PLEASE HELP! NEED HELP WITH BABY LEOPARD HATCHLING TORTOISE

[Mikayla777]

IM CONFUSED ON WHAT LIGHTS TO USE. EVERHWHERE I READ SAYS UVB FOR SURE. BUT NOWHERE DOES IT SAY UVA. WHAT KINDS OF LIGHTS AM I SUPPOSED TO USE FOR A BABY LEOPARD HATCHLING???!? I HAVE A UVA IN HIS ENCLOSURE AND HE SEEMS TO BE STAYING AWAY FROM IT. AT THE PETSHOP THEY JUST HAD HIM UNDER A UVB AND INFRARED LIGHT.

 

[Yvonne G]

You don't see UVA because it's not necessary. I use a T5 tube type fluorescent UVB bulb, on for 14 hours a day, and no colored lights. For heat I use either a CHE or RHP.

 

[Lyn W]

If you post pics of his enclosure and the lamps you are using members can give you good feedback to make sure every thing is OK.
This is the caresheet that will help you in case you haven't found it.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Mikayla777]

You don't see UVA because it's not necessary. I use a T5 tube type fluorescent UVB bulb, on for 14 hours a day, and no colored lights. For heat I use either a CHE or RHP.

oh reallY? WOW. Because my friend has a Sulcata tortoise and he has to use UVA basking light. They said its necessary. So Leopards don't need UVA but Sulcatas do?

 

[Mikayla777]

You don't see UVA because it's not necessary. I use a T5 tube type fluorescent UVB bulb, on for 14 hours a day, and no colored lights. For heat I use either a CHE or RHP.

Yvonne, what about basking temps for baby leopard hatchlings? What should those be?

 

[Lyn W]

oh reallY? WOW. Because my friend has a Sulcata tortoise and he has to use UVA basking light. They said its necessary. So Leopards don't need UVA but Sulcatas do?

It's the UVB that is essential for all torts to help absorption of calcium and minerals etc for bone health etc. and that comes from the sun or artificial sources. Many of us use T5 HO uvb tube kits.

 

[Lyn W]

Yvonne, what about basking temps for baby leopard hatchlings? What should those be?

See the caresheet I linked above.

 

[Mikayla777]

See the caresheet I linked above.

Thanks, but it wont let me click the link. I put it into address bar and showed a blank page. that sux

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks, but it wont let me click the link. I put it into address bar and showed a blank page. that sux

I'll try it again

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

If that doesn't work, go to the African Tortoises threads in the Species Specific section and you'll find it there under Sulcata or Leopard.

 

[Tom]

IM CONFUSED ON WHAT LIGHTS TO USE. EVERHWHERE I READ SAYS UVB FOR SURE. BUT NOWHERE DOES IT SAY UVA. WHAT KINDS OF LIGHTS AM I SUPPOSED TO USE FOR A BABY LEOPARD HATCHLING???!? I HAVE A UVA IN HIS ENCLOSURE AND HE SEEMS TO BE STAYING AWAY FROM IT. AT THE PETSHOP THEY JUST HAD HIM UNDER A UVB AND INFRARED LIGHT.

FIrst, understand that most of the care info you find out in the world is all wrong. No tortoise species needs UVA, because that already comes in the basking lamps. Your friend has been given the wrong info for sulcata care too.

Start here for the correct temps, lights, housing, and feeding:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

And here is a breakdown of light and heat:

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.

You need to disregard info you attained elsewhere, or this is going to be very frustrating and confusing for you.

 

[Mikayla777]

FIrst, understand that most of the care info you find out in the world is all wrong. No tortoise species needs UVA, because that already comes in the basking lamps. Your friend has been given the wrong info for sulcata care too.

Start here for the correct temps, lights, housing, and feeding:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

And here is a breakdown of light and heat:

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.

You need to disregard info you attained elsewhere, or this is going to be very frustrating and confusing for you.

FIrst, understand that most of the care info you find out in the world is all wrong. No tortoise species needs UVA, because that already comes in the basking lamps. Your friend has been given the wrong info for sulcata care too.

Start here for the correct temps, lights, housing, and feeding:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? 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. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

And here is a breakdown of light and heat:

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.

You need to disregard info you attained elsewhere, or this is going to be very frustrating and confusing for you.

Tom. So just to clarify, you are saying the incandesent flood light already has uva light? Also, the basking light my friend uses is just called a UVA light. Are you sayng they are basically the same thingsas incandscent flood lights? Whats he difference? THANKS

 

[Tom]

From @Mikayla777 : "Tom. So just to clarify, you are saying the incandesent flood light already has uva light? Also, the basking light my friend uses is just called a UVA light. Are you sayng they are basically the same thingsas incandscent flood lights? Whats he difference? THANKS"

All incandescents emit UVA. Your friend could be using any type of incandescent. Could be a spot bulb or a halogen, both of which should not be used, or it could be a flood bulb.

If you use a flood bulb for basking, some LED for ambient lighting, and a HO tube for UVB, then you do not need to worry about UVA. All the better if your tortoise gets some outdoor time occasionally when weather permits.