Artificial UV or Daily Sunning?

[Marcus D]

Hi all,

When I first set up my tortoise enclosure I put in a Zilla slimline fluorescent tube fixture. On the packaging it said it was good for a sulcata tortoise and I had read online that it was a good fixture. However after reading on this site and others from people who know much more about tortoises, I’ve heard many things about these bulbs being dangerous. I take my tortoises out often but since hearing about this two days ago I have been taking them outside in their enclosure i made for around an hour a day. Because I do this, do I need artificial UV? I’ve read this will do just fine but I thought I should ask. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings.... from what I know and practice here in Maryland with our Sully is that you can’t beat the real thing - ????? Natural 100% good old fashioned sunshine is what your tort needs. A few hours a day, a few days a week....all year long. All bulbs that we purchase & hang & measure UVA and UVB etc are just attempting to mimic the real thing.

Id posit that if you can get your sully out a few times a week all year long - you’re good.

Im sure others will provide more info. @Tom and @Yvonne G are both in ?? California too...

 

[Marcus D]

Greetings.... from what I know and practice here in Maryland with our Sully is that you can’t beat the real thing - ????? Natural 100% good old fashioned sunshine is what your tort needs. A few hours a day, a few days a week....all year long. All bulbs that we purchase & hang & measure UVA and UVB etc are just attempting to mimic the real thing.

Id posit that if you can get your sully out a few times a week all year long - you’re good.

Im sure others will provide more info. @Tom and @Yvonne G are both in ?? California too...

Thank you so much I am a rookie but it’s always nice to see that experienced keepers are here to help !

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Just a couple hours a week of real sun and yes you can do away with artificial UVB.

 

[Tom]

Thank you so much I am a rookie but it’s always nice to see that experienced keepers are here to help !

Hello and welcome. I don't think there is anything harmful about your UV tube. Its the cfl types that are sometimes damaging. Having said that, you do not need indoor UV at all if your tortoise is getting sunshine every day, or even once or twice a week. And its okay to skip a few weeks of outside time in winter when we have our occasional cold rainy spells.

Here is more info. Most of the care info for this species is simply wrong and based on 30 year old incorrect assumptions about there they come from. Here is the current and correct care info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org