Hello Mods....
I had done a thread below on a TORTOISE FORUM... (see below.)
to do what I can to try and get folks set up with better lighting.
There are SO MANY folks out there that are swallowed up in conflicting advice.
I can hear heads exploding in frustration! LOL
Because WE KNOW
that half of the "TRICK" in getting the UVB and lighting right
is TAILORING IT TO A SPECIFIC SET UP!
There is NO "one size fits all" answer.
Screen or no screen?
% of UVB from bulb
How old is bulb?
How far is basking & UVB spot?
Distance of animal from bulb?
What kind of fixture? t5 or t8?
Does light fixture even have a reflector behind bulb??
on and on....
And I have always felt that there is NO WAY to dispense the best advice without getting to look at a few pics of a set up.
(As a matter of fact, now I almost never dispense advice a newbie w/o first seeng exactly what they are working with.)
It is an ART and a Science that can easily be facilitated by a Solarmeter!
But so many folks can not afford one.
(especially now with inflation)
And some folks that have them do not know how to use them.
Anyway...
I know I am long winded....
(some may say over detailed, LOL)
Would you guys like me to start a sort of a cage picture / lighting advice thread on Bearded Dragon . org?
Sort of like the one below on a tortoise forum?
Of course ...
anyone can chime in if they want,
but the premis is to
SEE THE EXACT CAGE THE ANIMALS ARE IN,
before popping off on what % bulb they should have or all this and all that.
Advice from someone saying they LOVE the Arcadia 14% bulbs because they work so good on their 24 x 24 x 48 cage...
DOES NOT TRANSLATE to the baby beardie in a 10 gal. tank with a basking area 6 " under the light--
that should have a NO HIGHER THAN 6% t5 bulb over it.
Or vice versa!
Anyways...
Would you guys like me to start a sort of a cage picture / lighting advice thread on Bearded Dragon . org?
I can check it once a day... but of course anyone can participate.
Cheers,
Todd
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a thread where you can ask and get SPECIFIC LIGHTING ANSWERS and TIPS you may be looking for..... made EASY!
I was discussing with Mod Tom and we talked about how confusing lighting can be!
In part because there are so many species of tortoise in so many differnt types and sizes of set ups.
All these variables make asking for and getting the correct information SO CONFUSING!
No wonder why everyone gets confused and heads explode!
LOL
+ =
So...
This is Lighting Made Easy!
But,
here is the catch!
So you get the correct advice for your particular set up and animals
PLEASE post a picture of your set up along with your question(s).
More pics the better!
And SHOW US what you are working with and what you currently have for lighting equipment!
That way, advice can be TARGETED TO YOUR SET UP!
Now,
If you are "post shy"
and do not want to put up a picture, but are still in need of help....
You can simply e-mail me a pic of your set up to me at: [email protected]
Please put: "Need Tortoise lighting advice " in the subject line so I will be able to see it quickly!
I usually respond in 24 hours or less.
OR
Post here and please include a few pictures!
PLEASE:
Describe set up
Type of tortoise you have and how big the animal is.
Cage dimentions / size
What do you have specifically for lights running now?
How far are the lights over TOP OF the animal's SHELL to bulb(s).
Even if you don't put up a post here or feel you need any lighting help...
PLEASE feel free to look through the posts & pics to see SET UPS SIMILAR TO YOUR OWN!
Let's get the correct UVB and lighting over tortoises EVERYWHERE!
So that they will stay HEALTHY and free of Metabolic Bone Disease and horrible, debilitating calcium imbalances!
Feel free to link and share this tread to all tortoise lovers!
I personally will check this thread every evening...
but anyone can also respond to posts & advice or share products that have worked for them!
Cheers,
Todd