Lighting question

[Terry Allan Hall]

Met a young lady this weekend w/ a Russian Tortoise who lives outside most of the year, but is kept inside during the months that are too cold for a European tortoise (around here, that's typically mid-October through mid-March, give or take), although she takes him outside on warm days for a few hours as often as possible during those months. It does have proper heating in it's inside home (basking spot stays about 97F) and she's kept her RT in this manner for about 10 years. It's a very healthy RT with a good strong shell and the usual RT voracious enthusiasm for greens and weeds.

So, the question she wants to know is, does her tort really need a UV lamp when it never goes more than a week or so w/o some hours of unfiltered sunlight, even in the winter of Texas? Told her I didn't see that it'd hurt having one, but that I really didn't know if she was hurting it, either, and I'd see what my fellow tort-fanciers thought.

What say ye?

 

[Yvonne G]

I never in all my years of tortoise keeping, used a UV light. All my tortoises, even the sick ones, got some outside time. I only bought my first UV light this past spring, and I can tell you, it made a big difference in the activity level of the tortoises I put it over.

Bottom line...if they get some outside time, in my opinion, they don't need a UV light, but if you DO provide one, it helps the tortoise.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I never in all my years of tortoise keeping, used a UV light. All my tortoises, even the sick ones, got some outside time. I only bought my first UV light this past spring, and I can tell you, it made a big difference in the activity level of the tortoises I put it over.

Bottom line...if they get some outside time, in my opinion, they don't need a UV light, but if you DO provide one, it helps the tortoise.

Pretty much my thinking, too.

Thanks, ma'am!

 

[tortoisenerd]

If I were in this situation I would have a Mega Ray or T-Rex Active UV Heat I'd just bring out during those times it's going to be more than a couple days without sun. Pretty borderline though.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I put my guys outside when the sun shines here and don't use a UVB light. They only get a UVB light when they are without sun for more than a week. HTH