Do Red Footed Tortoises Need Direct Sunlight?

[Red Footed Angels]

So I live in a apartment in northern South America where year round the temp is always between 70 and 90 degrees so keeping them outside is ideal.I already built the tortoise table for the little one but the potential problem is that its located on my huge balcony witch never gets direct sunlight, Is that a problem? If so what can i do? should i take him out to get direct sunlight daily or get a artificial light?thanks in advance.

 

[Pearly]

Hello and welcome from Texas, US to a fellow RF keeper! I see couple of potential issues with the balcony. Depending on how high off the ground your apartment is, the temps on say North side of the building maybe much lower than 70-90's. I would still get couple of digital thermometers and sat them in opposite areas on top of substrate to know what things are like down there for your little one. I am not sure about the UVB issue. RF's as you know are forest dwellers who typically don't like things too bright. However I'd think they all need UVB to make some degree to grow strong shells and bones. I have kept mine indoors with almost daily outings for exercise out in fresh air, and have UVB fluorescent tube light that comes on every am and goes put every night. Let's see if we can get some pearls of wisdom from our experienced RF keepers. @Anyfoot, @ZEROPILOT, @Yvonne G, can't recall anymore user IDs (I swear, names are soooo much easier for me to remember!)

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Although there is direct sunlight available to my tortoises for a few hours every day, they avoid it like the plague. They stay out of direct light.
This is more about climate maybe as they do not need to ever bask to get warm. In other climates Redfoot may actually sit in direct sunlight for heat regulation. If this is required for UV absorbtion, I can not say. Only that mine do not do this.
In my situation and in the wild I'm thinking that between diet and indirect sunlight, their UV needs are met.
There has been a lot of discussion about this. ( even that with a correct diet very little light is needed)
Your climate sounds similar to my own.
There are a few members that have taken this matter very seriously and have spent a lot of time researching.
I'm only reporting my own experience.

 

[Red Footed Angels]

I live on the second floor and i just checked the thermostat and it read a temp of 78 but at night it does get down to 65

 

[Red Footed Angels]

I think im just going to buy a lower watt fluorescent UVB bulb just to be sure. Once again thanks

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Don't buy one of the spiral or coil shaped compact florescent bulbs.

 

[Pearly]

I live on the second floor and i just checked the thermostat and it read a temp of 78 but at night it does get down to 65

Your house thermostat is not going to be reliable for regulating your tort's environment and 65 is WAY too cold to RF youngster. On this Forum we believe in keeping babies of all species warm and humid, no night temp drops below 80F. High humidity with low temps is a sure recipe for respiratory infection. I think keeping the enclosure on the balcony will work just provide a heat source with thermostat what will kick in when temps drop below 80F. I had one of my babies missing in my front garden for 4 weeks, in FEBRUARY, the coldest month in Texas! We had couple of nights with freezing temps and daytime wasn't much warmer that year. Temps hovering in low 30's with 3 day drop to 26F. My husband found him close to where I had lost him unharmed after 4 weeks!!! He was tiny at the time only about 8 months old. Members of this Forum advised me to put out his favorite food and fresh water and leave heat source for him. And i did! For 4 weeks, everyday taking out fresh food and changing water out in my flower bed, i also constructed pile of vegetation and hung 100 watt CHE and 100 watt red bulb above it. All of that in close to the place i had last seen him. My husband was upset about energy waste (200watts just dissipating up into a cold air) and I promised that after that one more weekend I'd take those down. And Tucker was found on a Saturday morning of that "last weekend"! This story just goes to tell you how crucial heat sources are to baby torts. I will only tell you for sure that you will not go wrong when following advice from this Forum. These guys here have turned me (never been a reptile person) into a competent and assertive tort keeper with a special interest in nutrition, caring for baby torts and getting them interested in food. My advice to you: do what I do, just soak up from this bottomless well of knowledge and wisdom. And... Happy Easter

 

[Anyfoot]

So I live in a apartment in northern South America where year round the temp is always between 70 and 90 degrees so keeping them outside is ideal.I already built the tortoise table for the little one but the potential problem is that its located on my huge balcony witch never gets direct sunlight, Is that a problem? If so what can i do? should i take him out to get direct sunlight daily or get a artificial light?thanks in advance.

Hi @Red Footed Angels.
Put a UVB strip light over your feeding area.
This way you know your torts are getting D3 as they feed. D3 can also passed on through diet or vitamin supplements. If you don't provide the correct diet and you have no UVB light then health problems can arise. So to play it safe provide a UVB strip light and also aim for the correct diet. If you get a good varied diet no supplements will be required, feed eggshells and provide cuttlebone for your torts calcium needs.
BTW, not all redfoots are Angels, I have one that is turning out to be Satan .

 

[Red Footed Angels]

Your house thermostat is not going to be reliable for regulating your tort's environment and 65 is WAY too cold to RF youngster. On this Forum we believe in keeping babies of all species warm and humid, no night temp drops below 80F. High humidity with low temps is a sure recipe for respiratory infection. I think keeping the enclosure on the balcony will work just provide a heat source with thermostat what will kick in when temps drop below 80F. I had one of my babies missing in my front garden for 4 weeks, in FEBRUARY, the coldest month in Texas! We had couple of nights with freezing temps and daytime wasn't much warmer that year. Temps hovering in low 30's with 3 day drop to 26F. My husband found him close to where I had lost him unharmed after 4 weeks!!! He was tiny at the time only about 8 months old. Members of this Forum advised me to put out his favorite food and fresh water and leave heat source for him. And i did! For 4 weeks, everyday taking out fresh food and changing water out in my flower bed, i also constructed pile of vegetation and hung 100 watt CHE and 100 watt red bulb above it. All of that in close to the place i had last seen him. My husband was upset about energy waste (200watts just dissipating up into a cold air) and I promised that after that one more weekend I'd take those down. And Tucker was found on a Saturday morning of that "last weekend"! This story just goes to tell you how crucial heat sources are to baby torts. I will only tell you for sure that you will not go wrong when following advice from this Forum. These guys here have turned me (never been a reptile person) into a competent and assertive tort keeper with a special interest in nutrition, caring for baby torts and getting them interested in food. My advice to you: do what I do, just soak up from this bottomless well of knowledge and wisdom. And... Happy Easter

I wasnt talking about the house thermostat , I ment to say my cages electric thermometer