New User/couple of Quick Questions

[Nickinator]

Hello!

My name is Nick and I am new to this forum!

Brief background:
Chameleon Family but branching off into my first true love: Tortoises.

Ordered a Western Hermann Tortoise to arrive in the summer.

We live in Minnesota so I plan to schedule as much outside time as possible but not always available due to region.

I look forward to meeting you all. I do have a few quick questions off the bat:

1. UVB/UV lights. Do I need UVA as well as UVB? What are people opinions of the “bulb” uvb versus the horizontal bulb. (Rod)

2. Heating mat for night. Do people commonly use heating mats for tortoises at night if indoor?

Thank you so much!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome
I keep Chameleons and tortoises in south Florida
Welcome to the forum!
By all means, get the T5 HO linear florescent strip UVB light.
The smaller, coiled type might be better suited for other REPTILES. But they do not broadcast UVB in a useful way for a tortoise and that type of bulb is associated with eye issues in the past and can still cause harm if mounted/used incorrectly.
Your tortoise will need UVB.
If you have plants, use an additional full spectrum lamp in the 5,000 to 6,500 range.
And most of us use a CHE for heating daytime and night attached to a thermostat.
I personally have no experience with any sort of mats

 

[Nickinator]

Welcome
I keep Chameleons and tortoises in south Florida
Welcome to the forum!
By all means, get the T5 HO linear florescent strip UVB light.
The smaller, coiled type might be better suited for other REPTILES. But they do not broadcast UVB in a useful way for a tortoise and that type of bulb is associated with eye issues in the past and can still cause harm if mounted/used incorrectly.
Your tortoise will need UVB.
If you have plants, use a full spectrum lamp in the 5,000 to 6,500 range.
And most of us use a CHE for heating daytime and night attached to a thermostat.
I personally have no experience with any sort of mats

Thank you!! I appreciate the response

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hello!

My name is Nick and I am new to this forum!

Brief background:
Chameleon Family but branching off into my first true love: Tortoises.

Ordered a Western Hermann Tortoise to arrive in the summer.

We live in Minnesota so I plan to schedule as much outside time as possible but not always available due to region.

I look forward to meeting you all. I do have a few quick questions off the bat:

1. UVB/UV lights. Do I need UVA as well as UVB? What are people opinions of the “bulb” uvb versus the horizontal bulb. (Rod)

2. Heating mat for night. Do people commonly use heating mats for tortoises at night if indoor?

Thank you so much!

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

To answer your questions:
1) The only UVB bulb that is worth anything is a T5 HO fluorescent tube bulb. One of these...

Arcadia Pro T5 uv-B Kit 24Watt D3 Desert 12% Uvb Incl. Lamp Arcadia D3 844046000460 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Arcadia Pro T5 uv-B Kit 24Watt D3 Desert 12% Uvb Incl. Lamp Arcadia D3 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Other types of UVB bulbs have issues, and shouldn't be used. The CFL type actually burn babies' eyes. MVB's have a host of problems. Here's a post by a knowledgeable member...

Problem with MVB, by Tom
Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and other produce none at all after two or three months.

Re' question #2) Heat mats are not recommended for torts. Torts are programmed to get their heat from overhead, like the sun. If the tort is on a heat mat and gets too hot, he will try to dig down, as he would in the dirt in the wild. But instead, he just digs closer to the mat, making himself hotter.

Instead, we use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) or a radiant heat panel (RHP). By far, most of us use CHE's. They are bulbs that produce no light, only heat. We put it on a thermostat to control the temp. They can be bought at Petsmart, Petco, most anywhere. This is what they look like..



Are you getting a baby, juvenile, or adult?
What are you planning to house it in?

Also, if you haven't seen this, here's a care sheet for Hermanns.

Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED

Josh and I corresponded last week about making an updated version of the Hermann's tortoise care sheet since the old one we have posted here is a bit outdated and a little too brief in my opinion. So, here is the new one equipped with photos. Look out for the April 2015 issue of Reptiles...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Nickinator]

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

To answer your questions:
1) The only UVB bulb that is worth anything is a T5 HO fluorescent tube bulb. One of these...

