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Lucky one

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Hi there everybody. Signing in from Vegas. My name is Michael and I'm typing for Lucky (one) a desert tortoise. She is about 5 yrs old and spent, I think, her first winter (I found her in my back yard) inside. Since then she has been outside brumating in an underground abode I built for her. I have been reading that she needs a sun lamp for her bones. She has behaved normally for the past 4 summers or seasons, Should I get a lamp or not. The lowest temps we have here are 31 degrees for maybe a few days in Dec at night. Days are between 50 and 55.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers
 

ZEROPILOT

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If she's not able to get outside for the sun. You'll need a heat source and a T5 HO 10.0 tube florescent uvb lamp.

I'm not sure if that desert tortoise hibernates or not.
Is it legal to possess one in Nevada?
 

wellington

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If she's not able to get outside for the sun. You'll need a heat source and a T5 HO 10.0 tube florescent uvb lamp.

I'm not sure if that desert tortoise hibernates or not.
Is it legal to possess one in Nevada?
Along with needing a uvb bulb if she can't get outside for sunlight she also needs to be able to basking under 95-100 temps in order to properly digest its food.
 

Tom

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Hi there everybody. Signing in from Vegas. My name is Michael and I'm typing for Lucky (one) a desert tortoise. She is about 5 yrs old and spent, I think, her first winter (I found her in my back yard) inside. Since then she has been outside brumating in an underground abode I built for her. I have been reading that she needs a sun lamp for her bones. She has behaved normally for the past 4 summers or seasons, Should I get a lamp or not. The lowest temps we have here are 31 degrees for maybe a few days in Dec at night. Days are between 50 and 55.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers
The sun lamp you read about is for tortoises that are housed exclusively indoors. Tortoises that live outside, or spend some of their time outside a couple fo times per week, get their UV needs met by the sun. They don't need any additional lamps.

Its not safe to let her brumate outside like that. Many die that way and for a variety of reasons. If you want to brumate her, which I think you should, you have to do it correctly. Relying on the cruel whims of Mother Nature is not a safe bet.

Here is all the correct care info. Read through this a couple of times, and then feel free to ask lots of questions. We are all here to talk tortoises. :)
 

Tom

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I'm not sure if that desert tortoise hibernates or not.
Is it legal to possess one in Nevada?
Both species (it used to be one species...) of desert tortoise brumate in the wild annually.

They can be legally possessed in NV with certain restrictions and licensing.
 

Lucky one

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If she's not able to get outside for the sun. You'll need a heat source and a T5 HO 10.0 tube florescent uvb lamp.

I'm not sure if that desert tortoise hibernates or not.
Is it legal to possess one in Nevada?
Well I'll explain. I have been reading a lot lately about tortoises needing sunlight or UV light fir their bones. Having said that she has survived 4 winters outside like I said in my messages. Also the desert tortoise Brumates (Hibernates....cold blooded animals brumate, warm blooded hibernate.) and is now doing so, and will come out in March at some point as she has done for 4 seasons. Seeing as she has survived them unscathed and gets tons of sun in the Nevada sun 8 months of the year I am going to forget the UV artificial light for now. Thx for your message
 

Srobidoux

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If she's not able to get outside for the sun. You'll need a heat source and a T5 HO 10.0 tube florescent uvb lamp.

I'm not sure if that desert tortoise hibernates or not.
Is it legal to possess one in Nevada?
Hi there everybody. Signing in from Vegas. My name is Michael and I'm typing for Lucky (one) a desert tortoise. She is about 5 yrs old and spent, I think, her first winter (I found her in my back yard) inside. Since then she has been outside brumating in an underground abode I built for her. I have been reading that she needs a sun lamp for her bones. She has behaved normally for the past 4 summers or seasons, Should I get a lamp or not. The lowest temps we have here are 31 degrees for maybe a few days in Dec at night. Days are between 50 and 55.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Cheers
 

SinLA

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Well I'll explain. I have been reading a lot lately about tortoises needing sunlight or UV light fir their bones. Having said that she has survived 4 winters outside like I said in my messages. Also the desert tortoise Brumates (Hibernates....cold blooded animals brumate, warm blooded hibernate.) and is now doing so, and will come out in March at some point as she has done for 4 seasons. Seeing as she has survived them unscathed and gets tons of sun in the Nevada sun 8 months of the year I am going to forget the UV artificial light for now. Thx for your message

You do you, but I think what Tom was trying to say is that she has successfully brumated outside before, and very likely will do so again. HOWEVER it is also possible that something will get her (as nature does), so if you want to ensure her successful brumation, inside is the way to go.

Common analogy, where I live we have coyotes, and some people let their cats outside (aka Coyote Food). The people's answer is always the same: "S/He's made it this long successfully, so s/he knows how to avoid them". That is only a factual statement for the past -- they only avoid them until the one time they don't. Then its a horrific death that could have been prevented.

So, your gal may continue to do so fine on their own, but they are much more likely to have that one time (and its only ever one time) when they don't, if you continue as is... You're the one in the best position to judge how likely that is...
 

Lucky one

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The sun lamp you read about is for tortoises that are housed exclusively indoors. Tortoises that live outside, or spend some of their time outside a couple fo times per week, get their UV needs met by the sun. They don't need any additional lamps.

