暖燈及紫外線燈 Heat Source and UV Light (Eng. Only)

It is a good idea to expose your tortoise to some real sunlight even if you have UVB bulb. No UVB bulb can compare to the sun. Tortoise needs the sun and vitamin D to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease (MBD). I have also heard that the sun exposure can accumulate. That means if a tortoise should bask 1 hr a day, it is the same as giving in 3 hours on two days and 1 hour another day in a week. I am not sure about if this is true though.





The following site is a very good one and it clears up my confusion on lighting. Please take your time to read it.





http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/lighting.html

During my visit to the vet, the vet told me that most UVB bulbs are not doing what they claimed on the labels. I also came across a site testing the bulbs.

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Their reports on diff UVB light are very long. I never read them all. I just asked my vet to see if my light is ok. He got a meter to measure too. So I just stick to that brand. It is better to use a good brand. Also those mercury light bulbs that claim to provide heat and light are no good. They are not durable and will die after you turn on and off frequently. I bought many before knowing that and they only lasted for around a month.

So get a good brand for the UVB light bulb and have a separate heat source. Ceramic heating bulbs work really well and they last for a long time. Some people have thermostat to control the temperature in the tank.
You may use a timer to set the light to mimic the sunlight. I turn on my light at 7 am and shut off around 7 pm. Give them 8 – 12 hour of UVB exposure. Half of the time, Tun Tun stay in her cave though.
I have a UVA bulb for Tun Tun too.

More info:
http://russiantortoise.org/uvb.htm
http://zoomed.com/Library/ProductDBFiles/Reptiles%20and%20UVB.pdf (info on UVA and UVB)
http://www.hkherp.org/newforum/viewthread.php?tid=3499&extra=page%3D8 (Chinese 紫外线的波段-UVA/B/C/D)

- 洞穴＋反轉瓷磚 Cave + Upside Down Tile

我初時給盾盾買了一個小小的人工洞穴藏身，但幾個月後便不合用了。現在買給牠的那個比牠大很多，最少可用上半年。中午及晚間，盾盾都很喜歡躲在洞穴睡覺。盾臂龜在大自然中會自己掘地洞去躲避正午的太陽，只會在日間其他時段曬太陽。
Provide the tortoise a hiding place. I bought Tun Tun a small cave when she first came. Then she outgrew it in a few months so now I get her a very big cave which should last for at least half a year. Tun Tun loves to sleep inside the cave in the evening and her afternoon nap. In nature, they will burrow and hide there to avoid the sun. They do basking during daytime but will avoid the hottest sun around noon.

溫度低時，盾盾會在洞穴外睡覺以從暖燈中吸取更多熱力。有時太倦也會在洞口睡了。

Sometimes Tun Tun sleeps outside her cave to get more heat from the lamp when the temp is low. Sometimes she falls asleep just outside of her cave when she is very tired.

我在箱子中放了一塊反轉的瓷磚（較粗）供牠磨指甲及作吃東西的地方。牠肚餓時便在那裡伸伸頭望著我。
I also put an upside down tile (so the surface is coarser) for Tun to scratch on. That serves as an eating place for her as well.

準備到公園玩 Traveling to the Park (Eng. Only)

I bought a gas cushion basket and line it with a handkerchief and put Tun Tun in. In “cold” weather, I wrap a disposable heat pad with the handkerchief. Then I cover her lightly with a fish filter cotton. It only takes me 5 min to walk to the park downstairs. Tun Tun likes to go to the park and will get very excited in the elevator. You can see her walking very happily in the park.

I only take Tun out when the temperature reaches 23 or higher with no wind. Also if it is 23 C, I pick a time when the sun is high in the sky so the actual temperature may be around 25C.

In summer time, they can only go out in the early morning or in the late afternoon. Otherwise they might get a heat stroke and may get dehydrated easily. Tun Tun has not gone through her first summer but the sale person in the pet shop told me that it is hard to recover a tortoise with heat stroke. So we need to be careful.

濕度 Humidity (Eng. Only)

Most people suggested a dry environment to prevent pyramiding but studies suggest the opposite. Tortoises raised in environments with 45-99% humidity had less pyramiding than those raised in drier conditions. Well, it makes sense since the natural outside environment (desert) is dry but inside the burrow, it is very humid. Even the vet did not know about this and I printed it out for him.

High humidity should not be a problem unless you are fogging your tank. That will lead to other micro or ventilation problem for the tortoise. There are times when the weather is very humid, some people put in boxes of dehumidifier. Make sure the tortoise won’t eat the silicone.

The substrate should somewhat regulate the humidity too. Still watch out for mould/micro problem if it is very humid. When the weather is very dry, I put moistened cotton pad on top of Tun Tun’s cave to increase the moisture level of the air.

- 種植食物和車前草 Plant and Herb

天氣回暖後，我打算種這草給盾盾作零食。
When the weather is warmer, I am planing to plant this for Tun Tun as a snack.

***後記: 種子可能放久了，沒有發芽。
Unfortunately the seeds did not sprout when I tried planting them in the summer.





　
車前草有助排石，我用熱水浸乾車前草，取其汁液，放涼後給盾盾浸浴。

The herb Plantain supposed to help rid of stones . I soaked the dried form in hot water, get the extract and soak Tun Tun with it after it is cooled.

也找到新鮮的車前草，但不知是否適合盾盾。
I found the fresh form too but not sure if it is ok to give to Tun Tun.

- 疾病 Diseases

不是所有獸醫都懂得醫治盾臀龜，選擇時應找一位對爬蟲動物熟悉的獸醫，自己也盡力學習有關龜龜的東西。
Not all vets know how to cure tortoises. Be sure to pick one who is familiar with reptiles. Still, learn as much as possible from the web will help you to understand more about your friend.

盾臂龜十分容易患上結石，呼吸道及隆背的問題。
Sulcata are prone to stone formation, respiratory disease and paramading problem.

更多有關不同龜隻疾病的資料（中文）：
More on Diseases for Different Kind of Tortoises and Turtles
http://uwants.com/viewthread.php?tid=5918033&extra=page%3D1 (Chinese)