How to set up your
tortoise lighting
THIS IS AN INFORMATIVE ARTICLE ABOUT LIGHTING ESPECIALLY THE LAST PART REGARDING THE MERCURY VAPOUR BULB WHICH YOU ALL HAVE TO BUY. AS YOU KNOW I WRITE ALOT ABOUT THE LIGHTING IN YOUR CARE SHEETS BUT I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING..
Despite the growing
interest in keeping tortoises, information about tortoise lighting is
still a little difficult to find, and often a little too vague to
make much use out of.
Tortoises need
light, UVB and heat
Tortoises are no
different from any other species of reptile – cold blooded, they
need enough light to be able to move around comfortably, enough heat
to thermos-regulate their metabolic processes, and enough UVB light
to create vitamin D3 in their bodies.
The latter part about
UVB and D3 is where a lot of tortoise keepers go wrong, and sadly it
can have fatal consequences.
Tortoises
need plenty of UVB light from above in order to put their dietary
calcium to good use. UVB light helps them to synthesise vitamin D3,
helping turn the calcium in to a strong skeletal structure and shell.
Without this process in
place, tortoises suffer from a lack of ability to generate D3, absorb
calcium, and therefore weak bones and shells. This is called
Metabolic Bone Disease, or MBD for short, and is characterised by a
lack of movement, brittle bones and a soft and spongy shell, unable
to take the weight of their internal organs, crushing the tortoise
under their own weight – sometimes fatally.
This is why a source of
UVB light is essential, especially during the early developmental
years, and for females undergoing the reproductive process, and
therefore needed more calcium to forms the eggs and embryos inside
them.
How much light, heat
and UVB does my tortoise need?
This all depends on
what species your tortoise is, and therefore what kind of habitat
they have evolved in during their species’ time in the wild.
Some may require a
little more heat than others, coming from a hotter climate and
therefore thermo-regulate at higher temperatures. Likewise, some
might require less or more UV depending on their optimum exposure
levels in the wild.
But one thing is for
sure, being non-nocturnal reptiles, they need all 3 types of lighting
to live healthy, happy lives.
European Tortoises
The most likely to
enjoy a spell outside in an open topped, wire covered run where they
can enjoy the heat, light and UVB from the sun in British summer
time, European tortoises like Horsfield and Russian enjoy a more
temperature climate. A UVB lamp (flood type lamps work best to ensure
the UV light reaches every bit of the environment) that provides
around 10% to 12% UVB light, and heating set to around 34 degrees as
the basking end of the setup.
Mediterranean
Tortoises
Slightly warmer, Med
species like Marginated, greek and leopard tortoises enjoy 12% UVB
for vitamin D3 synthesis and temperatures just above 34 degrees
Celsius at the hot end.
Tropical Tortoises
Hotter temperatures are
needed for metabolic function (34 degrees or more), but tortoises
like Redfoots receive only a little UV in comparison. This is due to
the blocking effect of the rainforest canopy and vegetation, meaning
around 5/6% UV bulbs are just fine for these guys.
Mercury Vapour Bulbs
Designed and made to
cater for all the needs of tortoises, Mercury vapour bulbs provide
all the heat, light and UVB needed by your tortoise, all from one
handy source!
While the components of
a tortoise setup and be bought separately in the form of a UVB light,
halogen light and various other overhead heat lights, a mercury
vapour bulb has everything covered in one.
Available for the last
4 years, and the new generation just being released at the moment,
these bulbs are superb for those keeping their tortoise in an
open-topped environment like a tortoise table.
Position the bulb
vertically (to protect it from the powerful convections currents
inside when switched on), Mercury Vapour Bulbs work best at around 17"
to 19" inches above the tortoise to achieve the right temperature
without being so hot that your tortoise won’t want to spend time
under it.
Tortoises don’t tend
to bask much, so if you never find your tortoise under the light
itself, you might want to consider moving it to their favourite spot. ALWAYS, put food under the bulb area so your tortoise gets the best rays whilst eating...to change food into calcium rich strong bones..
