why is my tortosie sleeping more?

[TeamZissou]

Coil bulbs like this are not good for tortoises. They have been shown to cause eye problems. They supposedly produce UVB at shorter wavelengths than what is optimal, and can produce even shorter wavelengths into the UVC range, which are far more damaging. T5 HO fluorescent tube bulbs are recommended as they do not have these damaging effects. Stop using this coil bulb and see if there's any improvement in the next two days. It's possible that it just took 9 months for the negative effects of this bulb to build up.

Simple incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store can be used for basking. Temp under the basking lamp should be about 95 F.

Pyramiding is caused by conditions that are too dry. It's tough to tell from your photo, but your tortoise doesn't look that pyramided. It's tough to keep humidity high enough in the open topped enclosure you have. "Closed chambers" are used for this reason. Humidity at the tortoise level needs to be about 70%.

Are you using any other bulbs/lighting that weren't mentioned?

Here's the recommended care info for temperate species such as your Hermanns:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Try to post an in focus, close up of the tortoise's eyes if you can.

 

[Quixx66]

where are you at becuse im in canada and its winter here so she may be hibranating but right under the heat lamp.

Louisiana, far away from you! But it’s cold here too, and gets down to 60 in his indoor enclosure. We don’t use heat much.

 

[CharlieS2020]

I have read online that you should change the UVB forms every six months to ensure best efficiency don’t know if this is true or not but that may be your issue so I guess try and change the UV bulb and see if that helps

hi i have used 2 uvb baulbs in the last 9 monthes and i changed it around 4 monthes ago but i will try changing it again.

 

[CharlieS2020]

Coil bulbs like this are not good for tortoises. They have been shown to cause eye problems. They supposedly produce UVB at shorter wavelengths than what is optimal, and can produce even shorter wavelengths into the UVC range, which are far more damaging. T5 HO fluorescent tube bulbs are recommended as they do not have these damaging effects. Stop using this coil bulb and see if there's any improvement in the next two days. It's possible that it just took 9 months for the negative effects of this bulb to build up.

Simple incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store can be used for basking. Temp under the basking lamp should be about 95 F.

Pyramiding is caused by conditions that are too dry. It's tough to tell from your photo, but your tortoise doesn't look that pyramided. It's tough to keep humidity high enough in the open topped enclosure you have. "Closed chambers" are used for this reason. Humidity at the tortoise level needs to be about 70%.

Are you using any other bulbs/lighting that weren't mentioned?

Here's the recommended care info for temperate species such as your Hermanns:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Try to post an in focus, close up of the tortoise's eyes if you can.

hi i will try changing the bulbs as soon as psosible and i have to post a pic later becuse charlie is sleeping in her hide.

 

[CharlieS2020]

Louisiana, far away from you! But it’s cold here too, and gets down to 60 in his indoor enclosure. We don’t use heat much.

cool. canada gets supper cold winters.

 

[CharlieS2020]

Coil bulbs like this are not good for tortoises. They have been shown to cause eye problems. They supposedly produce UVB at shorter wavelengths than what is optimal, and can produce even shorter wavelengths into the UVC range, which are far more damaging. T5 HO fluorescent tube bulbs are recommended as they do not have these damaging effects. Stop using this coil bulb and see if there's any improvement in the next two days. It's possible that it just took 9 months for the negative effects of this bulb to build up.

Simple incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store can be used for basking. Temp under the basking lamp should be about 95 F.

Pyramiding is caused by conditions that are too dry. It's tough to tell from your photo, but your tortoise doesn't look that pyramided. It's tough to keep humidity high enough in the open topped enclosure you have. "Closed chambers" are used for this reason. Humidity at the tortoise level needs to be about 70%.

Are you using any other bulbs/lighting that weren't mentioned?

Here's the recommended care info for temperate species such as your Hermanns:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Try to post an in focus, close up of the tortoise's eyes if you can.

hi again i also jsut took alook at those thights on the internet there are difrent kinds witch one should i get? and what do i buy to hold them in. when i search up the light on the home depo website its jsut the light nothing to hold it. please help me so i can fix this problum emedietly.

