Morty doesn't want to sit under the UVB bulb

[HuyckB04]

I'm worried about Morty getting MBD. He eats great and gets a Calcium supplement. Problem is, all he does is come out of his hide, eat, and return to his hide. He doesn't sit on the stone under the lamp, nor can I get him to venture to his water dish. Heck, until I moved his food dish so he could see it from his hide, he wouldn't eat either! I bathe him twice a week and he is passing stool and nitrates. I find clumps of bedding where he's urinating, so I'm not afraid of dehydration. I'm just concerned a bit. He's been here for a couple months and I'd like to see him become more active and spend some time basking under the UVB lamp. Any thoughts or tips?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

They don't know what's good for them. Are you sure the area isn't too hot?

 

[HuyckB04]

They don't know what's good for them. Are you sure the area isn't too hot?

Temp is 86F

 

[ZEROPILOT]

No. That sounds very comfy indeed. I let my baby R/F out each sunny day to get some real sunlight and he does the same thing! He heads for the shade! Like I said, they don't always do what's best for them.

 

[Delilah1623]

My baby redfoot doesn't bask either. When I give him his daily bath I stick the container under the UVB light so he gets some each day even if he doesn't always like it.

 

[ascott]

Uv rays bounce about...the tort does not need to be directly under the uv rays to gain their benefit ...

 

[zenoandthetortoise]

Uv rays bounce about...the tort does not need to be directly under the uv rays to gain their benefit ...

UV can reflect (like say, off of snow) but I've never measured significant amounts 'bouncing' in a terrarium-type setting. Have you? What were your numbers?

Back to the redfoot question, mine never basks either. I've had better luck with a long tube UV fluorescent with available shade and a CHE to set up a temp gradient. I've also used a calcium supplement with vit D.

 

[ascott]

UV can reflect (like say, off of snow) but I've never measured significant amounts 'bouncing' in a terrarium-type setting. Have you? What were your numbers?

Actually, UV rays can bounce off water, sand, snow, or grass as well as some rocks, depending on their make up--to be clear and all. No, I do not sit about measuring the fluid motion of uv rays in an indoor "terrarium-type setting"....with appropriate lighting and uv needs met, what would the actual purpose be for this? I am interested in your reasoning?

 

[jaizei]

Actually, UV rays can bounce off water, sand, snow, or grass as well as some rocks, depending on their make up--to be clear and all. No, I do not sit about measuring the fluid motion of uv rays in an indoor "terrarium-type setting"....with appropriate lighting and uv needs met, what would the actual purpose be for this? I am interested in your reasoning?

In nature, UV does bounce around and there can be a considerable amount in the shade. But it's usually a fraction of what is available in the adjacent sunny spot. UV lamps produce a smaller beam of UV. So the "sunny spot" in the terrarium from whence UV would 've reflected is much smaller.

I wouldn't rely on "reflected" UV in a terrarium setting without testing with a meter.

 

[zenoandthetortoise]

Actually, UV rays can bounce off water, sand, snow, or grass as well as some rocks, depending on their make up--to be clear and all. No, I do not sit about measuring the fluid motion of uv rays in an indoor "terrarium-type setting"....with appropriate lighting and uv needs met, what would the actual purpose be for this? I am interested in your reasoning?

My reasoning is reflected (sorry, bad pun) in the assumptions of your previous sentence. How do you know there is ' appropriate lighting and UV needs met..." , if you aren't measuring it? Particularly if the assumed source is indirect environmental 'bounce'.

What is your redfoot setup? I've not been able to make a MVB work for them because of the aforementioned lack of basking behavior.
That's the logic behind sitting about and measuring

 

[Tom]

I'm worried about Morty getting MBD. He eats great and gets a Calcium supplement. Problem is, all he does is come out of his hide, eat, and return to his hide. He doesn't sit on the stone under the lamp, nor can I get him to venture to his water dish. Heck, until I moved his food dish so he could see it from his hide, he wouldn't eat either! I bathe him twice a week and he is passing stool and nitrates. I find clumps of bedding where he's urinating, so I'm not afraid of dehydration. I'm just concerned a bit. He's been here for a couple months and I'd like to see him become more active and spend some time basking under the UVB lamp. Any thoughts or tips?

Looks like Morty is a russian? Looking at your avatar...

Did Morty get sunshine all summer long?

What are you using as a UV source for him?

What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low? What equipment are you using to achieve this?

 

[Tom]

UV can reflect (like say, off of snow) but I've never measured significant amounts 'bouncing' in a terrarium-type setting. Have you? What were your numbers?

I have measured using a Solarmeter 6.2 and a 6.5. As soon as the sensor is tipped away from being pointed directly at the bulb, UV drops off quickly to almost nothing once the sensor is not in the direct beam of the light bulb. I get no "reflective" UV off the walls, rocks or substrate. I attempted to measure 24" 10.0 bulbs as wells as 36" 12% Arcadia HO bulbs in a reflector hood.

I just went and checked again for fun. Under my 10.0 tubes I get zero as soon as the sensor is not pointed at the bulb. No reflective UV measurable from any surface or angle with either meter.

Under my Arcadia bulbs my 6.2 meter gives me readings as high as 181 at tortoise level. I tried getting a reflection off the water surface in the bowl and got 001. I then was able to get 001 off of a light colored piece of petrified wood, if I pointed the meter at just the right down angle to catch the reflection. Substrate and white plastic feeding tray gave me 000. I got triple zeros with the meter pointed everywhere else.

 

[ascott]

In nature, UV does bounce around and there can be a considerable amount in the shade. But it's usually a fraction of what is available in the adjacent sunny spot. UV lamps produce a smaller beam of UV. So the "sunny spot" in the terrarium from whence UV would 've reflected is much smaller.

I wouldn't rely on "reflected" UV in a terrarium setting without testing with a meter.

But another factor to consider is that a tortoise in the wild would never sit in the sunny spot all day...therefore, in an artificial setting, the lower levels of uv rays would be acceptable....again, being that the tort has limited ways to escape the uvrays in the enclosure....

 

[leigti]

I have also measured using the 6.5 mUV index meter and basically got the same results Tom did. Zero if not pointed up at the bulb.

 

[zenoandthetortoise]

But another factor to consider is that a tortoise in the wild would never sit in the sunny spot all day...therefore, in an artificial setting, the lower levels of uv rays would be acceptable....again, being that the tort has limited ways to escape the uvrays in the enclosure....

If I am following your thought process here, the intermittent basking behavior of an outdoor tortoise in sunlight is a factor to be considered when evaluating the conditions for an indoor tortoise under artificial lighting that is not basking at all, where, as demonstrated, indirect UV is effectively zero.
How is this a factor and why should it be considered?