people wanting stars, some advice please & updates!

[saucysqueezy]

Hi all I don't post on much as I am researching formy MSc and PHD now that I have graduated but I thought I would just put a little mesage on

Firstly thank you to the advice via email and on here over previous posts: I don't know if I mentioned, we followed the advice PIGLET and co gave re the tortoise substrate and got rid of the chippings as the coloured ones did hell on the legs. I cannot tell people enough NOT to get these for their reptiles. As someone on here said it dyed their torts legs colours too and stopped them shedding skin easily. We changed it back oct/nov time (cannot remember exactly) and it's still taking a while for some parts of the legs to get the dye off completely. So thank you for the advice and everyone AVOID the chippings!

Josh put a message up on here with his lamp burning the substrate: that happened strangely enough to us three weeks ago. We've been waiting for our t rex bulb and holder replacements as the bulb went and then the holder wires seemed to weaken and the whole thing "snapped" when we were taking out the old bulb (has anyone else had problems with the t rex holder at all?). We have a back up for emergencies and this fell over when Tarintino pushed a wood climb against the table side and kept banging up against it. We saw the smouldering hemp and could smell burning, and as with Josh it was lucky we were around.

We should be getting a pair of CB indian stars in the next 4 months so we're very excited. I did notice that there has been a lot of shops in the past two months showing stars for sale... it was worrying as they are undercutting the cb ones by £100, and the shops (names with held) do not even hide the fact they are imported (but state they are cb... I wasn't aware of a cb breeding programme abroad... ). I know I have emailed one individual who wanted a star and gave them the info for a uk breeder and said I would be more than happy to pick up her tortoise when I collect mine (she lives far up north) and then I can arrange pick up in the Newcastle / Teesside area or inbetween.

So I would like to extend this offer to anyone thinking of getting an Indian Star and is opting for a w/c one because they cannot travel to get a cb uk one. Apparently they can be collected around september so I will be trundle to the good old south for a pick up! Feel free to email me and I can pass on the breeder details also

Once again thanks to all the past advice, no doubt more will be saught soon!

Congrats on your stars- im so jelous, i love stars LOL

The burning lamps thing is quite daunting, and im lucky to have good weather as my new lamps are still being delivered and im not going to use any until they come, unless absolutely neccesary- which it isn't in this weather anyway.

My wire didnt snap though- it just dropped some how.

[saucysqueezy]

have you never had snapping wires? I think we had a faulty t rex lamp as no-one I know has had the same problem. When I looked at the wire it was like the heat had just caused it to melt it was soft and "squiggy" for want of a better word! Do you or anyone else have problem when changing the t rex 100w bulbs? Ours would not come out of the t rex holder!

And yeah I'm excited for the Indian stars: we were going to get some at xmas but we didn't have the space or the money spare so it wouldn't have been a good idea. Now we have moved so it's not an issue. They're not cheap but we'd rather pay the extra and know where they are from, and that they aren't going to "roll over" and die after a few months!

have you never had snapping wires? I think we had a faulty t rex lamp as no-one I know has had the same problem. When I looked at the wire it was like the heat had just caused it to melt it was soft and "squiggy" for want of a better word! Do you or anyone else have problem when changing the t rex 100w bulbs? Ours would not come out of the t rex holder!

It sounds as though your holder isnt the right one? You need a ceramic lamp holder- it sounds as though it has melted shut.

And yeah I'm excited for the Indian stars: we were going to get some at xmas but we didn't have the space or the money spare so it wouldn't have been a good idea. Now we have moved so it's not an issue. They're not cheap but we'd rather pay the extra and know where they are from, and that they aren't going to "roll over" and die after a few months!

Exactly. and you wont be fuelling the wildcaught trade either
Out of interest- who are you buying off? (Named*****?)

Edited by Eire_Ade

[saucysqueezy]

managed to deactivate my account when changing my email address!

yes Marcus Langford he's got a lot of experience so we know we'e in good hands, and they are uk cb

we got the t rex reflector which apparently came with a ceramic holder but you're right, it's not that good if it seems to snap or melt

I would use a small pig lamp then becky, I got one from Ebay:
www.ascott.biz is the suppliers site though. its a 250watt one, so it will cope fine with my 100 watt powersun, thats when i use that again, i only use a normal spot lamp in the summer as they are outside all day after they have warmed up, and the biggies just choose if they want in or out, so I have a normal spot lamp for them anyway.

PM'd you as wel Becky.

[saucysqueezy]

pig lamp lol love the name, we will look that up as we just have a clip on one with a lower watt bulb at the moment till we decide what to get for best, we don't want a tortoise being hit by a falling lamp!

LOL, its because they use it for piglets, these have sort of "tortoise sized" gaps in between the guards and are weighted to fall sideways anyway.
Even after the burning my powersun is fully functional and you wouldnt know it was burnt at all- except for the smell that still ingers in the shed!!

[saucysqueezy]

we looked at the lamps but wasn't sure on the best one to get, which one do you recommend? we have the powersun and t rex bulb, although the powersun one was 300w i think! a little strong but we did build a massive enclosure, however it made the place like a sun tan salon so we got the t rex flood!