Would I still need a basking lamp ?
- Thread starter T.NY
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Yes you need a basking lamp. It needs to get to 100-110f underneath. Your tort needs to bask at these temps to digest food properly. He's cold blooded and can't do it without extra heat. In the wild, they bask in full sun.
An ordinary 100 or 150w bulb (not low energy) will do the job.
Your general temp is perfect... Just right for your tort to get away from the basking heat and be active.
I use a ceramic heater at night to stop the enclosure getting too cool.
An ordinary 100 or 150w bulb (not low energy) will do the job.
Your general temp is perfect... Just right for your tort to get away from the basking heat and be active.
I use a ceramic heater at night to stop the enclosure getting too cool.
You are talking about heat lamps but ask about a basking lamp in the title. You need both if you keep him inside - heat and UVB light. You can use a good 100 watt UVB light and get both heat and UVB during the day, then use a black light or ceramic heat at night if your temperatures drop a lot. 70's or 80's at night is fine for young ones. Just giving him heat during the day deprives the needed sunlight exposure and will stunt growth and affect his health.
Greg and Joes Mum are right. There are several aspects to consider. Does your tortoise get out for sunshine several times a week all year long? If not, then you really ought to run a mercury vapor bulb so that your tortoise can get warmth and UV just like basking in the sun. If your tortoise does get lots of sun, then a regular incandescent flood bulb from the hardware store will work just fine. I use 50 watt bulbs and just lower the fixture down until I get my desired 100 degree basking spot.
CHEs are great for maintaining whatever ambient temp you desire in the enclosure. Just put it on a thermostat and it will maintain your ambient temp day and night. But you still need a basking bulb for light. Red bulbs are fine for night heat, but I don't like them during the day. At night, I prefer to have it dark, but some people use and like the red or black bulbs for night time.
P.S. Don't let the pet store talk you into one of those coil type UV bulbs. They can damage tortoise eyes...
CHEs are great for maintaining whatever ambient temp you desire in the enclosure. Just put it on a thermostat and it will maintain your ambient temp day and night. But you still need a basking bulb for light. Red bulbs are fine for night heat, but I don't like them during the day. At night, I prefer to have it dark, but some people use and like the red or black bulbs for night time.
P.S. Don't let the pet store talk you into one of those coil type UV bulbs. They can damage tortoise eyes...
I take him out in the morning temp abt 25c where the sun is out till 5-6pm the temp is 28c in the evenings. I bring him back indoor around 9pm and the temp indoors are around 26-28C.
I always see him eat before i take him out and he eats again when he is back indoors. So in the mornings there is not problem for digestion only at nite. So I guess I wld need a heat lamp.
Sorry Greg kinda new at this i thought basking and heat were the same bt thanks for the heads up !!!
So i wld
Thanks for the bulb info Tom the pet store did tell me tht the coil type works the same as the long ones. So 50w wld work just fine ? I thought i wld need 100w. Tom do you hav some pics of your bulbs and light set up ?
I always see him eat before i take him out and he eats again when he is back indoors. So in the mornings there is not problem for digestion only at nite. So I guess I wld need a heat lamp.
Sorry Greg kinda new at this i thought basking and heat were the same bt thanks for the heads up !!!
So i wld
Thanks for the bulb info Tom the pet store did tell me tht the coil type works the same as the long ones. So 50w wld work just fine ? I thought i wld need 100w. Tom do you hav some pics of your bulbs and light set up ?
The wattage doesn't matter. The temperature does. Every enclosure and every house is different. A 100 watt will work just fine. A 50 watt will also work just fine in the same enclosure, you just have to lower it down a bit. What I do is turn on the basking bulb and put a remote temperature probe right under it. For a larger tortoise I will place the probe on a piece of wood or something to get to the same height as the top of the tortoises shell. Then I let it sit there and cook for a couple hours. I will raise or lower the bulb to get my temp right around 100 and then let it sit for another couple hours to make sure it's right. At various times during the few hours this takes, I will verify and check temps with a temp gun. Every bulb and every situation is different, so this requires some vigilance and regular testing. And don't forget to re-check it when summer arrives and temps warm up. I use 100 as a general rule for the basking temp, but let your tortoise be your guide. If they always sit directly under the lamp and hardly ever go to the cool side, you need to lower the bulb or raise the wattage with a new bulb. If they never get under the light and always hang out on the cool side then it's too hot and you need to raise your bulb. It's never perfect and I'm constantly checking and adjusting mine.
Those fluorescent bulb are not adequate as a sole source of UV in my opinion. The long tubes are fine to light up the enclosure, but since your tort gets so much real outdoor sunshine, you don't need any artificial uv. You just need to have the correct temperature gradient for when your tortoise is indoors.
Those fluorescent bulb are not adequate as a sole source of UV in my opinion. The long tubes are fine to light up the enclosure, but since your tort gets so much real outdoor sunshine, you don't need any artificial uv. You just need to have the correct temperature gradient for when your tortoise is indoors.
T.NY said:
If 83 is the hottest part of your enclosure, you will definitely need a heat lamp. You're going to want the temperatures on the hot side closer to 100. Then depending on how humid you keep your enclosures, you're going to want the cooler side to be 70/75 - 80. MVB's are good during the day, because they provide UVB and heat.
It's not really so much that a CHE or a red light works better than the other, it's just a matter of user preferance. Both types of bulb can provide adequate heat with similar wattage. The CHE emmitt no light, whereas the red-lights emit visible red light.
What everyone else said... Haha
Cant my 150 watt CHE be used as a basking spot?
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