UV lighting support/fixture for tortoise enclosure that’s open top

Rapid_

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Hi there, I have sulcatas and I keep them in a open top enclosure and am using a heat lamp/uv lamp but looking to try one heat and then get a long Arcadia UV light(likes T5 fore example in that range) so it reaches the full tank not just one bit, but I need something to hold it up because I don’t have anything it could attach to would anyone able to point me in the right direction ??

i current use the Komodo light stand that allows be to hang my light dome fixture from.
 

Tom

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Hi there, I have sulcatas and I keep them in a open top enclosure...
Stop right there. You have a problem and an overhead lamp hanging solution is not what you need. You cannot maintain the correct conditions for a sulcata in that sort of enclosure, especially not in your climate.

How many do you have?

Please read this. Your tortoises lives depend on it.
 

Rapid_

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Stop right there. You have a problem and an overhead lamp hanging solution is not what you need. You cannot maintain the correct conditions for a sulcata in that sort of enclosure, especially not in your climate.

How many do you have?

Please read this. Your tortoises lives depend on it.
3 and there fine they are all active eat well putting on weight shells are fine they are developing well I’m just looking for some suggestions mate not a lecture
 

Minority2

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3 and there fine they are all active eat well putting on weight shells are fine they are developing well I’m just looking for some suggestions mate not a lecture

3? Didn't you mention on a previous thread that one of the Sulcata tortoises had to be put down by the veterinarian because it developed complications due to the breeder's starting process? Did you end up getting another Sulcata?

Another question. Why did you choose to raise Sulcata tortoises in the UK instead of a breed that a smaller breed? How are you planning on housing the future Sulcatas when they become too big to be kept in standard sized home? Some people in the states use their (entire) garage to keep a single Sulcata housed for the winter but in itself really isn't a good solution for a place like the UK where the weather is much cooler during the majority of the year.

Hi there, I have sulcatas and I keep them in a open top enclosure and am using a heat lamp/uv lamp but looking to try one heat and then get a long Arcadia UV light(likes T5 fore example in that range) so it reaches the full tank not just one bit, but I need something to hold it up because I don’t have anything it could attach to would anyone able to point me in the right direction ??

i current use the Komodo light stand that allows be to hang my light dome fixture from.

Make sure to read this thread. The author is one of the go-to authorities on new/current-age tortoise care.

You can continue to use display/lamp stands or even 2x4s to hold onto your fixtures. However, you're going to need quite a few of them if you want to be sure that they'll be able to hold unto the weight of the lighting fixtures without causing any major life threatening malfunctions. And if you're planning on buying a number of these things you might as well save the money and buy or make yourself a closed chamber style enclosure, big enough for the breed of tortoise you're housing (for a single/group of Sulcata hatchlings the recommended temporary indoor size is an 8 ft x 4 ft enclosure) to save yourself the time and money. Buy once, cry once.

Open enclosures will always have issues with cold spots and rapid drops in humidity levels. Something as simple as a cardboard or plexiglass top is going to vastly improve your heating and humidity levels. Plexiglass will block out uv(B) if you don't cut open the sections where the lighting fixtures are located.

A closed chamber enclosure is the easiest solution for temperature and humidity issues. Doing so saves the owner in electricity bills as well as the extra labor involved in keeping an open tortoise enclosure at a constant 80-100% humidity level. A combination of an incandescent flood bulb, reptile heat panel and tube uv(b) bulb is highly recommended.
 

Rapid_

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Why might i ask when you google or search a baby sulcata setup or even a baby tortoise enclosure almost every single one of them are open roofed or show you a open roofed design??
 

Tom

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Why might i ask when you google or search a baby sulcata setup or even a baby tortoise enclosure almost every single one of them are open roofed or show you a open roofed design??
Because we've all been doing it wrong for 30+ years. Myself included up until about 10 years ago when I started doing research and growth experiments to try and figure out why "their" advice didn't work and produced poor, pyramided results.

You have a choice. Follow the herd over that same cliff they've been walking off for decades, or learn something new and better that will allow you to produce healthier, better looking smooth tortoises than anyone else in your entire country.

Glad you asked. It shows that despite your previous comments, you are willing to learn. Mate.
 

Rapid_

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Because we've all been doing it wrong for 30+ years. Myself included up until about 10 years ago when I started doing research and growth experiments to try and figure out why "their" advice didn't work and produced poor, pyramided results.

You have a choice. Follow the herd over that same cliff they've been walking off for decades, or learn something new and better that will allow you to produce healthier, better looking smooth tortoises than anyone else in your entire country.

Glad you asked. It shows that despite your previous comments, you are willing to learn. Mate.
Hi tom i'm looking to upgrade my tortoies enclosure in the next few weeks to a month cause they are starting to get bigger now and wanting to find something for suitable for them. I was looking at this as an upgrade enslcoure


Would you be able to send me your thought wanting something that's gonna last them a few years so i can save some money>
Thansks Jamie
 

Tom

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Hi tom i'm looking to upgrade my tortoies enclosure in the next few weeks to a month cause they are starting to get bigger now and wanting to find something for suitable for them. I was looking at this as an upgrade enslcoure


Would you be able to send me your thought wanting something that's gonna last them a few years so i can save some money>
Thansks Jamie
That looks very nice, but its much too small, even for a single tiny hatchling. A hatching should be in something 122cm long x 61cm wide x 61cm tall, as a minimum. A well started baby will outgrow that in 3-4 months, and by 12-18 months they will out grow a 244x122cm chamber. Most babies are not well started and grow a bit slower than that, but you will still only get 2-3 years from a 244x122 sized enclosure.

I know of no pre-made enclosures sold by pets stores that are suitable for larger tortoises. You have to build your own, or have it built for you.
 

Rapid_

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That looks very nice, but its much too small, even for a single tiny hatchling. A hatching should be in something 122cm long x 61cm wide x 61cm tall, as a minimum. A well started baby will outgrow that in 3-4 months, and by 12-18 months they will out grow a 244x122cm chamber. Most babies are not well started and grow a bit slower than that, but you will still only get 2-3 years from a 244x122 sized enclosure.

I know of no pre-made enclosures sold by pets stores that are suitable for larger tortoises. You have to build your own, or have it built for you.
Hi tom

would you be able to send me a list of suitable lighting for them as well as some suggestions for an enclosure thanks
 

Tom

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Hi tom

would you be able to send me a list of suitable lighting for them as well as some suggestions for an enclosure thanks
Here is a break down on lighting:

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. 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.
  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. You'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT.
  3. 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.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

I don't know where Lanark is but you mentioned Komodo products, so I'm going to guess you are in the UK? I don't know of any enclosure makers over there, or people who ship from here to there. You might have to build your own, or hire someone to build it for you.
 
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