tortoise and sunrays

[arotester]

hi ,
i want some help about my star tortoises, i have two 8 months old hatching and i want to know that how long it takes for them to utilize the sun rays in vit d ? Because my balcony doesn't have sunlight for long (2-3 hrs) . i don't have uv lamp and also cannot afford it in my pocket money..

thank you in advance.

 

[wellington]

The two to three hours you do have is more than enough. Of course more is always better. They really only need about a 1/2 hour to an hour 3-4 times a week. However, again more is better, so getting them out every day is always better.

 

[JoesMum]

Even without direct sun, there is still UV on your balcony in the day time. As long as there is daylight, there is UV.

(I learned the hard way when I was a teenager by getting my worst ever sunburn on a cloudy mid summers day when I had no sunscreen on!)

UV can't travel through walls and windows, but outside on the balcony your tort will get UV as long as it is outside

Direct sun provides heat for basking. So if there is no direct sun, your tort will need a basking lamp, but not additional UV.

 

[arotester]

The two to three hours you do have is more than enough. Of course more is always better. They really only need about a 1/2 hour to an hour 3-4 times a week. However, again more is better, so getting them out every day is always better.

thank you so much. this is really important info that you have given me.Now i am relived..

---

Even without direct sun, there is still UV on your balcony in the day time. As long as there is daylight, there is UV.

(I learned the hard way when I was a teenager by getting my worst ever sunburn on a cloudy mid summers day when I had no sunscreen on!)

UV can't travel through walls and windows, but outside on the balcony your tort will get UV as long as it is outside

Direct sun provides heat for basking. So if there is no direct sun, your tort will need a basking lamp, but not additional UV.

thank you ...you have saved my pocket money!!!!