Sulcata Tortoise Urgent Health Conern

[Tom]

Okay thank you very much. I'm going to try to let him graze in my back yard tomorrow. I'll make sure to supervise him.

I wouldn't do that. Its a recipe for disaster. He needs to be in an enclosure of some sort. Here are three easy ways to safely contain him:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/

Plus some more ideas:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/outdoor-enclosures.121732/

Your tortoise will be fine without UV for a couple of weeks while you get all this sorted out.

 

[leigti]

That is awfully close for for an HO bulb.

Lets bring @leigti into this conversation. I think she has that bulb AND a UV meter. leigti, can you give us a reading under that bulb at 7-9"?

In the mean time, TCS, where do you live? In some areas you don't need indoor UV if you can get your tortoise outside for some real sunshine a couple times a week.

I will check on that when I get home tonight. Sorry, I just saw this. It is sounding a little close to me also.

 

[Yvonne G]

I tried to read this from the beginning, and I didn't see where anyone mentioned that the screen top filters out quite a bit of the beneficial UVB rays. If it was mentioned, I'm sorry for repeating it.

 

[cmacusa3]

I tried to read this from the beginning, and I didn't see where anyone mentioned that the screen top filters out quite a bit of the beneficial UVB rays. If it was mentioned, I'm sorry for repeating it.

I did, but it never hurts to repeat it.

 

[leigti]

I tried to read this from the beginning, and I didn't see where anyone mentioned that the screen top filters out quite a bit of the beneficial UVB rays. If it was mentioned, I'm sorry for repeating it.

About 30%

 

[Holly'sMom]

Id be worried about the cliff but my tort seems to tip over every time I look away I cover 1/2 the mesh/screen cover at night w a towel. it seems to help w the heat escape but because I have a screen lid and can't put the lights/heat into the tank So I have to have more than just one CHI and Basking to keep my temps up. (The screen has to stay so our bengals don't lay in the tank they don't try to eat her just lay on her ). Also don't trust the Petco stick to the wall thermometers. I have 3 and they're all off by 5-10 degrees compared to the inferred thermometer. I'm a new Sulcata owner too and this site helped a lot I did everything these awesome people suggested (except move my girl out of a breeder tank but I will eventually). My hatchling still sleeps a lot still and at weird angles.. Scared the crap out of me for the first month I thought she was dead a few times and spent more than a few days making her wake up. She just started to burrow rather than hide and get real active. It was w 100 other babies doing its own thing and now is by itself in a new environment so it maybe scared and unsure. Also you may not see the poop w the topsoil (we didn't) and honestly I've never seen our tort drink during soaking but we tend to do soaks while we're getting ready in the Am and evening so we're not watching none stop just checking in case of poop for water changes lol we've had our hatchling a little over 2 months and have only had poop maybe a 10 times during soaking