Lighting

Question
Hi Jeannie,happy holidays. my question has to do with the type of lighting you use for your red foot tortoise.Maybe you live in an area that you can keep your tortoise out all the time. Not so here.Five tonight and snow Sunday. Love it, but Bobber doesn't, so she is in for the winter.
  I've been using the Zilla power sun uv mercury vapor bulb. they don't last long and make the wheel spin on the electric meter. Do you have a suggestion on another type, maybe some sort of florescent that will give enough rays. thanks,Jeannie, and have good holidays.

Answer
Hi Don,

Indoor tortoises need both heat and UVB.  I'm not sure if you meant a Zilla bulb or the ZooMed Powersun.  Zilla bulbs are pretty useless, but the Powersun has good UVB output and is the only bulb I recommend and use for most conditions.  A 100 watt is good for all but very large enclosures.  They do drive up the power usage somewhat, but it shouldn't be too bad.  They should also last well, but need to be changed after 12 months of use.  I keep mine for two years since my tortoises are outside half the year so the bulbs are only used six months per year.

A fluorescent alternative is the ZooMed Reptisun 10.0.  However, it doesn't provide as much UVB as the Powersun, and doesn't give off heat either, so you'd need a separate basking bulb.  They also need to be replaced every six months (of use) and need to be quite close to the tortoise (I think optimum is somewhere around 8-10" distance.  And of course, they require a different housing as well.  They are easier on electricity, but I find the Powersuns to be simpler because of ease of use (all in one, so less clutter, and last longer).