Its not safe to let her brumate outside like that. Many die that way and for a variety of reasons. If you want to brumate her, which I think you should, you have to do it correctly. Relying on the cruel whims of Mother Nature is not a safe bet.

Here is all the correct care info. Read through this a couple of times, and then feel free to ask lots of questions. We are all here to talk tortoises. :)
Then how do wild one survive?
You do you, but I think what Tom was trying to say is that she has successfully brumated outside before, and very likely will do so again. HOWEVER it is also possible that something will get her (as nature does), so if you want to ensure her successful brumation, inside is the way to go.

Common analogy, where I live we have coyotes, and some people let their cats outside (aka Coyote Food). The people's answer is always the same: "S/He's made it this long successfully, so s/he knows how to avoid them". That is only a factual statement for the past -- they only avoid them until the one time they don't. Then its a horrific death that could have been prevented.

So, your gal may continue to do so fine on their own, but they are much more likely to have that one time (and its only ever one time) when they don't, if you continue as is... You're the one in the best position to judge how likely that is...
I like your analogy. I remember years back when I worked at a golf course in Vancouver BC I had a shop cat that survived for 7 years until she didn't. I arrived at work one morning and a Coyote was waiting out side but the cat was gone. I always knew it could be a problem, but hey........ that's life!!
 

SinLA

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Then how do wild one survive?

I like your analogy. I remember years back when I worked at a golf course in Vancouver BC I had a shop cat that survived for 7 years until she didn't. I arrived at work one morning and a Coyote was waiting out side but the cat was gone. I always knew it could be a problem, but hey........ that's life!!

>>Then how do wild one survive?<<

Like everything else in the wild, some do, some don't. The difference is, we care that are pets are the ones that don't.

>>I like your analogy. I remember years back when I worked at a golf course in Vancouver BC I had a shop cat that survived for 7 years until she didn't. I arrived at work one morning and a Coyote was waiting out side but the cat was gone. I always knew it could be a problem, but hey........ that's life!!<<

or death...
 

Tom

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Then how do wild ones survive?
Fair question. Two part answer:
1. Many don't.
2. Your back yard is not the wild. In the wild they are not influenced by all of our comings and goings and activities. In the wild they have thousands of square miles to walk around and find the right soil types, slopes, vegetation, etc... In the wild their burrows can be 90 feet long and 30 feet deep. I don't know of anyone with a burrow like that in their back yard.

I have seen so many people lose their tortoises trying to hibernate them outside. It gets too cold and their eyeballs freeze, or too warm and they come up and eat and then die when it gets cold again and the food in their gut rots, or the burrow collapses and suffocates them, or the burrow floods and drowns them, or a predator gets in there, or rats chew their front legs to the bone, or ants get them, or a raccoon sniffs them out and eats their head, etc... Its like Russian roulette. Eventually, you will lose. Correction: Your tortoise will lose.
 

Lucky one

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Fair question. Two part answer:
1. Many don't.
2. Your back yard is not the wild. In the wild they are not influenced by all of our comings and goings and activities. In the wild they have thousands of square miles to walk around and find the right soil types, slopes, vegetation, etc... In the wild their burrows can be 90 feet long and 30 feet deep. I don't know of anyone with a burrow like that in their back yard.

I have seen so many people lose their tortoises trying to hibernate them outside. It gets too cold and their eyeballs freeze, or too warm and they come up and eat and then die when it gets cold again and the food in their gut rots, or the burrow collapses and suffocates them, or the burrow floods and drowns them, or a predator gets in there, or rats chew their front legs to the bone, or ants get them, or a raccoon sniffs them out and eats their head, etc... Its like Russian roulette. Eventually, you will lose. Correction: Your tortoise will lose.
Thank you for all your information Tom. Now to digest it all. Cheers
 

Yvonne G

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I'm assuming your tortoise lives all the time in your backyard. In that case, she/he doesn't need a light, as he's getting the UVB and heat from the sun.

Welcome to the Forum! Desert tortoises are great tortoises. I love them!!!
 

Lucky one

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I'm assuming your tortoise lives all the time in your backyard. In that case, she/he doesn't need a light, as he's getting the UVB and heat from the sun.

Welcome to the Forum! Desert tortoises are great tortoises. I love them!!!
Yes she does, and brumates there also. Thanks for your reply.
 

Ray--Opo

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Fair question. Two part answer:
1. Many don't.
2. Your back yard is not the wild. In the wild they are not influenced by all of our comings and goings and activities. In the wild they have thousands of square miles to walk around and find the right soil types, slopes, vegetation, etc... In the wild their burrows can be 90 feet long and 30 feet deep. I don't know of anyone with a burrow like that in their back yard.

I have seen so many people lose their tortoises trying to hibernate them outside. It gets too cold and their eyeballs freeze, or too warm and they come up and eat and then die when it gets cold again and the food in their gut rots, or the burrow collapses and suffocates them, or the burrow floods and drowns them, or a predator gets in there, or rats chew their front legs to the bone, or ants get them, or a raccoon sniffs them out and eats their head, etc... Its like Russian roulette. Eventually, you will lose. Correction: Your tortoise will lose.
Damn Tom,I am afraid to go outside now!
 

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