Recommendations for heating

[DrewsLife727]

I use these red and blue bulbs i got at a pet store for now. I stopped using the spiral UVB lights because I heard they are bad. Are these two bulbs bad as well? can I get recommendations for UVB bulbs, and heat emitters that you trust will be safe? thx!

 

[GBtortoises]

I use these red and blue bulbs i got at a pet store for now. I stopped using the spiral UVB lights because I heard they are bad. Are these two bulbs bad as well? can I get recommendations for UVB bulbs, and heat emitters that you trust will be safe? thx!

The red and blue bulbs only produce heat, not UV rays. The are also primarly intended for night time use. They produce heat but very little light. If a night time heat is required for your tortoise a better source that fits into an incandescent fixture would be a CHE. It is basically a porcelain light bulb. There are several brands of tube style fluorescent lamps that produce UV rays and are specifically designed for reptile use.
The advantage of these is that they provide better overall enclosure lighting. Aong with them a standard incandescent bulb can be used during the daytime to produce basking heat and light.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

I use a standard tube florescent bulb for UV light (Repti-Glo 5.0) and a CHE for heat.

 

[Tom]

If your tortoise is getting regular sunshine, which it should be in Sunny SD, then you don't need any artificial UV. You can use a regular incandescent flood bulb from any hardware store for some heat. Put it on a 12 hour timer and adjust the height or the wattage to get your basking temp where you want it. Then use a CHE on a thermostat to maintain the ambient you want 24/7. I don't like the double dome fixtures because it is very unlikely that your CHE and your basking bulb will need to be at the exact same height to get the temps you want.

Nothing wrong with also using the long florescent tubes that the fellas above suggested, in addition to your other heat/light sources.

 

[AZtortMom]

I JUST switched to a CHE from bulbs for heating purposes and my babies love it! I also added a humidifier