Given the natural desert habitat of the Horsfield tortoise, sunlight and specifically the components of sunlight are crucial to giving your tortoise a long, happy and healthy life. However, with so much choice in the market, along with the make-up of heat and light lamps, it can be confusing to understand what is. required.
There is a TLDR at the bottom which outlines the best set up in my personal opinion, but this article outlines how these bulbs work and the science behind them.
Descriptions of Heat Lamps
When looking at heat lamps there will usually be the following information:
Shape
Type of lamp
Wattage
Percentage
Centimetre (cm) measurement
Mercury
I found it confusing when starting out, and whilst there is a lot of information, it ended up being quite simple when broken down.