NEED ADVICE ON INDOOR LIGHTING!!! Desperately!

[ilovemyroscoe91]

Hey everyone!

My boy is 2 yrs old and for the past yr his tail fur had been thinning, but now it's drastically thinning. He hasn't got much sunlight so I know that's what's going on, now that I've done some research.

I think I'm going to need a Zoo Med Repti-sun 10 24". (I'M ADDING PICS OF THE LIGHTS). When I look them up to order them it says in that size it comes in 17 watt. So my question is, how many of these bulbs do I need if each is 17 watts? Like how many watts in all is needed?

And if any one has any other useful info I might need, please feel free to let me know!

Thanks from Raychel and my boy Roscoe!

[CritterMom]

It isn't that you need a bunch of bulbs - one is fine. You just need to place it so that it isn't too far from the animal in the cage - a foot or two, tops, not across the room. They also need to be able to get out from under it. So it should shine on just one part of the cage so they can choose to be under the light or not. Placing it a foot to 18" above a flat spot that they like to pancake on is perfect.

[Mel1959]

The difference between these bulbs besides the wattage, is the distance that the UV rays emit. The higher watt bulbs will emit the UV rays a longer distance so they don't have to be placed as close to the squirrel. I'm talking a difference of only inches, not feet. For instance the 17 watt bulb probably requires the critter to be abou 12 inches from the light where the 35 watt bulb can probably be 18-24 inches away.

I agree the light will probably be beneficial to his fur, but diet plays a huge role in overall health and definitely in hair. I have a dwarf squirrel who is a notoriously picky eater, as dwarfs are. He had lost his tail hair and his fur was thinning. About 3 months ago I started feeding him Harlan Teklad 2018 block and all of the fur on his belly has regrown, his tail hair is regrowing and his coat is shinier and denser. That is the only nutritional change I made. I posted some pictures in the Nursery on his thread Joey a dwarf squirrel. You should take a look at them.

[ilovemyroscoe91]

OK Thank you Very much! I'm attaching a picture of his cage to maybe give you a better idea of how far the light will be. I can have it set up a little bit off the top, that's where he lays to just bask and hang out, but if he wants to get out of the light he can move to the bottom. It's a ferret nation double.

As for his diet I have used quite a few different brands of squirrel blocks. I started on HHB then I switched to The Squirrel Man nut squares. And then to a 3rd. Only because he never finished any of them. Its probably because he knows if he doesn't eat them I'll just end up giving him some fruit and veges. Starting now I'm not going to give him any thing else until he eats the whole thing, even if it takes him 2 days. He has to get use to eating them, right? I'm going back to HHB and I'm going to stay with it, since it seems that's what everyone's baby eats.

I'm also going to include a couple pics of him and his tail, just so you can see. Other than just the fur on his tail he seems pretty healthy. His fur is soft and shiny and thick. But I'm sure if this continues it won't stay that way. 290652290653290654

[Mel1959]

I'm familiar with the cage and I think I would go with the 24 watt bulb, at least. I noticed that these are only UVB bulbs. According to the handout Dr. Emerson gave at her lecture, she recommends a full spectrum UVA/UVB light. Just be sure it is not a basking light that produces heat.

[ilovemyroscoe91]

Do you recommend a certain light? I don't think Iv seen a UVA/UVB light. Could you screen shot one for me maybe or is there a certain site I can find them on?

Thank you for helping me though, I really appreciate it!

[Mel1959]

I read the information about the lights you pictured. They have UVA rays but I believe it's only 10%. On the same sight I saw a lamp that was made by repti-sun that is a T-5 HO. The HO stands for high output. This lamp offers twice the UVA/UVB output and emits those rays 20 inches. All of these bulbs are only good for about 6 months. Even though the bulb may continue to work it does not emit enough rays after that time. Dr. Emersons recommendation was for the light to run 2-4 hrs a day.

[ilovemyroscoe91]

Yes I saw that one, but I was worried it would be too much for him, Because the ferret nation cage isn't that big. Wouldn't it get too hot that close to it, Since it's more powerful?

[Mel1959]

These are fluorescent bulbs, they shouldn't get hot like an incandescent bulb. You could always place it at the top of the cage if necessary. Stronger rays should require less time needed for the recommended exposure.

[ilovemyroscoe91]

I read up on it a bit more, and went ahead and ordered that one. Thank you so much for all the help! Hopefully I'm not too late though

[Mel1959]

Did you ever say what you are feeding him? A LOT of problems with squees are the result of inadequate nutrition.

[ilovemyroscoe91]

Yes it's on my initial post. HHB and fruits and veggies mostly

[eionm]

The best lighting

To keep things basic the best lighting (https://www.lighterest.com/) is radiant or incandescent lamp bulbs.
While brilliant lights are difficult to come by they are at times actually sold as party or beautifying lights in tool stores.
Golden or better still red lights are best utilized in the evening and night.