Lighting question for travel

tortownr

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Hi all!

I'm new to the forum. I have owned two tortoises for about 4 years now. The are both Russian tortoises that live in separate habitats.

I have a question based on temporary lighting. I am going to be traveling out of state and unfortunately, I don't have a sitter. Long story short, I'm worried about the lighting situation. I know this is a big no-no, but for the week they will be housed in separate 10 gallon tanks. (It is not their normal habitat set up, so please no shaming, as I have no wiggle room in this situation.)

My question is solely based on appropriate and safe lighting. Is a normal house bulb safe for this situation to provide a heat source since it's such a small enclosure? It's what I was told by a pet store employee but I want to make sure that is correct. If not, what should I use?

I feel like such an awful tort owner but this is the current reality and I want to make it as safe as I can for my guys. I plan on giving them time out of the tanks daily, soaking them, and spoiling them a bit while we travel.

Thank you!
 

Chubbs the tegu

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If u have the room you can grab a couple plastic totes/shoe boxes really cheap and have more room for them. And a regular household lightbulb would be fine for a short time
 

jsheffield

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I think that for a week, as long as you can provide adequate heat and humidity for the tortoises, you don't really need to worry about lighting.

Jamie
 

ZEROPILOT

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A "regular" light bulb can be used in an emergency or longer for heat.
A tortoise will be fine without U.V. for a week.
But a RUSSIAN tortoise will go absolutely crazy in a 10 gallon aquarium.
 

Yvonne G

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Plus there's the danger of the light being too hot for that small tank.
 

Yvonne G

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ARE YOU TAKING THEM WITH YOU OR IS SOMEONE COMING IN TO WATCH THEM? (sorry about the caps. Didn't see it in time and too lazy to go back and fix)
 

Cowboy_Ken

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I say use a heating pad. Pick one up at WallyWorld and some 2” wooden dowel pins. The dowels would go between the bottom of the tank and floor keeping the heating pad up close without over heating the tank or floor of the tank. I just know y’all will test the heat, right?
 

tortownr

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Thank you all for your replies! I hope I remember them all as I respond, so here we go.

Yes, I know they will go crazy in such a small habitat, but like I said...I have no choice. I don't have enough room in my car for massive enclosures. That's why I plan on giving them a lot of time outside of the tank to hang out with me in the hotel room (already ok'd it with the hotel). They're used to having free supervised play on the floor while I'm home. I don't have anyone who can come to my house daily which is why they have to come with me.

The idea of the container is probably better than a tank and I think I can make room for that. I'll definitely look into the heating pad option and make sure nothing gets too hot. If I go the bulb route, what temperature would be considered too hot for such a small space? I was doing some additional googling and I was reading a 40 watt could be used but that seems like it would get way too hot.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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I don’t even know if chicken egg incubator bulbs are more than 25watt. Maybe someone skilled with this could help. I’ve always used the hen to set the eggs so I don’t know what it would translate with wattage. LOL but for real.
 

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