No moderators allowed.. enter at your own risk

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
hey i actually have a question and i dont want to ask it out there because i feel like i will get yelled at by tom or somebody. (lol)

-------- If I have a Russian tort inside but in a room that gets lots of natural light do I need a uvb light? Or not. Im 14 so use dumb people words please.
Yes, Alecks, your tortoise still needs a UVB light. Natural light is good, however, the glass windows block out most of the UVB rays. When thinking of buying a UVB light, don't get the cheapy spiral shaped compact fluorescent bulbs. They have been known to be harmful to tortoise eyes. The best UVB light would be a T-5 tube light. They're not cheap, but then nothing for tortoises is.
 

KarenSoCal

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jul 8, 2017
Messages
5,749
Location (City and/or State)
Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
grr, more money out the window. Eh, its no big deal but still frustrating.

Actually, UVB is partially blocked by window screen also. So if you have an outdoor enclosure with a screen cover, or an indoor enclosure with a UVB sitting on a screen top, only about 50% of the UVB goes through. So you can't just open the window if you have a screen in it.
 

TeamZissou

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2020
Messages
1,048
Location (City and/or State)
Albuquerque, NM
hey i actually have a question and i dont want to ask it out there because i feel like i will get yelled at by tom or somebody. (lol)

-------- If I have a Russian tort inside but in a room that gets lots of natural light do I need a uvb light? Or not. Im 14 so use dumb people words please.

Even Tom has said that if you can get them outside for an hour a day under natural sun in a safe enclosure during good weather, a UVB light isn't totally necessary. If you get a full grown RT, you can have your dad help build an outdoor enclosure and they can likely live out there from April through September in Iowa. All that time of UVB under the sun will be sufficient not to need any during the months of winter.
 

Jayb73

Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2020
Messages
30
Location (City and/or State)
Np44 1de
I clearly see here are only tortoise experts. I have a question: Yesterday I soaked my tort outside because it was sunny and warm at 40 F. Unfortunately I forgot my tortoise and temps dropped at night. In the morning I found her frozen in her tub. I put her immediately in the micowave. Now she is cozy warm but limp. Should I be worried ? Should I try soaks in smashed beans in tomato sauce ?
Its best to soak in red wine
 
Top