need help with heat

[clevelandj77]

Can someone please tell me a brand of heat lamp that will adjust itself. I added heat lamp and it seems to make area too hot, but then when I turn it off for an hour it quickly becomes too cold. I would love one that self adjusts to keep constant temp, is this available?

 

[Tim Carlisle]

Can someone please tell me a brand of heat lamp that will adjust itself. I added heat lamp and it seems to make area too hot, but then when I turn it off for an hour it quickly becomes too cold. I would love one that self adjusts to keep constant temp, is this available?

This is what I've been using for mine. Works really well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I15S6OM/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Yvonne G]

No lamp does that. You have to buy some sort of thermostst to plug it into. @Tom

 

[Tom]

Can someone please tell me a brand of heat lamp that will adjust itself. I added heat lamp and it seems to make area too hot, but then when I turn it off for an hour it quickly becomes too cold. I would love one that self adjusts to keep constant temp, is this available?

What species and size? Looks like a young sulcata in your avatar?

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer for 12 hours a day, and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs. You can also use a rheostat to dial in the right temp.
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 like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure. This one works 24/7 to keep the ambient temp warm enough.
3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.

This is a lot to take in. Come back with all your questions when you've had a minute to think it over.