Sulcata questions

[BowDownBowser]

Hello, I just got a sulcata yesterday. He is 12 days old and doing very well. Is it possible to have too much UV Light? I currently have a 160 watt MVB that is UVA/B and heat and I am also using a 10.0 UVB fluorescent tube. Is that too much? Another question I have is what should the humidity be in the enclosure? I know it should have some humidity and I'm just curious how people keep it humid since most of the tortoise enclosure's available for sale like zoomeds have a wire top at most. My enclosure ranges anywhere from 45-60% humidity. I am using coconut coir as substrate. It's the brick kind that get soaked before you use them so it is very moist and i mist it with a spray bottle when it starts to get dry. I also use sphagnum moss under his log hide as well as another pile of moss in the open if he chooses to use that as a hide. Is this enough of should the humidity be raised? If so how should I raise the humidity? Another question I have is how should I start switching him to grass hay or is he too young for that? Is there anything else I should know about raising a hatchling? I'm trying to get everything perfect for him. Any tips or tricks to keeping a sulcata happy?

 

[Yvonne G]

My personal opinion is that the MVB is enough.

 

[wellington]

You really can't have too much UVB. Both of your lights don't equal the sun. The humidity should be 80% with temps no lower then 80. Putting a top on the enclosure is about the only way to accomplish this. Please rad Toms threads on raising and housing your sulcata. They are below in my post.

 

[mikeh]

Re: RE: Sulcata questions

My personal opinion is that the MVB is enough.

Yes, but do no despair. Keep the 10.0 UVB tube on hand. The MVB (other then MegaRay) will most likely be useless in 3 months give or take, maybe less, producing light and heat but no UVB. You can then add the 10.0 tube back to the set up to for UVB. Is 10.0 T5HO tube or T8?

 

[Yvonne G]

[split] Some Youngsters In The Mix

This is what one of our members had to say on another thread about too much UVB:

"This is really a much more complicated question than it sounds like. As you know, the main reason we use UVB lighting is to help stimulate vitamin D3 production in the skin. So...

1. Is there a risk in too much D3? YES. Too much D3 causes skin problems that looks like sunburns and other medical issues. It is possible to die from an overdose of D3. This is a BIG reason most of us do not like D3-enriched foods- too easy to OD on it.

2. Can you OD on D3 from the sun? NO. While too much sun has other problems (heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration, etc.) you will not OD on D3 from it- there is a built-in protection system for that.

3. Can the UVB from the sun harm you? YES- eye and skin damage is possible, so make sure there is some DEEP shade available at all times, like a shelter with a solid roof.

4. Can you OD on D3 from a UVB bulb? UNKNOWN, but it does not look like it.

5. Is there a risk of too much UVB from a bulb? YES, just like from the sun, but many UVB bulbs put out a different ratio of light than the sun does, so it can be either better or worse.

My recommendation is to gear the bulb and exposure to the animal. The closer to the equator- the more and longer the UVB exposure; the more north or south, the less. Then, look at lifestyle- the more hidden or forest-dwelling, less. The more open or desert, more.

Russians fall neatly into the 'don't need much', so I'd only do about an hour a day. The best guesses I can find suggest that 15 minutes in the sun twice a week is enough.
Mark, in Nebraska- librarian of the Tortoise Library, a resource for beginner or advanced tortoise keepers."

 

[BowDownBowser]

My personal opinion is that the MVB is enough.

Yes, but do no despair. Keep the 10.0 UVB tube on hand. The MVB (other then MegaRay) will most likely be useless in 3 months give or take, maybe less, producing light and heat but no UVB. You can then add the 10.0 tube back to the set up to for UVB. Is 10.0 T5HO tube or T8?

It's the T8 tube.

 

[mikeh]

T8 tubes are weak and need to be positioned at 10" or less to provide adequate UVB. You are in Florida, in a month you will be able to provide the tort with real sun, which beats any artificial UVB. I'd return the 10.0, don't see a need for it at all.

 

[BowDownBowser]

T8 tubes are weak and need to be positioned at 10" or less to provide adequate UVB. You are in Florida, in a month you will be able to provide the tort with real sun, which beats any artificial UVB. I'd return the 10.0, don't see a need for it at all.

So would it be okay once the MVB I have loses its power to just go with a heat emitter and a lower wattage incandescent bulb to maintain temps and basking and just give him some natural sun a few times a week? If so how much sunlight should he get a week?

