Russian tort enclosure... heating question

[tinkerbell1189]

My horsfield tortoise has gone very quiet and doesn't come out of his hide much lately, and not eating anywhere near what he used to. I think this is to do with the temperature not being as warm as it was in the summer.

He has a 100w heat lamp, which is on 12-14 hours a day (the same as his uv light), the temp in the enclosure (not directly under the lamp) is 71.6-75 F in the day and drops to 64-66 F in the night. What would be the ideal temp? Do you think this is too cold?

Should I get another heat lamp for him? Or a heat mat?
Opinions much appreciated

 

[herbortamus]

How old is the UV bulb? After a while they stop outputting UV even if they still emit visible light. If I ever forgot to change the UV bulb on time, Herbert would remind me by being sluggish and not wanting to eat. The packaging should say how long it is good for.

 

[GBtortoises]

In order for Russian tortoises to remain active indoors they require very intense lighting as well as a hot basking spot for a minimum of 14 hours a day with at least 15-16 hours being better. There should be at least a 15-20 degree temperature differential between day and night. A single MVB bulb, while good for providing basking heat and UV rays, does not provide nearly enough overall light intensity within most enclosures. A better solution would be the MVB lamp along with a flourescent tube (UV or Daylight) large enough to illuminate the entire enclosure well. Or a regular incandescent, spot or flood light that produces enough heat for basking along with at least one 10.0 UV tube flourescent for UV rays and enclosure lighting. The range to shoot for is: Ambient daytime throughout the enclosure mid 70's to about 82 degrees; basking area (for adults) 95-110 directly under the center of the beam; night time 55-65, 60ish being best.
In most indoor situations, the lack of correct light intensity and duration cause Russians to become inactive. Temperatures are sometimes a secondary issue.

 

[Talka]

What GB said. Lots of UV, 10.0 is great, and check the date on the one you have! If it's been a year, replace it!

In my very inexpert opinion, the little basking lamps from petco do a good job of adding heat. Their 75W basking bulb is pretty solid, puts out a good bit of heat. I've never had trouble getting a side of the enclosure to reach 85 degrees with that little bulb! So I think they're a cheap, good option for more heat, if you already have UV covered. Though I expect y'all to correct me if this is wrong!

 

[lynnedit]

What GB and Talka said. Your basking area needs to be warm, 100F give or take. Basking tile or slate so they can move on and off. Depending on the size of your enclosure, and extra fixture with the basking bulb Talka mentioned adds light and spreads out the heat a bit.
Using a timer, lights on 13 to 14 hours per day (even if your tort basks).
Your night temps sound just fine.

 

[tinkerbell1189]

Thanks for all the input guys. I have a uv flouresent tube thats on for 12-14 hours a day (sorry i forgot to mention that). But I worry he isn't getting enough light as he likes to stay in his hide alot of the time, and comes out to eat and trample around his enclosure wrecking things! It just he doesn't seem anywhere near as active as usual and not eating as much!

My thermometer gives the temp in degree celius so I'll go on a converter and have a look if I'm getting the temps right. The thermometer isn't directly under his basking area though. He has a piece of slate under the basking area and he is also fed off that. I purposely put his hide near the basking area so that even if he is in there he is at least getting some warmth.

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Hmm I think after reading all of your replies that I'm going to get another heat lamp for him. What do you think? And where should I place the extra heat bulb?

 

[lynnedit]

Are you in the UK (you mentioned celcius)?
Here is what I see people use there: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Rep...?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1326262288&sr=1-7 (basically a bulb that provides UVB and heat).
That would be all you need, depending on the size of your enclosure. Most of us don't use night heat if our homes are >15c.
They can, and prefer, temp drops at night to 60's, 15c or so. But they need to be able to bask at 30-35c. In the day, they need a 'cool' side of around 20-21c.
Make sure you have an accurate thermometer: something like a digital thermometer with a long wire probe (often hardware stores should carry them). You can move the probe around to different locations to test the temps.