uvb combis need to "burn in" for 12 hours, thats how long it takes for the uv output to stabilise. After that they are ok Aslong as they are used correctly as explained in the instructions.

there is alot of humour and gossip surrounding uvb and eye problems in reptiles at the moment. the most common culprit is the exo terra compact lamp. i do stress thought that NO PROOF has been found to my knowedge that says it is 100% down to the lamp. it could be just as much down the improper usage, wrong output% or incorrect reflector etc.

[quote=beckybear;2300960]Is there anybody who could possibly help me. Im thinking about getting a leopard tortoise. I went to my local reptile shop and they had sum there but when i said that i was going to be keeping my tortoise in a tortoise table that my husband was making, he told me that they are only suitable for the summer months and that my tortoise will require a viv for a much warmer enviroment. I also mentioned about getting a megaray lamp setup and he said that they can cause eye damage to the tortoises. He then suggested for me to get strip light and red bulb to keep on all the time and the strip light on in the day. im so confused.





hi i keep leopard tortoises and have done for the last 12 years i purchased them as captive bred hatchlings and it has taken 12 years for them to become large enough to breed and i have their hatchlings on a table under a megaray as i type .so long as you can maintain a constant night time temperature of 18c to 20c minimum they should be alright the megaray has a minimum height and this should be strictly adhered to .my hatchlings and juveniles enjoy a temperature of 22c-24c daytime with a basking area of about 35c.mine are now provided with a humid hide inthe warmer part of the table and at least one of them uses it at some point daily/nightly.my juveniles spend most days in their outside pen and the hatchlings most afternoons in reasonable weather.my adults have a insulated 8'x6' shed for night times and a large outside pen which they have access to daily with clumps of pamps grass to hide in.keeping young leo's indoors people often see problems related to dehydration i bath my hatchlings daily and the juveniles every other day also when indoors their rooms humidity is at 60% .please remember no matter how many bath/soaks you give them they do need fresh water available in a bowl they can climb right in them selves for a drink as and when they feel the need if denied this they may become stressed.for feeding they always do better with access to graze daily but this isnt always possible with youngsters in this climate so i feed a diet of mixed weeds with a minimum of 50% coarse plantain liberally sprinkled with finely chopped grass i also rinse then break up lumps of cuttle fish for them to chew on
terry

__________________
these are my own opinions do with them what you will


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/

thanks for all ur help and advice, i think i will ignore what the shopkeeper said and invest in my megaray lamp. will this need to be one all day and night. if not the night then wheat type of heat will they require.
also ment to say im in the uk and my house isnt that cold as we always hav the heating on.

hi they dont need any lights at night and provided your home is heated to their minimum requirement the temperature should be fine just keep an eye on the humidity it can become very dry with cental heating.
terry

__________________
these are my own opinions do with them what you will


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/