Heat and UVB help
 

Hi, i have just gotten a tortoise table with a built in hide, i was wondering where i should put the lamps. I have a compact florescent uvb light and a basking spot lamp. Should i put them at the side near the hide or the opposite side or should i put one at each end? Any advice would be appreciated.:-D

morning shanie, plenty of advice on here so ask away. You will need to consider warm, cool ends, max UV A & B area for covering the shell/tort. (make sure your tube is both , as in combined A&B as UV spectrums synthesis differently and have different qualities. In other words A isn't sufficient husbandry and B on its own isn't either.
My advice is if hide is built in one end then tube along the side and heat lamp (basking lamp) up the opposite end to the hide. (Hide being cooler end for a little hideaway. Humidity can be either - and both - spray / mist under basking / spray into hide but not so much as not knowing your set up not sure how much it will dry. guidelines also are your central heating - watch how it can dry out plants etc so need to factor it in re humidity. ! good luck and pictures always welcome, CB

Thank you. These are the bulbs i have https://www.bluelizardreptiles.co.uk...s/015561221894
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Bas...NY123RPPTNEPHW
Are they ok?

okey dokey , this is a slightly different approach....to what is quite a simple subject made very complicated !! We love these conversations on here so if you are caught in the cross hairs just ignore us all....try and forget about basking lights for a minute. Basking lights are purely for heat and serve only that purpose.

so in theory you would need A) a heat source to keep tort warm and B) a UV A AND B source for their wellbeing/shell/Vit D etc. This can be made up in different ways. ie bulbs for heat, tubes for UV's and combined bulb for heat and BOTH UV's.

so some basking lights have a combined UV A & B spectrum which is desirable because it combines heat and both the UV's ! bingo! no need for anything else because you have it all wrapped up into one bulb...BUT beware just the UVA bulbs .....are not combined.....and just UVB are not combined - you need both A & B ....sooo

Some bulbs come just in UV A and heat /without much heat like a household bulb, some just in UVB and with /without heat...what you have is a UVA basking (with heat) light for heat and UV A only and probably covers your UVA output not sure on % , and separate UVB. again not sure on % of UVB .Different reptiles have different requirements and a lot of reptile keepers (not torts) like UVA as it 'softens' down the light and makes their habitat all reptiley...and they eat better and have a bit of warmth to boot.

I think your set up is a little quirky as it has a UVB bulb and then separate UVA, both of which separately are not for tortoises but combined may just provide enough UV A & B - however what could happen is tortoise favours the heat bulb with the UVA and doesn't get the B spectrum.

Personally I would monitor and see what tort does and then when the UV A&B runs out in both (around a year ) then buy a combined one, or plead ignorance and swop them out for an arcadia D3 combined - *80W maybe, so if tort is sat under both bulbs he may l get UV A & B...honestly it sounds complicated but is like riding a bike...don't get me started on humans and UVC....love this subject...CB

Thanks for the advice :-D I was thinking in about 6 months or so when my uvb bulb needs replacing about getting a uvb+ uva strip light. Would that be ok?

I'm really sorry if you have already brought this bulb Shanie, but they're not considered to be very good for torts :( I have known lots of people comment on their torts being so much happier/ more active when they changed from these.

If you are going to use it for the short term I would site this near the basking/heatbulb, as they cover a very small area. So hopefully the tort will benefit from a bit of UV whilst basking :)

I would go with either a combined (Megaray combined are doing great in in dependant tests ) or ...a T5 strip :)

Unfortunately i have brought it, however thank you for the warning and advice :-D