 

[Tom]

all the lights are from pet smart but the company is Zoo med. the uvb light is reptisun and it is 10.uvb and the basking is repti basking spot lamp and it is 75w. here are some photos of the lights for you. Charlie View attachment 317203View attachment 317204

You've got the wrong bulbs.

wont charlie than get pyramiding on her shell?

Pyramiding is not caused by lack of UV. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. Open topped enclosures can be too dry, but the wrong bulbs, like the spot bulb your have been using, can also do it.

Spot bulbs should never be used over tortoises. Floods, or regular round bulb in a wide domed fixture are the way to go. Adjust the heat by moving the bulb up or down, or by changing the wattage, or by running the bulb through a rheostat so you can adjust the heat.

That type of cfl bulb is no an effective UV source and many of them burn tortoise eyes. This can cause them to get lethargic, or it can sometimes cause them to hide all day from the pain caused by the bulb.

ive also used it for almost 9 monthes and have had no isues.

Its taken 9 months of no UV, but now you are seeing an issue. I think the temps are warm enough, but your tortoise may be basking all day in an effort to get much need UV. As I said, those cfl bulbs are not effective sources of UV. You need to get an HO UV tube. I prefer the Arcadia brand, but the ZooMed 10.0 HO ones will work too. It will need to be mounted at the correct height. Best to use a UV meter for this, but we can help you with a best guesstimate, once you know which bulb you are getting. If the enclosure is 4 feet tall, you will need to hang the lighting and heating inside.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like leopards.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

 

[Tom]

where are you at becuse im in canada and its winter here so she may be hibranating but right under the heat lamp.

They need cold temperatures to hibernate. This cannot be done while basking under a heat lamp in an enclosure with an ambient temp of 75-90 degrees.

how do i lower the heat?

Make a bar inside the enclosure with a 2x4 and hand everything from that. An get rid of the double deep dome hood. Use regular Home Depot style hood with ceramic bases.

I’m sure @Tom will help you soon, but that uvb bulb should not be used at all. Discontinue its use until you get more feedback. It can damage a tort’s eyes.

This is correct. You get an "A" for the day.

I have read online that you should change the UVB forms every six months to ensure best efficiency don’t know if this is true or not but that may be your issue so I guess try and change the UV bulb and see if that helps

This is incorrect along with a lot of what is read "online". The manufacturers would like you to throw away a perfectly good, working bulb and buy a new one ever six months because then they make more money. I used two 10.0 tubes in one of my enclosures and they were on 12-13 hours a day every day for three years and still making the same UV as when they were new, so says my Solarmeter 6.5. I have Arcadia 12% HO tubes that started making less UV after about 2 years, so I lowered them 2 inches, and the UV levels were then the same as they were when the bulbs were new.

 

[CharlieS2020]

Coil bulbs like this are not good for tortoises. They have been shown to cause eye problems. They supposedly produce UVB at shorter wavelengths than what is optimal, and can produce even shorter wavelengths into the UVC range, which are far more damaging. T5 HO fluorescent tube bulbs are recommended as they do not have these damaging effects. Stop using this coil bulb and see if there's any improvement in the next two days. It's possible that it just took 9 months for the negative effects of this bulb to build up.

Simple incandescent flood bulbs from the hardware store can be used for basking. Temp under the basking lamp should be about 95 F.

Pyramiding is caused by conditions that are too dry. It's tough to tell from your photo, but your tortoise doesn't look that pyramided. It's tough to keep humidity high enough in the open topped enclosure you have. "Closed chambers" are used for this reason. Humidity at the tortoise level needs to be about 70%.

Are you using any other bulbs/lighting that weren't mentioned?

Here's the recommended care info for temperate species such as your Hermanns:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Try to post an in focus, close up of the tortoise's eyes if you can.

here is a photo of charlies eyes.

 

[CharlieS2020]

You've got the wrong bulbs.

Pyramiding is not caused by lack of UV. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. Open topped enclosures can be too dry, but the wrong bulbs, like the spot bulb your have been using, can also do it.

