Lighting: No T-Rex

[William]

Hello.  I'm going to be getting myself a Russian Tortoise soon.  Gathering supplies and data before anything goes into the final setup processes.  I have a question that quite possibly somene here might be able to answer.  I've read and reviewed all the information on the RussianTortoise.org website about setup and supplies, etc.  I live in Wisconsin, in the United States and there isn't anywhere around here that seems to sell the suggested T-Rex bulb for lighting.  There are plenty of bulbs that i have seen that provide UVB, but they are both scaled to certain "enviornements".  For example there is "arid" and "tropical", one with 5% UVB and one with 10%.  Which of these or stronger should I be getting?

Thanks in advance.

[Clare]

A note on the T-Rex bulb - you can order it online, if you can't find it in your area. Carolina Pet Supply has it at http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/catalog . I got mine from Petsmart.com for about $45 total, and I've noticed the difference already. Every time I check on him, my tort is basking under the light, something he rarely did before.

[blondesarah]

I use trex bulbs and the difference is amazing, they are 20x the strenght of a uvb strip. When i put the bulbs on my tortoises went mad and started eatign the air and the substrate as they could see the uvb but didnt know where it was coming from, it just shows you how rubbish strip uvbs are.

[William]

Thanks everyone for comments back.  My person dug up some information on the internet and we found not only a place that carried T-Rex bulbs (and T-Rex everything else), but they also sold captive bread Russian Tortosies!  I went ahead a got the T-Rex 100w.

[Umblot]

Hi,  Long time lurker, new member.  Just wanted to report on the T-Rex bulb. My tort (3year old Russian, Ivan) was getting very lethargic and not eating alot this winter. I keep him inside because I live in Colorado. I was using a strip Uvb. Once I put that bulb in his enclosure he just sucked it up like he hit the mother lode. He's back eating and stays awake alot longer. Much more active. Joe is right about this bulb.  Too good to be true.  I found mine at reptilesupply.com for $43 ( no offense Joe). I'll try to stay a more active member. Sharing information is important.    Happy Trails,  Ken

[Joe H]

Hi Ken
No offense taken. There bulb is the old version and the price doesn't include shipping. My price is $49.99 shipping included

[Umblot]

Joe,  thanks for the info on the T-Rex bulb.  I guess I should have done my homework. I may have to do more shopping at your store.  Later, Ken