# Tortoise Vivarium Setup - Help Please ?



## sam_martin82 (Mar 2, 2009)

Hi all

Our Hermans has out grown her 3ft vivarium so will be shortly be upgrading to a LoobyLou 5ft by 2x2 wood vivarium with glass on runners on the front. A few questions please ?
1) I hear a Power sun bulb is a good option as it combines both UV and heat and lasts a while. Should I get the 100w or 160w for a 5ft and how high from the viv floor should it be?
2) Will I need a metal reflector shield thing over the top of this or will the bulb fitting just fit on the ceiling of the viv?
3) I'm looking to have hemp one end and topsoil the other plus a piece of slate and cuttlefish? Any suggestions or additions?

Photos can be seen of our Hermans in one of my earlier posts in Shelled catergory..


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## Horsfield (Oct 1, 2008)

sam_martin82 said:


> Hi all
> 
> Our Hermans has out grown her 3ft vivarium so will be shortly be upgrading to a LoobyLou 5ft by 2x2 wood vivarium with glass on runners on the front. A few questions please ?
> 1) I hear a Power sun bulb is a good option as it combines both UV and heat and lasts a while. Should I get the 100w or 160w for a 5ft and how high from the viv floor should it be?
> ...


I use the exo terra MVB's and could not use them in a 4x2x2 viv as it was giving a basking spot of 45c and if I took the reflector of the ambient temp went to high. It might be worth looking at these lucky reptile bulbs as they are all in one's I have not used them but I am going to replace my mvb's with them. I know people have used these in viv's because my local rep shop has them in 3ft vivs

My 125w MVB in my glass fronted table is 18" from the top of the substrate and the basking spot is 35c. 









As for substrate I have used both hemp and soil they both work but in my opinion I have found straw pellets work well as when they get wet they just expand and you can spot clean the enclosure with a cat litter scope I also have a soil bank in a tray for them to play on









I hope this helps


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## lil05 (Jul 22, 2008)

sorry i cant help with the bulb thing but you can add things like rocks in  like the pictures above


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## sam_martin82 (Mar 2, 2009)

Thanks all.. I'm looking at that website now... thanks


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## lil05 (Jul 22, 2008)

that remind me .. go on shelled and look at the sticky at the top called indoor inclosures .. they have loads of pictures of peoples enclosures so loads of differnt one with a few good ideas


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## sam_martin82 (Mar 2, 2009)

Cheers


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