Spot bulbs should never be used over tortoises. Floods, or regular round bulb in a wide domed fixture are the way to go. Adjust the heat by moving the bulb up or down, or by changing the wattage, or by running the bulb through a rheostat so you can adjust the heat.

That type of cfl bulb is no an effective UV source and many of them burn tortoise eyes. This can cause them to get lethargic, or it can sometimes cause them to hide all day from the pain caused by the bulb.

Its taken 9 months of no UV, but now you are seeing an issue. I think the temps are warm enough, but your tortoise may be basking all day in an effort to get much need UV. As I said, those cfl bulbs are not effective sources of UV. You need to get an HO UV tube. I prefer the Arcadia brand, but the ZooMed 10.0 HO ones will work too. It will need to be mounted at the correct height. Best to use a UV meter for this, but we can help you with a best guesstimate, once you know which bulb you are getting. If the enclosure is 4 feet tall, you will need to hang the lighting and heating inside.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like leopards.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

hi i really apreshiate the reply i will look into all this. and that link dosent work. half of my cage has chiken wire at the top and a quarter is wood becuse there is a buitl in hide. what size should i get? do i only need a new uvb bulb or a new uvb bulb and basking bulb? also where can i buy these? any help is apreshiated! Charlie

 

[TeamZissou]

The good news is your tortoise doesn't have horribly swollen eyes as often happens with the wrong bulbs. Hopefully he'll be better in a few days with improved lighting.

Read about T5 H0 UVB bulbs. You will have to find a fixture for it and set it at the correct height for your tortoise. Here's the solarmeter link. It's the only way to know what the UVB level is:

Solarmeter® Model 6.5R Reptile UV Index Meter

Solarmeter instruments are compact, handheld, and durable with simple single-button operation and NIST traceable accuracy. Model 6.5R has spectral response erythemally weighted to match vitamin d3 synthesis in reptiles.

www.solarmeter.com

This is the 'brooder' fixture that Tom mentioned that has a ceramic base to prevent fires for the basking bulb:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XV8QOU/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Buy 65 and 100 W incandescent bulbs (not LED) and try each one and vary the height to reach the ~95F temp under the lamp.

Keep in mind that your setup is not ideal. Your tortoise will survive in this enclosure but may not thrive and reach full size if you don't give him the right room and conditions. Read the posted care sheet for how to create an optimal environment.

 

[Krista S]

hi i really apreshiate the reply i will look into all this. and that link dosent work. half of my cage has chiken wire at the top and a quarter is wood becuse there is a buitl in hide. what size should i get? do i only need a new uvb bulb or a new uvb bulb and basking bulb? also where can i buy these? any help is apreshiated! Charlie

Here is a link to the best price I’ve been able to find online in Canada for the Arcadia fixture with reflector and bulb. https://www.reptilesrus.ca/arcadia-pro-t5-uvb-kit-with-12-desert-lamp-24w-22-5/ I don’t know where in Ontario you are, but you should be able to find this in a local reptile shop too. Where I am in Saskatchewan I can’t buy it locally.

The Solar meter 6.5r can be bought on Amazon. I wasn’t able to buy this locally either so that’s where I got mine.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076GXJFJG/?tag=

These are the incandescent 65 watt flood lights I use:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=

If you can’t make something fasten the lights to, you could use these lamp stands. They’re what I use for my basking bulb and UV and they work really well for me. I’ve put an amazon link below, but you should definitely be able to find these locally. I bought some small ’s’ hooks to be able to have the uv fixture hanging from 2 of these stands. The benefit of these stands is you can very easily adjust the height to get your heat and UV dialed in to exactly where it needs to be.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000255OUO/?tag=

 

[CharlieS2020]

Here is a link to the best price I’ve been able to find online in Canada for the Arcadia fixture with reflector and bulb. https://www.reptilesrus.ca/arcadia-pro-t5-uvb-kit-with-12-desert-lamp-24w-22-5/ I don’t know where in Ontario you are, but you should be able to find this in a local reptile shop too. Where I am in Saskatchewan I can’t buy it locally.