Arcadia Pro T5 uv-B Kit 24Watt D3 Desert 12% Uvb Incl. Lamp Arcadia D3 844046000460 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Arcadia Pro T5 uv-B Kit 24Watt D3 Desert 12% Uvb Incl. Lamp Arcadia D3 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

Other types of UVB bulbs have issues, and shouldn't be used. The CFL type actually burn babies' eyes. MVB's have a host of problems. Here's a post by a knowledgeable member...

Problem with MVB, by Tom
Problems with MVBs:
1. They run too hot for a closed chamber, which is what you should be using.
2. They cause too much carapace desiccation which causes pyramiding.
3. They are fragile and break easily.
4. They are temperamental sometimes and shut themselves off for 20 minutes at a time.
5. They are expensive.
6. Their UV output runs from one extreme to the other. Some produce way too much UV, and other produce none at all after two or three months.

Re' question #2) Heat mats are not recommended for torts. Torts are programmed to get their heat from overhead, like the sun. If the tort is on a heat mat and gets too hot, he will try to dig down, as he would in the dirt in the wild. But instead, he just digs closer to the mat, making himself hotter.

Instead, we use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) or a radiant heat panel (RHP). By far, most of us use CHE's. They are bulbs that produce no light, only heat. We put it on a thermostat to control the temp. They can be bought at Petsmart, Petco, most anywhere. This is what they look like..

View attachment 339352

Are you getting a baby, juvenile, or adult?
What are you planning to house it in?

Also, if you haven't seen this, here's a care sheet for Hermanns.

Sticky: HERMANN'S TORTOISE CARE SHEET *UPDATED

Josh and I corresponded last week about making an updated version of the Hermann's tortoise care sheet since the old one we have posted here is a bit outdated and a little too brief in my opinion. So, here is the new one equipped with photos. Look out for the April 2015 issue of Reptiles...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Wow! TY KarenSoCal.

I will Absolutely go the CHE route. I am purchasing what I presume will be a young (1-3 month old tort). Not only will I take your advice on the UVB but I will also use a CHE with temp gauge.

 

[wellington]

You already got great info to follow.
So I will just say hello and welcome.

 

[Nickinator]

You already got great info to follow.
So I will just say hello and welcome.

Ty <3

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
This is another even more up to date caresheet you may find useful to help you get your set up organised before he arrives.....

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Ask as many questions as you like to clarify anything.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings & Welcome

ill be interested to see what kind of enclosure you come up with since you have plenty of time to research, ask & build.

Regarding to CHE or RHP….I really like using RHPs. Perfect with a thermostat to create a nice warm radiant heat.

➡️ https://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels


Good luck

 

[KarenSoCal]

Nick, if you need some ideas re' an enclosure, read this post I wrote a while back. It shows some of what's available. It mentions Mark's enclosures...here is his page on Facebook for further info.

Hi! New here

Hey! I am looking for the "frequently asked questions" and do not see it. Can someone guide me? Thanks

www.tortoiseforum.org

Smart Tortoise Keeper | Sacramento CA

Smart Tortoise Keeper, Sacramento, California. 1,606 likes. Designer, Engineer and Builder of Smart Reptile Enclosures. Precise environmental control habitats

www.facebook.com

 

[Tom]

Hello!

My name is Nick and I am new to this forum!

Brief background:
Chameleon Family but branching off into my first true love: Tortoises.

Ordered a Western Hermann Tortoise to arrive in the summer.

We live in Minnesota so I plan to schedule as much outside time as possible but not always available due to region.

I look forward to meeting you all. I do have a few quick questions off the bat:

1. UVB/UV lights. Do I need UVA as well as UVB? What are people opinions of the “bulb” uvb versus the horizontal bulb. (Rod)

2. Heating mat for night. Do people commonly use heating mats for tortoises at night if indoor?

Thank you so much!

Hello and welcome.

1. Here is lighting and heating info:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

2. No heat mats under indoor tortoises.

 

[Nickinator]

Hello and welcome.

1. Here is lighting and heating info:
There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
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. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

2. No heat mats under indoor tortoises.

Tbh ty

 

[KarenSoCal]

Nick, I just want to be sure you saw my post #10 above Tom's. It's so easy to miss a post when there is one below it. It has good info on enclosures.

 

[Nickinator]

Nick, I just want to be sure you saw my post #10 above Tom's. It's so easy to miss a post when there is one below it. It has good info on enclosures.

Yep! And wow he makes some amazing enclosures. I will definitely reach out to him.