Using a black light?

[laramie]

Hello all and I hope you are all having a wonderful Wednesday I have a question about using a black light at night for Wilbur. What wattage should I get? Thanks in advance

 

[lynnedit]

Can't remember; it is an outside hut to a run, or an inside tortoise table? That is, what size do you need to heat?

 

[ascott]

Yup...kinda helps to know where you are trying to keep warm...also a good scale to start with would be the watts of your day basking light.....

 

[laramie]

Can't remember; it is an outside hut to a run, or an inside tortoise table? That is, what size do you need to heat?

Sorry about that. Wilbur is inside and his enclosure is 3 by 3 and the walls are 12 inches high.

 

[ascott]

What wattage is your day basking light?

 

[Yvonne G]

I've been buying blacklights for YEARS!!! and most of the lights I've found only come in one wattage - 60. You may occasionally find a 75 watt. Any of these are ok for heating at night.

Right now I have 5 leopard hatchlings in a tub about a foot and a half square. The 60 watt black light shines on the hiding places and I only turn it on at night. I should tell you that my house gets pretty cold at night as I don't us a heater (wood stove). In the morning, when I turn on the babies' day light, some of them are in a front corner, away from the light. I don't think a cooler night time temp is harmful. So providing a spot of night time heat that they can search out if they need it is fine. In my opinion, you don't need to heat up the whole enclosure.

 

[laramie]

Thanks to everyone for all of your advice and tips

 

[Madkins007]

I personally don't like black (or red, blue, etc.) lights for night use. Tortoises can see color and UV lighting, so these may well be brighter to them then they are to us.

I have zero real proof of the benefit of this, but I prefer my animals to have a nice, dark sleep period. Besides, I like a little nighttime cool down.

 

[Tom]

I personally don't like black (or red, blue, etc.) lights for night use. Tortoises can see color and UV lighting, so these may well be brighter to them then they are to us.

I feel the same way as Mark on this one. Although I DO like to heat the whole enclosure and keep it warm at night for baby sulcatas and leopards. I prefer the CHEs. They last forever and make more heat than a colored bulb for the same amount of electricity. In most cases a 60 watt will do. In a lrager open topped enclosure, I might use two 60s or 100s spread out.

 

[Snapper925]

I would use a CHE
I have A 75 watt black light for my RF, but every morning he is in the corner away from it

 

[cemmons12]

I use a 75 watt black light also. But I'm changing to CHE before to long.