Sunny all year long for tortoises that lives indoor?

[Isa]

Hello Everyone,

My 2 tortoises live indoor during the winter (it gets very cold here and we get a lot of snow). Their lights open at 7AM and close at 8PM. During the summer, they go outside but I bring them inside for the night and I do not bring them outside when it is cold or when it rains.

My question is not about whether it is a good idea or not to have a tortoise indoor but about the numbers of hours the lights should be open. Outside, some days the sky is grey, some days it is super sunny and some days it is cloudy in the morning but the sun comes up at the end of the day. For my tortoises, it is sunny all winter long...
I know people have different opinions on this and I would love to know how does it work for other tortoises that lives indoor. Do you guys keep their lights open the same number of hours all year long?

Thank you

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hey Isa...in the winter I keep every ones lights on for 10 hrs a day, in the summer it's 14 hrs. I hope this helps...

 

[Isa]

Hey Isa...in the winter I keep every ones lights on for 10 hrs a day, in the summer it's 14 hrs. I hope this helps...

Thanks for the help Maggie Do you leave them open for 10 hours everyday during the winter or do you close them earlier some days to create a "cloudy day" indoor?

 

[jeffbens0n]

I have always done 7am-8:30pm year round. Mine do go out like yours though when the weather permits. Now you have me questioning if I should shorten that light in the winter.

 

[bikerchicspain]

I use lights all through winter,
I program them to come on at sunrise and go of at sundown, that way they have the same amount of light as if they were outdoors.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

I have always done 7am-8:30pm year round. Mine do go out like yours though when the weather permits. Now you have me questioning if I should shorten that light in the winter.

Me too and also questioning.

 

[Tom]

I do it like Yvonne. It is my intention to have them all live outside eventually, and so I mimic the light outside. If I lived somewhere cold I would do what Maggie does.

I don't see any harm in creating "cloudy" indoor days, but I don't see any advantage to it either.

Good question, Isa. Very thought provoking.

 

[Jacqui]

When I am on the road, lights are on set timers. However, when home I take the timers off and vary the amount of time they are on and when they start or end being on. Some days, I let the lights stay completely off. That doesn't mean they get no light, they do get the light that comes in thru all the windows and the light up in the ceiling.

I also do the same thing with the temperatures. The room temps are on a timer for more heat during the day and lower heat setting at night and a couple of days have a little different heat settings for variety. When I am home, that gets turned off and then I am changing the heat settings manually.

I like to vary the lights and temps and create a more natural variation.

 

[jeffbens0n]

I understand the heat jacqui, but what is the purpose of not turning light on some days, why not just leave the timers on? Is your thought that they wouldn't necessarily get bright sunlight everyday in the wild?

 

[Kristina]

When I am on the road, lights are on set timers. However, when home I take the timers off and vary the amount of time they are on and when they start or end being on. Some days, I let the lights stay completely off. That doesn't mean they get no light, they do get the light that comes in thru all the windows and the light up in the ceiling.

I also do the same thing with the temperatures. The room temps are on a timer for more heat during the day and lower heat setting at night and a couple of days have a little different heat settings for variety. When I am home, that gets turned off and then I am changing the heat settings manually.

I like to vary the lights and temps and create a more natural variation.

+1

I create "cloudy" days as well, and sometimes lower or raise the temperatures in the indoor enclosures to create variation.

 

[Balboa]

At present my torts get consistant perfect summer days.

I've wondered if there might be some advantage in giving them some kind of season, but haven't gotten around to trying that.

I see a few concerns with this, I'd hate to trigger a brumation urge in them. There is still too much about their native seasons and their response to them that I do not fully understand.

If the goal is to emulate natural growth as closely as possible, this would be the way to go, but diet and everything else would need to follow suit.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Hey Isa...in the winter I keep every ones lights on for 10 hrs a day, in the summer it's 14 hrs. I hope this helps...

We do similar.

 

[Isa]

Thanks for all the answers They sure are food for thoughts. I never thought about varying the temps, I really like the idea

 

[terryo]

"At present my torts get consistant perfect summer days."

Me too. I mimic the Summer hours all the time. I do this with my boxies that have to come inside so they don't start hibernating. They always slow down in the Winter, even though I keep the lighting consistent. My Cherries get sunny Summer days all the time.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hey Isa...in the winter I keep every ones lights on for 10 hrs a day, in the summer it's 14 hrs. I hope this helps...

Thanks for the help Maggie Do you leave them open for 10 hours everyday during the winter or do you close them earlier some days to create a "cloudy day" indoor?

About 3 times a month I don't turn on the lights at all...

 

[myrtle651]

Since my torts are in a room that gets light all day, I also work the timer with the daylight. Right now it is 6:30 - 7:30

 

[bettinge]

When I am on the road, lights are on set timers. However, when home I take the timers off and vary the amount of time they are on and when they start or end being on. Some days, I let the lights stay completely off. That doesn't mean they get no light, they do get the light that comes in thru all the windows and the light up in the ceiling.

I also do the same thing with the temperatures. The room temps are on a timer for more heat during the day and lower heat setting at night and a couple of days have a little different heat settings for variety. When I am home, that gets turned off and then I am changing the heat settings manually.

I like to vary the lights and temps and create a more natural variation.

I too have "Days of Lent" where the lights do not come on at all. In nature they have overcast cool days, and little activity is their response.
I try hard to slow their growth to more natural levels, and this is one tool to do that "semi" naturaly. I also believe in cool nights, 60-70 for a Hermanns.

 

[Livingstone]

I am running two mvb's they both come on at the same time, but the shut off is staggered. I did it because she goes to sleep at different times every day and running two 100watt mvbs get expensive. She can only be under one light at a time, so the one closest to her burrow stays on longer, just to make sure shes close to home when it shuts off. 15 minutes after the second mvb turns off the CHE turns on, that keeps her warm all night.

 

[Kristina]

Like Maggie, I leave the lights completely off occasionally (one day a week.) I also do not feed them or disturb them in any way on those days (no misting/soaking or anything.)

 

[Jacqui]

I have not saw any of the more hibernation minded tortoises (like the Russians) nor the turtles, thinking these days with less light should mean they should start hibernating. I have done this for years with no apparent negative results.

Unlike Kristina, on the off days, I still place food in their enclosures, clean up old stuff, refresh water. I have found some of them (including my largest Leopard) are always wanting to eat and still maintain a fairly normal activity level. It also doesn't stop my current sexually daily active Homes hingeback from doing his thing (darn it anyway ).

On a more practical level, I would assume it does lower the electric and propane bills. That's not the reason I do it, for me, it's more trying to keep things more natural. Same reason I vary the food varieties, the amounts given, and where they might find them within their enclosure. Mushrooms for instance, are always scattered all around the enclosures of those who eat mushrooms.