Lighting question

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GotTort

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I just got a 3 mo old RT hatchling. Keeping him in a 22 x 16 x 6 inch sterilite plastic container with coconut coir and topsoil.ImageUploadedByTortoiseForum1365348995.167895.jpg Been using a powersun bulb for light, UVB and heat. Been keeping it on for 12 hrs a day. Is that too much UVB exposure? Im using a 160 watt. Couldnt get high enough temps with 100 watt. Lamp is 18 inch above enclosure. Should I put the lamp closer to enclosure? Bask temp is 95, warm is around 85, cool is low 70's and night high 60's. Also, I've never seen him bask but has only been 2 days.
 
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Tom

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Sounds perfect to me. Since the sun is up for 12 hours a day outside, I think its a good idea to have 12 hours of sunshine indoors too. They will move in and out of the "sun" to maintain body temp indoors too. Your enclosure and set up sound great. The only thing I would prefer is a larger area. This one will be okay for a few months with a tiny baby, but more space is always a good thing, especially for a RT.

An outdoor enclosure for fair weather is a great thing too.
 

GotTort

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Thanks Tom for helping me with my new parent jitters. I actually started with a much large enclosure but it was too difficult finding my burrowed baby each day! I decided to go with something more manageable until he got a little larger.
 

GBtortoises

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Sunlight exposure outdoors in the northern hemisphere varies by season. In the springtime it is about 13.5 hours in mid April, in the fall around 12.5 hours in mid September but as much as 15.5 hours during the mid summer months. The early, mid and late summer is when tortoises are most active in the wild. This is primarily due to the amount of light during the day, the intensity of that light, temperatures and other minor factors.
I think that northern climate tortoises need the same duration and as close to the same intensity as possible when kept indoors as they would be exposed to outdoors in order to function normally and be active.
As far as your tortoise burying itself that is very normal for a Russian tortoise, they are a naturally burrowing species. This is especially true of babies of this species and many others. It gives them a sense of security. They may also do so near a basking source in order to maintain body temperature while still being safe.
 
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