Ferguson zone

H2447INTX

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Anyone know a ferguson zone for radiated tortoise? 3 or 4?

Recommended UV index.
2.5 - 4.0 ?
 

H2447INTX

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Found some research papers , shop in zone 3.

If anyone else was needing the info
 

SweetGreekTorts

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Does it have the recommendation for other species? I just received my Solarmeter 6.5r today and want to check all my new Arcadia T5 light setups. I keep Mediterranean species; Russians and Greeks.

Thanks!
 

H2447INTX

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Why do you think this is important, why use it as a lighting guide? etc.


The information I was looking for is in this research.

I admit I did not read the report in its entirety.
But what I got was this was in the feild research and show UV readings for specific animals , location and time of day.

This give me the information I was looking for set my UVB lights hight from enclosure to have best UVB level for my specific tortoise.

If I'm wrong , explain.
 

Kapidolo Farms

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The information I was looking for is in this research.

I admit I did not read the report in its entirety.
But what I got was this was in the feild research and show UV readings for specific animals , location and time of day.

This give me the information I was looking for set my UVB lights hight from enclosure to have best UVB level for my specific tortoise.

If I'm wrong , explain.
Just curious about the value you put on that kind of information. I see lizard people go crazy for that specificity, but not a tortoise person before.
 

H2447INTX

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Just curious about the value you put on that kind of information. I see lizard people go crazy for that specificity, but not a tortoise person before.


My thoughts in keeping any animal indoors is to replicate the best outdoor space indoors.

So i do my best to do that.
 

Toons1978

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Just curious about the value you put on that kind of information. I see lizard people go crazy for that specificity, but not a tortoise person before.

Will,
The value lies primarily in situations where people are trying to recreate natural conditions. Your researchgate link is the academic version, with far more info, to Frances Baines's article in "Reptiles" on the same subject, UV lighting. At the end of the paper is a listing of the Ferguson zones(FZ) within which the listed reptiles live in the wild as well as their max/min day/night cycles. Which of the four FZs is determined by the average UV index of a given area; UVi of 1=FZ-1, UVi of 2=FZ-2, UVi of 3 & 4=FZ-3, UVi of 5, 6, 7=FZ-4 The FZs take into account both the sunlight intensity and the foliage(natural shade) in the geographic location.

When I lived in Alaska I found that the way I was doing things was very unnatural, but effective. Before switching to T5 strip lights I was using CFLs that were emitting barely any UV and later different colored LEDs that emit zero UV, yet all of my tortoises were growing fast, smooth, and solid. I attribute that to the variety of fresh foods, the Ca supplement powders with D3, and the Vit/mineral fortification within the Mazuri, ZooMed, & Marion pelleted diets that I feed to everyone of my herd(oh, and their soaking schedules).

Reading her research paper and watching numerous YouTube lectures by her and a colleague of hers had me all "AAHH I'm doing it all wrong, I need to change all of my lighting." Then I simply looked at my tortoises and my records on them and realized I was just doing it differently, not wrong. Since there is always room for improvement I figured I would try to UV-irradiate everyone so I did add the T5s. I got a UV meter to test the UVi at tortoise level in each enclosure to get the proper species-specific FZ. According to that previously mentioned chart, most tortoises live in FZ 3 with a few exceptions above and below that zone.

I will tell you that I saw no change in weekly weight increases nor monthly linear growth. So while adding the UV surely increased their natural cholesterol to D3 process, on the surface I see no difference. Adding those additional wavelengths of light enhanced the range of spectrums created by the existing LEDs and PAR38 bulbs that I was already providing thereby surely adding to their quality of life. I saw far more positive behavioral changes and appetite increases a few years ago when I began using PAR38s for basking and put different LED colors(warm & cold) into the sockets for each enclosure. So, while not essential to sustain life, my experience shows there is no harm by adding the T5s.

Short version: FZs have value if you are trying to directly simulate nature to the highest degree possible with commercially available artificial lighting. Though not critical to life, there is at the very least potential enrichment/QoL value when incorporating these ideas.
 

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