uvb light and nails

[Meilu]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone advise that is i need to have a longer lamp shade for the enclosure aa half of the vub light bulb sticking out , will rhis hurt my little ones eyes?
second question, are his nails too long? he is around 11months old.

Many Thanks in advance

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone advise that is i need to have a longer lamp shade for the enclosure aa half of the vub light bulb sticking out , will rhis hurt my little ones eyes?
second question, are his nails too long? he is around 11months old.

Many Thanks in advance

What type of UV bulb are you using? Pictures would help.

If it is a cfl type screw in bulb, those are not effective UV sources and some of them cause damage to tortoise eyes. Best to use the Arcadia 12% HO tubes. They come in a kit with fixture and reflector called "ProT5 Kit". Any length will work. The 22 inch one is suitable for most applications.

 

[Lyn W]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone advise that is i need to have a longer lamp shade for the enclosure aa half of the vub light bulb sticking out , will rhis hurt my little ones eyes?
second question, are his nails too long? he is around 11months old.

Many Thanks in advance

Hi what species of tortoise do you have?
If you post some pics of his enclosure and your tort then we'll be able to see what your problem with the uvb light is and if your torts nails are too long - no way of knowing if we can't see him.

 

[Meilu]

sorry the uvb light is the far end one.

What type of UV bulb are you using? Pictures would help.

If it is a cfl type screw in bulb, those are not effective UV sources and some of them cause damage to tortoise eyes. Best to use the Arcadia 12% HO tubes. They come in a kit with fixture and reflector called "ProT5 Kit". Any length will work. The 22 inch one is suitable for most applications.

 

[Meilu]

sorry the uvb light is the far end one.

Thanks Tom. i have posted a picture for you to see. Thanks. the reason we got this due to our enclosure set up , it's a bit difficult to put a tube. Thanks

 

[Meilu]

Hi what species of tortoise do you have?
If you post some pics of his enclosure and your tort then we'll be able to see what your problem with the uvb light is and if your torts nails are too long - no way of knowing if we can't see him.

i did post pics, maybe in the wrong place, it's a hermann tortoise.

 

[Meilu]

What type of UV bulb are you using? Pictures would help.

If it is a cfl type screw in bulb, those are not effective UV sources and some of them cause damage to tortoise eyes. Best to use the Arcadia 12% HO tubes. They come in a kit with fixture and reflector called "ProT5 Kit". Any length will work. The 22 inch one is suitable for most applications.

it's uvb 5.0.

 

[Tom]

it's uvb 5.0.

That type of bulb is called a cfl. Compact fluorescent lamp. They are not a good UV source, and some of them actually do damage to tortoise eyes. Also, the 5.0 makes so little UV, that they are pointless.

In your climate where a tortoise must remain indoors for most of every year due to the weather, it is imperative to have a good strong reliable UV source.I recommend the Arcadia 12% HO bulbs. It is avaialbe as a "Pro T5 Kit". You can easily build an over head frame work out of wood or PVC pipe to hang it from. A Solarmeter 6.5 will be necessary, with any UV bulb, to check the UV levels and adjust the height correctly. This will also tell you when to replace the bulb. Used for 3 hours a day, the bulbs will last and be effective for years.

The long nails are sometimes seen when tortoises are not getting sufficient UV, or the wrong diet and housing. Sometimes females also have long back nails to help dig nests. This is especially prevalent in leopard tortoises.

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.

 

[Lyn W]

As well as the bulb being a risk, the clamps have been known to fail and cause fires and burn torts. so any lamp would be safer if hung, and you can then adjust the height to raise and lower temps.
I use the UVB tube Tom recommends, with a separate flood basking bulb and a CHE run through a thermostat for night and extra heat when needed.

What are you using in the other dome?