Bedtime routine?

[Paddy]

hi,
So just got a leopard tortoise today, he/she is about 2 and a half months old. I think we're doing okay as far as first day goes, but did have one question. As I understand the our little paddy needs to be exposed to the UV light for about 12 hours a day. My initial plan was to turn the light on at 8pm, and turn it off 8 am so that when my son comes home around 3ish, he can play with him and I wouldn't be worried he didn't have enough UV light exposure. But now I realize if I do that then paddy will be up all night and sleeping during the day? What is the best solution to this? Can I leave the light on let's say 8-4, and when my son comes home I let him play with paddy and a little bit, and turn it back on for the rest of the time? Does he need constant UV exposure ? Thanks !

 

[dmmj]

you need the light on as long as you do because indoor UV isn't process as good as natural sunshine. may I ask what you mean by play with your tortoise?they need sleep dathey need dark time

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

At 2.5 months old, your baby tortoise will be wanting to hide and sleep most of the day.
I'd limit the handling and "play" to a minimum. It may be stressful to the little guy.

 

[Lyn W]

I have a leopard and he has his own routine. He goes in and out of his hide when he chooses. As soon as he has tucked himself away for the night I switch his mvb off and the che is on (just heat - no light as dmmj said torts need dark to sleep.
Sometimes he is out and about really early but in the winter he could stay in his hide for most of the morning even with his light on and his bedtime varies as well.
They don't like being handled too much especially when they are nervous babies. Mine will let me stroke a leg or his head occasionally and he will be take food from my hand but it's all on his terms. I do have to nab him for warm soaks though - daily when I am in work and don't see him drink to make sure he is hydrated.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Your son is up at 3am or 3pm? I wouldn't keep the lights on from 8pm to 8am - 8am to 8pm would make a lot more sense. He needs light on during the day and total darkness at night. I wouldn't try to split up the brightness hours either - I'm not sure how their circadian rythms would be affected by something like that. Bright during the day, dark at night. You're trying to mimic nature - thus no lights at night.

A hatchling is going to hide/sleep a big portion of the day anyway - it likely would appreciate minimal handling and "play" at this stage.

 

[Lyn W]

Forgot to say welcome. This is a great place for up to date advice.
Can you post pics of Paddy and his enclosure?

There is good caresheet fo leopards; the Enclosures thread will give you lots of ideas and the Beginners Mistakes Thread is also great for leaning from other people's mistakes

 

[Paddy]

Thanks for the warm reply ! This is Paddy, he's named after Paddington, yes the movie lol. It's my sons favorite. So, I guess what I meant by "playtime" was yesterday right before bedtime e took the lil guy out of the cage and let him run around the apartment. Not forlong, like maybe 10 minish?? I'm guessing that's a big no no? And till what age am I suppose to keep him under the UV light for 12 hours?

Thanks for all your help guys ! I've only owned fishes before, never a pet with a lil bit more responsibilities!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

First of all, tortoises are not interactive pets. The best thing you can teach your son is to have respect for the animal and to take care of it. Things like cleaning out the habitat, giving it fresh water, putting out the food. Baby tortoises should be looked at, but not handled unless during the taking care of process. And yes, you are correct - allowing a baby tortoise to roam loose on the apartment floor is really not a good or safe idea. We recently had a post made by a member who had allowed the tortoise out on the floor. The member closed a door in the apartment, not realizing the tortoise had his head in between the back of the door and the door jamb. You can imagine what happened (the tortoise is no longer living).

I keep my tortoise's lights on 14 hours a day, on in the morning and off at night. If you have the habitat set up correctly, even if the tortoise is in the shade of a plant, or in his hiding place, he is getting the benefit of the UVB from the light, as the rays float around in the habitat.

Please read the care sheets pinned at the top of our leopard tortoise section.

 

[Paddy]

Forgot to say welcome. This is a great place for up to date advice.
Can you post pics of Paddy and his enclosure?

There is good caresheet fo leopards; the Enclosures thread will give you lots of ideas and the Beginners Mistakes Thread is also great for leaning from other people's mistakes

Can you tell me where I can find the beginners mistake thread?

 

[Paddy]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

First of all, tortoises are not interactive pets. The best thing you can teach your son is to have respect for the animal and to take care of it. Things like cleaning out the habitat, giving it fresh water, putting out the food. Baby tortoises should be looked at, but not handled unless during the taking care of process. And yes, you are correct - allowing a baby tortoise to roam loose on the apartment floor is really not a good or safe idea. We recently had a post made by a member who had allowed the tortoise out on the floor. The member closed a door in the apartment, not realizing the tortoise had his head in between the back of the door and the door jamb. You can imagine what happened (the tortoise is no longer living).

I keep my tortoise's lights on 14 hours a day, on in the morning and off at night. If you have the habitat set up correctly, even if the tortoise is in the shade of a plant, or in his hiding place, he is getting the benefit of the UVB from the light, as the rays float around in the habitat.

Please read the care sheets pinned at the top of our leopard tortoise section.

Thanks for that ! And till what age am I suppose to keep him under the light for 12 hours a day ?

 

[Lyn W]

This should take you there.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Jodie]

He will need UVB exposure his whole life. Welcome to the forum by the way. Ideally when he gets a bit bigger, you can make an outdoor enclosure So he can get real sunlight.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Thanks for that ! And till what age am I suppose to keep him under the light for 12 hours a day ?

He'll always require UVb, but it doesn't have to come from a lamp if you can get him set up outside. Babies fair a lot better if kept indoors for the first few years, but eventually you will want to make the most of your good weather seasons and have him outdoors. There is disagreement on how much natural sunlight a week is nessisary to replace the need for artificial lights (and it is dependent on season and latitude). If he's outside full time, all year round, no artificial lights are needed. If it's only an hour a week, you will very likely have to supplement for life.

 

[Lyn W]

Thanks for that ! And till what age am I suppose to keep him under the light for 12 hours a day ?

As I understand it - indefinitely - baby to adult. They need UV to help them digest their food and absorb the good stuff etc. But no coil or loop type cfl bulbs as these can damage tort's eyes.
When he is older and is able to have some outdoor time then he may not need artificial uv so much.
You said you live in an apartment - you do know that leopards can grow up to about 2' long?
My leopard is about 3-4 years old and is already almost 11"
You are going to need a much bigger space for Paddy in the future. My Lola has his own room with lots of space to roam.
Are you in US?