES! forsure... I agree.... I have a little 75 deg bask temp currently... positioned higher up for the small area.... this is really only for the day. I like the one you suggested stuart.... will just constantly check bask temp with therm and adjust height accordingly. I was just having a hard time deciding on the 75w or the 100w... in conjunction with a CHE..... decisions decisions....
 

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Big Charlie

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hello all!! Newbie here!
I acquired a 1.5year old sulcata today... so very cute and so super excited! Love the idea of how long it will be around and how big he/she may get.
Anyway... this store sold us on the lighting when we left that I am not fond of... they sent me off with the "red" heat bulb and the 10.0 13w UVA/UVB bulb....question..
Can I change to a ceramic heat emitter, instead of that red bulb? Or other suggestion on preferred lighting?
I have red ear sliders on the UVA/B and just basic spot ... love it.... I also have a beardie on a 100w basking , ceramic heat emitter at night and a UVA/B slim line strip light... love it!..... I want to love the new tort setup lights too ;-) thanks in advance
Was it this store, by any chance? http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/reporting-a-local-pet-store.153558/
 
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No, ithe store in that post was the aquatic pets... I got my sulcata from lost Rhelms pets on cedar in Fresno,ca
 
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