How much sun does a Russian tortoise need

123JapChin

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I am a new Russian tortoise owner. I have an outside area for him, but it is going to be in the upper 90s for the foreseeable future and I don't want to sit out with him. How many hours of sun does a Russian tortoise need per day? Is there a difference between "morning sun" and "afternoon sun?" as far as benefits? I want to do what is right but there does not seem to be any clear advice on this matter. He does not have a UVB bulb in his indoor enclosure, just a heat bulb at this time. Don't wan to roast the litter critter, but want to make sure his shell and bones stay strong. As far as hides in his pen and other ways to keep cool, I'd rather he keep cool in the house
 

MichaelL

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I'm not an expert on this, but even just 20 minutes of morning or afternoon sun every day is very beneficial. Just make sure they have shade. If you don't want to watch him there, I suggest getting chicken wire and making a secure roof as well as secure the walls below the ground so he can stay out all day and night without supervision every second. Also, Russians get tons of sun in the wild so as much as possible is recommended.
 

jsheffield

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I got my Russian out for about two hours today... I think he benefits from both the sunlight and the stimulus/exercise of the outside enclosure, with the sun and wind and bugs and plants.

Jamie
 

Blackdog1714

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Mine doesn’t even flinch at what I would consider the hellish racket I make outside. Today it was just the usual music and some digging with putty in conduit for the shed.
 

RosemaryDW

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Your Russian comes from and is built for an extremely hot climate; they can easily handle that heat as long as they have adequate shade and cover to take refuge in.

Sun is sun, he needs to get himself warmed up to ninety five degrees several times a day for digestion, how long that takes depends on the weather. My tortoise tends to get herself up to a bit over a hundred before taking a break. It doesn’t need to be that hot outside, they focus heat through their shell to get to those temperatures. yes

You say you have to watch him. Does that mean his enclosure isn’t secure?
 
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