Time Lapse Sulcata

[Menno]

Hi there,


I've just made a time lapse video of my Sulcata tortoise's behavior. Five hours of footage were speeded up 64x times! The result is a 4min time lapse video. In the upper left you can see the record time.

I used a Foscam IP Camera (FI9831W) for recording it.

You can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNOby0_yq8

 

[diamondbp]

Lol that's pretty darn cool!

 

[Dizisdalife]

I like it! Thanks for posting this.

 

[Tom]

Very interesting.

What is the temp under that basking lamp and what kind is it? What is the ambient temp? I need to try this with mine. What a lot of insight to be gained.

 

[AZtortMom]

That was great! I'm going to try that with mine! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Menno]

Very interesting.

What is the temp under that basking lamp and what kind is it? What is the ambient temp? I need to try this with mine. What a lot of insight to be gained.

Hi Tom,

The basking lamp is a Solar Raptor 70W HQI spot. Basking temp is 95F. The ambient temp is around 70-77F.
Temperature in the burrow is 77F at daytime, and 73F during the night.

I can't wait to see your results!

 

[argus333]

ya looks like he might be a little cool. spending a lot of time under that light.

 

[Tom]

ya looks like he might be a little cool. spending a lot of time under that light.

That is what I was noticing too. Seems like he spent a lot of time under that bulb and I worry about the desiccating effects of indoor bulbs on the carapace. I also noticed that he would just do short nibbles on the food and walk away. Mine will sit and eat a leaf like that all in one sitting until it is gone.

Menno, not criticizing at all, just conversing about the VERY interesting behavioral observations from your video. I don't have any experience with the Solar Raptor brand, but I have seen and heard nothing but good from them. My reptile wholesaler friend just began stocking them about two months ago and the results from UV meters under them are very promising, plus they are nowhere near as hot as MVBs or incandescent bulbs.

I wonder if your tortoise would bask less with warmer ambient temps? Did you use a Go-Pro for this? My camera doesn't have a time lapse option, but I know that Go-Pros do. I now want to do this in my enclosures and compare to your results. I might be surprised by my own ignorance. Again...

 

[prelyt]

More like Slo-Pro!

 

[Menno]

Hi Tom,

About the Solar Raptor brand, I've compared some testing results and this was by far the best one. Where I come from it is considered the best available UVB lighting at the moment. (well, natural sunlight is of course always better ) I do not have an UV meter so I can only believe the results of others. This is the one i used:


specifications:
http://www.econlux.de/Documents/PDF/ECONLUX_Portfolio_RaptorStinger_EN-2012.pdf


Enough about the lighting, let's talk about the behavior! I'm also very curious about the basking time with warmer temperatures. I will upload a new video when it get's warmer here. Then we can easy compare the results. Could it also be that my tortoise does not eat everything at once because there are no other tortoises in the enclosure? I mean, there is no need to battle for the food. He can eat it whenever he wants. He don't have to worry for others to eat the food. Maybe you know. Do you house sulcatas in groups or alone?

For filming this time lapse I used an IP Camera. In this case the Foscam FI9831W. ( http://www.foscam.com/prd_view.aspx?id=217 )
It doesn't have a time lapse option, so I placed all the recorded stuff together and accelerated the whole movie 64x. (Thanks to Windows Movie Maker )
I'm very positive about this camera. It has a lot of functions: Support SD Card storage, it can film HD (1280x960p and 30fps), and you can watch live as long as you have access to the internet!
I think the price is also pretty good. (I bought one for €99)

And again: I can't wait to see your results!

 

[Lilyloveslettuse]

I bet if you cut those big leaves up into smaller pieces he could eat them easier. I LOVED your video! Thanks!!!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

* That was great! The main thing i took interest in was the thermal regulation process, very neat!

 

[mikeh]

Great video. I like the music, makes it more fun...where is it from? Name?

 

[Menno]

Great video. I like the music, makes it more fun...where is it from? Name?

Hi Mikeh,

Thank you for the compliment.
The music is Stolen Dance by Milky Chance, the Karaoke Version.

 

[julietteq]

Gaaf man….als je een webcam live hebt wil ik graag een abonnementje

 

[NeuroNaka]

I love your enclosure! Is that real grass growing in it? What kind?

 

[lismar79]

I also use a solar raptor but pair it with a che which keeps a nice toasty basking area of 100 to 108 at the hottest point. My solar is on a timer to go off at night and che is on 24/7 it keeps a range of 80-85 in the rest. Hide is in the 85 range. Love my solar. Great readings on it.

My sully will nibble at night but consume everything at once in the morning....

 

[naturalman91]

is there a website that sells these type of bulbs in the states? i've found only european sites

 

[lismar79]

is there a website that sells these type of bulbs in the states? i've found only european sites

I got mine by recommendation from Tom at http://www.reptileoutpost.com/

I called them & they walked me through all I would need. Highly recommend this!

Mine reads (uv meter) 160, my 150 wpowersun at same height reads 60, my 100 w powersun reads 40, & outside two days ago when we finally got some sun....read at 240.

 

[naturalman91]

is there a website that sells these type of bulbs in the states? i've found only european sites

I got mine by recommendation from Tom at http://www.reptileoutpost.com/

I called them & they walked me through all I would need. Highly recommend this!

Mine reads (uv meter) 160, my 150 wpowersun at same height reads 60, my 100 w powersun reads 40, & outside two days ago when we finally got some sun....read at 240.

nothing comes up when i click on the light section/mercury vapor