---

Yvonne, I just used your "Closed chambers" technique to raise humidity in the enclosure. It was at 50% and went up to 85% within minutes after applying the tin foil roof. It's also helping to raise my temperatures. Now my basking spot has gone up to 102 with a 95 degree hot side and a cooler 82 degree "Cool" side. I know pyramiding has a lot to do with humidity. How long in a dry environment is detrimental? I just got him yesterday and he is only 12 days only. He was born on Jan 20th. Is that enough to have caused an early problem? Thanks so much for your knowledge.

 

[mikeh]

Re: RE: [split] Some Youngsters In The Mix

This is what one of our members had to say on another thread about too much UVB:

"This is really a much more complicated question than it sounds like. As you know, the main reason we use UVB lighting is to help stimulate vitamin D3 production in the skin. So...

1. Is there a risk in too much D3? YES. Too much D3 causes skin problems that looks like sunburns and other medical issues. It is possible to die from an overdose of D3. This is a BIG reason most of us do not like D3-enriched foods- too easy to OD on it.

2. Can you OD on D3 from the sun? NO. While too much sun has other problems (heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration, etc.) you will not OD on D3 from it- there is a built-in protection system for that.

3. Can the UVB from the sun harm you? YES- eye and skin damage is possible, so make sure there is some DEEP shade available at all times, like a shelter with a solid roof.

4. Can you OD on D3 from a UVB bulb? UNKNOWN, but it does not look like it.

5. Is there a risk of too much UVB from a bulb? YES, just like from the sun, but many UVB bulbs put out a different ratio of light than the sun does, so it can be either better or worse.

My recommendation is to gear the bulb and exposure to the animal. The closer to the equator- the more and longer the UVB exposure; the more north or south, the less. Then, look at lifestyle- the more hidden or forest-dwelling, less. The more open or desert, more.

Russians fall neatly into the 'don't need much', so I'd only do about an hour a day. The best guesses I can find suggest that 15 minutes in the sun twice a week is enough.
Mark, in Nebraska- librarian of the Tortoise Library, a resource for beginner or advanced tortoise keepers."

I believe its a Sulcata, not a Russian.
In which case more sun please. Hour daily will be fine. If you skip a day, that's fine too. Just have shade available, hatchlings can easily overheat.

 

[BowDownBowser]

RE: [split] Some Youngsters In The Mix

This is what one of our members had to say on another thread about too much UVB:

"This is really a much more complicated question than it sounds like. As you know, the main reason we use UVB lighting is to help stimulate vitamin D3 production in the skin. So...

1. Is there a risk in too much D3? YES. Too much D3 causes skin problems that looks like sunburns and other medical issues. It is possible to die from an overdose of D3. This is a BIG reason most of us do not like D3-enriched foods- too easy to OD on it.

2. Can you OD on D3 from the sun? NO. While too much sun has other problems (heat exhaustion, sunburn, dehydration, etc.) you will not OD on D3 from it- there is a built-in protection system for that.

3. Can the UVB from the sun harm you? YES- eye and skin damage is possible, so make sure there is some DEEP shade available at all times, like a shelter with a solid roof.

4. Can you OD on D3 from a UVB bulb? UNKNOWN, but it does not look like it.

5. Is there a risk of too much UVB from a bulb? YES, just like from the sun, but many UVB bulbs put out a different ratio of light than the sun does, so it can be either better or worse.

My recommendation is to gear the bulb and exposure to the animal. The closer to the equator- the more and longer the UVB exposure; the more north or south, the less. Then, look at lifestyle- the more hidden or forest-dwelling, less. The more open or desert, more.

Russians fall neatly into the 'don't need much', so I'd only do about an hour a day. The best guesses I can find suggest that 15 minutes in the sun twice a week is enough.
Mark, in Nebraska- librarian of the Tortoise Library, a resource for beginner or advanced tortoise keepers."

I believe its a Sulcata, not a Russian.
In which case more sun please. Hour daily will be fine. If you skip a day, that's fine too. Just have shade available, hatchlings can easily overheat.

Thanks. Thats not too bad. It still get cool in the winter so I would need to keep a uv bulb then since it'll be a little to cool to keep him outdoors for an extended period of time, but in the summer thats great and saves a lot of money instead of having to use MVB's.

 

[mikeh]

Yes, once the MVB is dead, you can change it exactly as you said. Either get CHE or wide flood bulb, NOT narrow beam.

---

Wait till march, then don't be afraid to bring him out on a calm sunny day even if its 70-75F. The radiant heat of midday sun will still warm him up.

 

[goReptiles]

The tubes need to be replaced like ever 4-6 months. They will still emit light but the UV gets weaker and weaker. The bulbs are more expensive but the UV emissions last longer. You can get a meter to read the UV output. I've seen them on amazon $26 and up.