UV4MEP Question

jsheffield

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Hello,

I recently, finally got a UV-meter and have been tweaking my various enclosures, trying to optimize the UV levels for my various torts: 4 Russians, a Redfoot, and Aretha, the MEP I live with.

Aretha currently lives in a Vision 632 enclosure, which seems well suited to her ATM. Most of the enclosure is unlit, except for spillage from my office and windows to the outside; she has a number of pools that she spends time in every day, one at the dark end, one at the lit end. The temp ranges from 70 to 84 degrees F. Humidity is 80+, always. She has numerous hides, but usually just hunkers down in a corner, sometimes digging out a shallow depression first.

The UV reading at the lit end, at "top of shell" height, is 2.5 which is probably a bit high for her species, but I run a 10-hour day with numerous 15 minute "blackouts" during that time period.

My question is, should I:

  1. raise the bulb
  2. shorten her day further
  3. not change it
Thanks in advance for your help!

Jamie

@Tom @ZEROPILOT @Markw84 @Kapidolo Farms
 
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jsheffield

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I would add more plants.
Great idea... I had a bunch initially, but she nibbled and bulldozed them, and over time I stopped replacing them... time to get more plants back in there with her.

Thanks Yvonne!

J
 

Tom

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I'd leave it as is and lengthen the "day" to 12 hours without the blackouts. My thinking is that the sun comes up daily and stays up for them in the wild. Lots of cover and hiding areas seems to be the way to go. To simulate hiding in the brush under the canopy.
 

jsheffield

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I'd leave it as is and lengthen the "day" to 12 hours without the blackouts. My thinking is that the sun comes up daily and stays up for them in the wild. Lots of cover and hiding areas seems to be the way to go. To simulate hiding in the brush under the canopy.
Thanks for chiming in Tom! I'll bump the day length and get going on more plantings and hides.

Jamie
 

Yvonne G

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Because these tortoises are black, they don't appreciate a whole lot of 'sun.' Also, because they eat animal protein they get some vitamin d from their food.
 

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