...Auntie wants the lights off

[rocky1998]

Again my auntie is trying to take control of my upkeep of the torts... We're having quite nice weather here in glasgow highs around 28 degrees Celsius ... But my auntie told me to turn of the tortoises lights because its warm and "they don't need it " and I told her that they needed the heat and their UVB supply for 12 hours ... And She said "there animals they'll live"
Now as you can see I will do nothing but make sure that the tortoises have the best enclosure as possible , best lighting , best care and best diet , but I just need to know since my auntie will not stop , do we need the lights on for the full 12 hours ?


1 dwarf hamster
2 Russian torts
5 freshwater fish

 

[ColinF87]

RE: ...

They need to be able to bask under a lamp when they want to so they can control their body temperatures themselves. I've seen opinions vary on exactly how long the lights are needed for, but the key thing is that they should mimic natural sunlight. You might be able to get away with switching them on a bit later and off a bit earlier, but putting them on for an hour or two here and there won't work.

I can kind of see where you auntie's coming from though, it is frustrating having to provide heat indoors in this weather. Ringo has spent most of the last two days buried in the coolest corner of his table. Normally he's pretty active right after a soak, but when we took him out of his bath this morning he had a few bites at his food then headed behind a plant and started digging again. Poor guy's overheating if he spends too long under the lamp

 

[RussTort]

...

She is right that the torts will survive for now but they won't thrive. It's quite simple, they need UV and they need the right temperature.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

RE: ...

Again my auntie is trying to take control of my upkeep of the torts... We're having quite nice weather here in glasgow highs around 28 degrees Celsius ... But my auntie told me to turn of the tortoises lights because its warm and "they don't need it " and I told her that they needed the heat and their UVB supply for 12 hours ... And She said "there animals they'll live"
Now as you can see I will do nothing but make sure that the tortoises have the best enclosure as possible , best lighting , best care and best diet , but I just need to know since my auntie will not stop , do we need the lights on for the full 12 hours ?

Your aunt must not have any experience caring for animals. I'm not sure why she would have such a lax attitude toward tortoise husbandry. Maybe she's worried about how much the electricity will cost? If I were in your shoes, I'd probably prove to her what tortoises need by presenting her with a reliable book, article, and/or website (including this one, if you like).

Anyway, to answer your question (and to explain it your aunt), Russian tortoises require ambient temperatures in the 70s during the day, and prefer ambient temperatures in the 60s at night. Their basking spot must be 95-100*F for them to properly warm up their bodies and digest their food. As for lighting, real outdoor sunshine is best, but for indoor tortoises, they must have a bulb that provides both UVA and UVB radiation (do not use CFLs). UVA stimulates the appetite, and UVB is needed to convert cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3. Without vitamin D3, tortoises (and other vertebrates, including people) cannot use calcium, no matter how much of it they get. Indoor tortoises also benefit from having a calcium + vitamin D3 powder supplement sprinkled onto the leafy greens they eat a couple of times per week.

Simply put, if tortoises do not have these things, they will develop metabolic bone disease (MBD), which causes a softening and deformation of the skeleton, including the head, limbs, and shell, as well as paralysis due to calcium being unavailable for muscles. If this goes on long enough, it can lead to death as well. This is essentially the same thing as rickets in us humans. I hope your aunt will appreciate how important proper light and heat are to your tortoise's welfare.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: ...

Explain to Auntie that your tortoise is a cold-blooded animal and needs the light/heat in order to digest its food. Remind her that her own body temperature is 98.6F degrees and that the tortoise has no way to get his body temp up to that point without a light, and that room temperature isn't warm enough.

 

[Tom]

Can you build an outdoor enclosure for the warm days? Then you, Auntie, and the tortoise will all be happy.

Your tortoise needs his artificial sun on for 12-13 hours a day, unless he can be out in the real sun and its warm enough out there.

 

[WillTort2]

None of my russians spend all day directly under the light even in winter. So, when our temperatures outside are above 92 degrees, I will set my timer to turn the light off for about 2 hours in the heat of the day. There is still plenty of light available to see, but this keeps the temperature in the cool end from getting above 75 degrees. It's a little compromise because my air conditioning will not keep up with the combination of sun, high temps, and the heat from the basking light.

My Russians don't get outside as much as would be ideal because I live in a neighborhood with lots of bike and foot traffic. And the theft levels have been rising in recent years.

Therefore, perhaps you could agree with your aunt to turn off the light for a couple of hours during the hot part of the day. If you have a tube light for UV that would use less electricity. But that would not replace the need for a basking light. And you could still get your tort 11 to 13 hours of basking light time by having the light come on a little earlier and cut off a little later.