The Solar meter 6.5r can be bought on Amazon. I wasn’t able to buy this locally either so that’s where I got mine.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B076GXJFJG/?tag=

These are the incandescent 65 watt flood lights I use:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B002CZ1E4M/?tag=

If you can’t make something fasten the lights to, you could use these lamp stands. They’re what I use for my basking bulb and UV and they work really well for me. I’ve put an amazon link below, but you should definitely be able to find these locally. I bought some small ’s’ hooks to be able to have the uv fixture hanging from 2 of these stands. The benefit of these stands is you can very easily adjust the height to get your heat and UV dialed in to exactly where it needs to be.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000255OUO/?tag=

thanks for all the links i will defenetly use them.

 

[CharlieS2020]

The good news is your tortoise doesn't have horribly swollen eyes as often happens with the wrong bulbs. Hopefully he'll be better in a few days with improved lighting.

Read about T5 H0 UVB bulbs. You will have to find a fixture for it and set it at the correct height for your tortoise. Here's the solarmeter link. It's the only way to know what the UVB level is:

Solarmeter® Model 6.5R Reptile UV Index Meter

Solarmeter instruments are compact, handheld, and durable with simple single-button operation and NIST traceable accuracy. Model 6.5R has spectral response erythemally weighted to match vitamin d3 synthesis in reptiles.

www.solarmeter.com

This is the 'brooder' fixture that Tom mentioned that has a ceramic base to prevent fires for the basking bulb:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003XV8QOU/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Buy 65 and 100 W incandescent bulbs (not LED) and try each one and vary the height to reach the ~95F temp under the lamp.

Keep in mind that your setup is not ideal. Your tortoise will survive in this enclosure but may not thrive and reach full size if you don't give him the right room and conditions. Read the posted care sheet for how to create an optimal environment.

okay thnaks so much.

 

[CharlieS2020]

You've got the wrong bulbs.

Pyramiding is not caused by lack of UV. Pyramiding is caused by growth in conditions that are too dry. Open topped enclosures can be too dry, but the wrong bulbs, like the spot bulb your have been using, can also do it.

Spot bulbs should never be used over tortoises. Floods, or regular round bulb in a wide domed fixture are the way to go. Adjust the heat by moving the bulb up or down, or by changing the wattage, or by running the bulb through a rheostat so you can adjust the heat.

That type of cfl bulb is no an effective UV source and many of them burn tortoise eyes. This can cause them to get lethargic, or it can sometimes cause them to hide all day from the pain caused by the bulb.

Its taken 9 months of no UV, but now you are seeing an issue. I think the temps are warm enough, but your tortoise may be basking all day in an effort to get much need UV. As I said, those cfl bulbs are not effective sources of UV. You need to get an HO UV tube. I prefer the Arcadia brand, but the ZooMed 10.0 HO ones will work too. It will need to be mounted at the correct height. Best to use a UV meter for this, but we can help you with a best guesstimate, once you know which bulb you are getting. If the enclosure is 4 feet tall, you will need to hang the lighting and heating inside.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like leopards.
3. Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

thanks so much my dad is helping me out.

 

[CharlieS2020]

They need cold temperatures to hibernate. This cannot be done while basking under a heat lamp in an enclosure with an ambient temp of 75-90 degrees.

Make a bar inside the enclosure with a 2x4 and hand everything from that. An get rid of the double deep dome hood. Use regular Home Depot style hood with ceramic bases.

This is correct. You get an "A" for the day.

This is incorrect along with a lot of what is read "online". The manufacturers would like you to throw away a perfectly good, working bulb and buy a new one ever six months because then they make more money. I used two 10.0 tubes in one of my enclosures and they were on 12-13 hours a day every day for three years and still making the same UV as when they were new, so says my Solarmeter 6.5. I have Arcadia 12% HO tubes that started making less UV after about 2 years, so I lowered them 2 inches, and the UV levels were then the same as they were when the bulbs were new.

thank you for answering all my questions.