Quick Question:

[Millerlite]

I have 4 yearling mt. torotises, and i know mt. tortoises love shade and such, but my outdoor enclosure has a lot of shade and part of it is sunny. I would say like 70 percent shade to 30 percent sunny ratio. The mt. tortoises love to hang out in the sunny side and even look as if they are basking. IS this normal behavior? I also read that to much UVB can make them go blind, so is the sun to much for there eyes? or is the blindness more of a bulb thing.

 

[Itort]

If it is cooler (60s and 70s) they will bask. When gets warmer they will go into shade. The UVB in natural sun with the option for shaded area won't damage the eyes. The problem is when they can't escape the UVB.

 

[Millerlite]

Alright, they have the option to go in either or, They like to sit in the sun a lot though.. thanks for clearing it up

 

[tortoisenerd]

The blindness is attributed to bulbs. As long as the ambient temperature is within a good range for the species (and they are not cold and needing to spend all their time trying to warm up), I wouldn't worry. Basking is typical for most tort species, although I am not familiar with this one. Sun & shade options are good. A hide is also a good idea too so they can escape each other and have some privacy if needed (so you'll need a few of them if you don't have them already). We love to see enclosure and tort pics (can't remember if I've seen yours or not--we have so many members now, a good thing though)! Best wishes.

 

[Millerlite]

yeah mine is the thread below this one for the outdoor enclosure, it has lots of hides, and shade. I use to have a mt. tortoise but he was 14 inches. these are my first young ones.