Help on sunlight & vitamin D

[georgekathe]

So, every time I put GeeBee in his outside enclosure - every day now & soon to leave him out overnight once it is warm enough in the night)- he immediately crawls under cover.

Question - is he still getting the benefit of the sun & getting vitamin D as a result?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

George

 

[Paige Lewis]

I suppose it probably depends what the undercover hide is made of, as to whether the uv rays can penetrate it but the reason he is running undercover is probably as it will just take him time to get used to those new surroundings, has he got plenty of hiding places in his outdoor enclosure, may be tall plants and things like that as this will make him feel more safe and more comfortable to come out from cover, how old is Geebee?

 

[Tropical Torts]

Yes how old is Geebee? If he is still pretty small then its natural for him to be under cover beacuse in the wild most young tortoises are under a constant threat of predation. As a result they will usually stay hidden until they get larger. As for the UV question, that fact that he is outside during the day tells me that he is more than likely getting enough UV. Hope this helps.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi George:

You don't have to be in actual sunshine in order to get the UV rays. They bounce around the atmosphere, and are there even on cloudy, overcast days.

 

[Kristina]

I am sure he receiving adequate D3. As Yvonne said, even indirect sunlight puts out UV, and in fact more UV rays than the best of UV bulbs.

Redfoots, especially youngsters, know they are prey and it is their instinct to remain hidden as much as possible. As long as your little guy is taking time to eat and drink, I would not worry one bit. Redfoots typically to not like a lot of bright light as adults either. I have a long piece of lattice in the enclosure with my adult Redfoots. They like to lay under it when the sun is at its peak. You could try putting some over part of the enclosure. It will block some of the bright light, and provide cover that may make him more comfortable.

I keep all of my tortoises indoors 5-6 months of the year, with no UV lighting, and they are all hard and healthy and show no signs of MBD. The sun they receive during the summer months is adequate.

 

[Madkins007]

So, every time I put GeeBee in his outside enclosure - every day now & soon to leave him out overnight once it is warm enough in the night)- he immediately crawls under cover.

Question - is he still getting the benefit of the sun & getting vitamin D as a result?

Thanks in advance for the responses.

George

As long as he has access to sun, he will take care of this himself. It only takes an hour a week or so, so very short exposures from walking around, and the bouncing UV will take care of the rest.

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I keep all of my tortoises indoors 5-6 months of the year, with no UV lighting, and they are all hard and healthy and show no signs of MBD. The sun they receive during the summer months is adequate.

Here is my concern, and it is primarily theoretical-

Animals store excess D in the fat to use when supplies are low. Getting fully stocked in the summer is easy, but we have very little data on how long they can go without restocking. It would make sense that a hibernating tort would not need as much over the winter, but their metabolism is so slow then that they may not use much at all.

We know they cannot metabolize calcium without D, so what happens when (or if) the 'fuel tank' runs out?

 

[georgekathe]

Yes how old is Geebee? If he is still pretty small then its natural for him to be under cover beacuse in the wild most young tortoises are under a constant threat of predation. As a result they will usually stay hidden until they get larger. As for the UV question, that fact that he is outside during the day tells me that he is more than likely getting enough UV. Hope this helps.

He is 6" long & supposed to be about 4 according to his previous owner. I have a moveable enclosure on my lawn with a 2' x 3' piece of plywood in one corner. It is very bright sun where we live & as soon as I put him in the enclosure he heads for the covered corner & stays right in the corner.

Thanks all for the responses so far. George

 

[Kristina]

I keep all of my tortoises indoors 5-6 months of the year, with no UV lighting, and they are all hard and healthy and show no signs of MBD. The sun they receive during the summer months is adequate.

Here is my concern, and it is primarily theoretical-

Animals store excess D in the fat to use when supplies are low. Getting fully stocked in the summer is easy, but we have very little data on how long they can go without restocking. It would make sense that a hibernating tort would not need as much over the winter, but their metabolism is so slow then that they may not use much at all.

We know they cannot metabolize calcium without D, so what happens when (or if) the 'fuel tank' runs out?

I don't know exactly when that tank runs out either. What I do know is that I raised my very first tortoise this way for 10 years. He went from 3" to 11" and felt like a brick. His shell was completely smooth.

I have raised every tortoise that I have had since then the same way. It has worked, so I never changed it.