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I'm curious about wether I need UVB for my redfoot or not. I heard they don't really need it.
UVB Or no UVB
- Thread starter DanaLachney
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Weeeeelllll, I don't keep a uvb with the redfoot...and here is why 
and with the exception of weird cold cloudy days...I put them out on the sunny porch for a couple of hours multiple times a week....now during the days of prolonged cold I will pull out the titles extra uvb and put it over each of the enclosures for about 3-4the hours every couple of days....now some folks do use them on their enclosures and I believe they should use a long tube uvb light if folks are not lucky enough to have moments and days of sun as I do here in the high desert....wait round and the others will give you their valuable insight as well...
and with the exception of weird cold cloudy days...I put them out on the sunny porch for a couple of hours multiple times a week....now during the days of prolonged cold I will pull out the titles extra uvb and put it over each of the enclosures for about 3-4the hours every couple of days....now some folks do use them on their enclosures and I believe they should use a long tube uvb light if folks are not lucky enough to have moments and days of sun as I do here in the high desert....wait round and the others will give you their valuable insight as well...
This is highly debated, most of us opt for low output UVB bulbs for our Redfoots. I run a mercury vapor bulb, but also like the UVB tube florescent that I have. I'm starting to feel like the MVB is overkill for two hatchlings and may not replace it when it goes.
Ultimately, you can't beat sunlight. Outside is our best option. If you can't get them outdoors, opt for some type of UVB exposure. That's my take on things. I think Angela summed things up pretty well and I agree with her.
Ultimately, you can't beat sunlight. Outside is our best option. If you can't get them outdoors, opt for some type of UVB exposure. That's my take on things. I think Angela summed things up pretty well and I agree with her.
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Well here is the thing, he isn't a hatchling he's about 4 inches and i live in Louisiana so the weather is really back and fourth right now this week it was warm then today it was cool. If he can't get outside everyday will it matter much?
I believe if your tortoise gets a couple hours of sun at least a few times a week I would be alright with that...knowing that when spring and summer come full on you will be able to come up with some type of outdoor utopia that he can spends hours lounging about like a fat king....
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ascott said:I believe if your tortoise gets a couple hours of sun at least a few times a week I would be alright with that...knowing that when spring and summer come full on you will be able to come up with some type of outdoor utopia that he can spends hours lounging about like a fat king....
Lol ok so I don't NEED the rediculously high priced UVB bulb and hood fixture I bought today GREAT lol. Looks like it's back to the store with that and I'll be getting a CHE instead. What wattage CHE should I get?
I agree with Ascott. If they are getting sunlight most days of the week a few hours at a time then I think you'll be ok without the UVB.
I have a tube UVB I only use if he's inside for 3-4 days at a time because of cool weather. That's just my opinion.
I have a tube UVB I only use if he's inside for 3-4 days at a time because of cool weather. That's just my opinion.
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Well maybe I should keep the tube UVB for now until it warms up then get a CHE?
Actually that won't work because it may not be warm enough in there at night though
Actually that won't work because it may not be warm enough in there at night though
LOL...so here is what I have going in the RFs indoor retreat.....75 watt infrared bulb running 24/7.....top covered 3/4 of the way....in a 55 gallon aquarium for Sophia...and the rufian Goliath is in a 55 gallon rubbermaid with same heat lamp with the cover about half way covered....I cause a flash flood every third day overall 3/4 of the soil and leave the cool side bone dry and dark and full of silk plants for the hahaha you can't see me feeling that they like to stomp to through out their day....when I do have to use the long tube uvb I simply lay it over the top for a few hours....I will fill their rain forrest misting system (spray bottle) with hot water and a couple of times make it rain for them...they come out and put their heads out fully extended and let the warm water shower them and they do this for about 40 squeezes of the throttle and then they stroll off to eat...that is what appears to float their boat....
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ascott said:LOL...so here is what I have going in the RFs indoor retreat.....75 watt infrared bulb running 24/7.....top covered 3/4 of the way....in a 55 gallon aquarium for Sophia...and the rufian Goliath is in a 55 gallon rubbermaid with same heat lamp with the cover about half way covered....I cause a flash flood every third day overall 3/4 of the soil and leave the cool side bone dry and dark and full of silk plants for the hahaha you can't see me feeling that they like to stomp to through out their day....when I do have to use the long tube uvb I simply lay it over the top for a few hours....I will fill their rain forrest misting system (spray bottle) with hot water and a couple of times make it rain for them...they come out and put their heads out fully extended and let the warm water shower them and they do this for about 40 squeezes of the throttle and then they stroll off to eat...that is what appears to float their boat....
LOL!
On my setups like this one, I usually have a plant light on because I have live plants in it.
While I don't have a UV light for each tank, I have one I move around. It's a lower level intensity bulb, which I put on for a few hours a day, a couple of times a week for hatchlings. Winters are long and I think they need to be offered the light, if they wish to use it. I have some that rarely bask under it and others which do seem to enjoy basking time. As they grow older, the shells are firm and such, I slowly stop offering the UVB lighting as much. Many of the older ones,[/quote] simply have the long bulbed bright kitchen lights.
I don't need to use the CHE as a rule, because I keep the entire room warm. I do, on some enclosures, have an under the tank heater to help warm substrate and add more humidity.
While I don't have a UV light for each tank, I have one I move around. It's a lower level intensity bulb, which I put on for a few hours a day, a couple of times a week for hatchlings. Winters are long and I think they need to be offered the light, if they wish to use it. I have some that rarely bask under it and others which do seem to enjoy basking time. As they grow older, the shells are firm and such, I slowly stop offering the UVB lighting as much. Many of the older ones,[/quote] simply have the long bulbed bright kitchen lights.
I don't need to use the CHE as a rule, because I keep the entire room warm. I do, on some enclosures, have an under the tank heater to help warm substrate and add more humidity.
If they have regular access to real sunlight, even if it skips an occasional few days to a week, they should be OK. Their fatty tissues will store as much vitamin D3 as they can- stockpiled on the good days, and they can live off that for some time- a month certainly, assuming all other issues are OK. They will just start to restock next time they are outside.
Wild red-footeds go through week-long rainstorms, cloudy days, and so on, and have also been well-documented hiding in a burrow for days and weeks at a time. If they needed UVB daily, they would be in trouble just from this sort of thing.
There is very little research as to how well this works with UVB lights, but if you don't need them, I certainly would not bother with them.
As to needing UVB at all- of course they do. They can live for some time with no UVB, but that means more dietary supplementation of a vitamin that is uncommon in natural diets, etc. and probably affects reproductive rates and lifespan.
Wild red-footeds go through week-long rainstorms, cloudy days, and so on, and have also been well-documented hiding in a burrow for days and weeks at a time. If they needed UVB daily, they would be in trouble just from this sort of thing.
There is very little research as to how well this works with UVB lights, but if you don't need them, I certainly would not bother with them.
As to needing UVB at all- of course they do. They can live for some time with no UVB, but that means more dietary supplementation of a vitamin that is uncommon in natural diets, etc. and probably affects reproductive rates and lifespan.
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