Query about basking

[Prajanya]

Hello I am new to posting in this forum but gotta say I love the community.
I have 2 Indian star tortoise one is 7 month old another is 2 year old , I have them in 6 ft x 3 ft tank sadly my UV bulb blew out and my local retailer is out of them , so I will have to get them online which would take about 7 days.
Is it ok to put them in direct sunlight for 1 hour and indirect sunlight for 5 hours. The construction of my house restricts me from getting direct sunlight all the day. Also what else can I do to make sure they don't miss their basking advantages.
Thank you all for the replies in advance.

 

[Yossarian]

As long as you can get them 2-3 hrs of direct sunlight per week they will be fine without a UV bulb.

 

[Prajanya]

As long as you can get them 2-3 hrs of direct sunlight per week they will be fine without a UV bulb.

Ohh thank you so much that's all the assurance I needed. I got stressed when the uv light stopped working , they are very delicate I guess.

 

[Tom]

Hello I am new to posting in this forum but gotta say I love the community.
I have 2 Indian star tortoise one is 7 month old another is 2 year old , I have them in 6 ft x 3 ft tank sadly my UV bulb blew out and my local retailer is out of them , so I will have to get them online which would take about 7 days.
Is it ok to put them in direct sunlight for 1 hour and indirect sunlight for 5 hours. The construction of my house restricts me from getting direct sunlight all the day. Also what else can I do to make sure they don't miss their basking advantages.
Thank you all for the replies in advance.

First, these two need separate enclosures. They should never live in pairs, and this is made worse when there is an age and size difference.

Second, NEVER put them in direct sunlight. They could be dead in minutes. Put them in a safe enclosure that has plenty of shade and cooler areas, but will also allow them access to direct sun if they want it. They have to be able to move out of the direct sun and into a cooler area whenever they want.

They can go weeks with no UV and no ill effect. You can use an incandescent flood bulb or round bulb to give them a basking area. Using a calcium supplement with D3 in it, will help ensure they are getting enough D3 in their systems, but even this isn't necessary if they can get some access to sunshine a couple few times a week.

Here is the current and correct care info: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/t...leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/#post-1814413