# UVA,UVB lights not neccessary during summer months of sufficient sun



## willee638 (May 10, 2020)

Hi summer & hot humid weather with plenty of sunlight is upon the region where I live, I get up to 28-30 degrees indoors & 32-35 degrees outdoors so I decided UVA+UVB bulbs isn't needed since it cause excessive heat in the enclosure & by taking my tort outdoors for up to an hour of natural sun ray was enough vitamin D3 + additional calcium with D3 supplements to her diet was suffice.


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## franklin444 (May 10, 2020)

what kind of tortoise do you have.


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## Tom (May 10, 2020)

Sounds reasonable to me, but your tortoise will still need a basking area indoors that reaches 36-37. Unless its a forest tortoise species...


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## Toddrickfl1 (May 10, 2020)

Good call, I been doing this with my Redfoots for years.


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## franklin444 (May 10, 2020)

you should still have a basking spot just in case your tortoise wants to warm up and so he can get more uva and uvb which is required.


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## willee638 (May 10, 2020)

franklin444 said:


> what kind of tortoise do you have.


Hi, I have a South American red foot tort but don't know the exact country of origin or are they mostly forest dwellers or lives in mountain terrains? It appears my tort does shy away from hot sun lights & seeks hides in shades, but he/she enjoys roaming on a large grassy field of hundreds of feet. I noticed my tort hides most of the time if not all in his/her enclosure especially with the UVA/UVB bulbs on, but it's much more active outdoors.


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## willee638 (May 11, 2020)

franklin444 said:


> you should still have a basking spot just in case your tortoise wants to warm up and so he can get more uva and uvb which is required.


Does torts "none hibernate type" of yearling needs less heat & basking time in warmer summer months indoors? I will keep UVA/UVB lights on for at least 8 hours on cloudy cooler days though, I get my tort a soak once per day & a water dish is always available.


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## Tom (May 11, 2020)

willee638 said:


> Does torts "none hibernate type" of yearling needs less heat & basking time in warmer summer months indoors? I will keep UVA/UVB lights on for at least 8 hours on cloudy cooler days though, I get my tort a soak once per day & a water dish is always available.


Your enclosure needs to be lit up for 12 hours a day. You can use an LED strip or a florescent tube for this, but also include shady areas for the tortoise to hide in.

If the tortoise is going outside for an hour a day, it does not need UVA or UVB indoors.

If you have a red foot, you do not need a basking lamp. An overall temp in the enclosure of 26-30 C will do.


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## Toddrickfl1 (May 11, 2020)

willee638 said:


> Does torts "none hibernate type" of yearling needs less heat & basking time in warmer summer months indoors? I will keep UVA/UVB lights on for at least 8 hours on cloudy cooler days though, I get my tort a soak once per day & a water dish is always available.


I wouldn't keep switching your light source every few days depending on the weather. As long as your tort gets out a few hours a week then just use a regular light bulb inside.


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