Brand new Greek Tortoise owner! I have a couple of questions though:)

[Meghan]

Hey there!

My name is Meghan and I'm a brand spankin new Greek Tortoise owner! It's been my dream for as long as I could remember to own some tortoises. I've read many things about lighting, but I'm still confused as to what my tortoise needs. I live in Minnesota but inside it stays about 68 degrees. The people at the pet store told me to buy these two bulbs: a 60W daytime heat lamp, and a 15W reptile UVB. They also told me to shut it off at night. After what I've read on here, I'm not positive if this is correct. Any advice would be absolutely wonderful. For his diet, I have read that he is able to eat grass and weeds and what not. Can I feed him grass from my yard as long as it's washed thoroughly? The people from the pet store had me buy some pellets for him it's called Zoo Med grassland tortoise food. Is this stuff good for my tortoise? Any advice would be great because I want my tortoise to be as happy as possible and for him to love me as much as I love him!

 

[tortadise]

Welcome! You will find all the information needed here from great folks.

 

[abclements]

First off, im not a greek keeper so ill just give my two cents on the lights and stuff.

The heat bulb makes for a good basking spot but you only want it on during the day. The best thing to go with is a ceramic heat emitter. It provides heat without light, so it can run during the night without disrupting your torts sleep schedule.

Is the 15w uvb bulb one of the coiled ones? Those can really harm a torts eyes I would suggest getting a tube fluorescent fixture and bulb.

Grass from the yard should be fine as long as it is pesticide and chemical free. If its not washing it wont help a whole lot because the grass will absorb those chemicals.

Last but not least, the zoomed grassland tort food is very good as a suplemental food. Just get it damp so your tort can eat it easily . Some torts love it, some wont touch it, but it is a healthy option in a varied diet!

Congrats on your new tort! Just an fyi people on this forum really like pictures!