溫度 Temperature

龜龜屬於冷血動物，需要外來熱力供身體運作。在大自然中，牠們會借用太陽的熱力，移到不同的位置，進出地洞等來調節體溫。晚上較涼時則會躲藏在日間被太陽曬暖的泥土中。牠們亦非常喜歡掘地洞，每天花大量時間掘出長長的地洞。
Tortoises are cold blooded animals and they require heat for their body to function. In nature, they regulate their body temperature by moving in and out of the sun or staying in their burrows during daytime. When it is cooler at night, they maintain their temperature by digging into soil which has been heated by the sun during the day. African Spurred tortoises spend much of the time digging their long burrows.

To mimic their natural environment, provide a cold spot and a hot spot for the tortoise. We mounted our lamps on two sides near Tun Tun's level. Each time we only turn on one lamp. There is also a cave so the tort can hide inside for cooler temp. Put up at least two thermometers near the tortoise level (make sure they cannot reach it though), one near the cold spot and one near the hot spot.

For me, the daytime temperature for the hot spot is around 30 – 33, cold spot is around 26-28C. For nighttime, hot spot around 26-29C, cold sport is around 25-27C. You may adjust the temperature by using different wattage ceramic heating bulbs or varying the height (put on top of the tank or mounted on the ceiling of the tank).

And remember, the temperature inside the cave is cooler unless you put the cave directly under the lamp. That will serve as another cold spot.

Tun Tun moves around to find a spot with temperature she likes. Sometimes she sleeps outside of her cave. Usually she stays inside though.

There are times I move sleeping baby Tun Tun into a colder or warmer spot. They suppose to do it on their own but she falls asleep after grazing (I can see her being very tired chewing the hay and fell asleep at her eating place). After she reached 100 g+, she is not as sound asleep and will move around to find a good spot.

Never use Heating pads and hot rocks for your tortoises as they may overheat. In nature, the heat source comes from the sun and the overhead heat is absorbed more effectively. Overheating is dangerous for your tortoise especially if you have a small tank. There is no way for the tortoise to move around to manage his body temperature.

底材 Bedding/Substrate (Eng. Only)

I used corncob for bedding since it is okay to be ingested. However, Sulcata Station asked us to avoid corncob because they “do not digest easily and can cause potentially fatal blockages if the tortoise eats enough of them”. I checked with the vet and he said it is ok to use corncob. Tun Tun eats at her eating tile usually so it should not be a problem. We may shift to grass hay when Tun Tun is older and the hay won’t be too sharp for her.

Corncob substrate is also easy to clean. We just need to scoop out the dirty part. Also it is free from small particles that may cause problem to Tun Tun’s respiratory system. I did not use paper pellets because they are similar in colour with Tun Tun’s feces so I miss a cleaning spot. And I worry about the small paper particles get into Tun Tun respiratory system.

When Tun Tun was very young and was on veggies, she ate her poo poo. I guess the indigestible thing still smells like veggies to her. I scooped out the poo poo a.s.a.p. to avoid her to ingest any corncob. I soaked her quite regularly and frequently so usually she did her business in water. Now that she has shifted to hay feeding, she shows no interest in her poo poo.

If you soak your tortoise regularly in a set time, he may defecate and urinate regularly during soaking so the substrate stays pretty clean. That is my experience.

Substrate should be changed regularly to avoid build up of microbes if your tortoise is messy. I would say every month to every 3 months depends on how clean your tortoise is.

More info:
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/substrates.html

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.

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.

- 環境佈置 Decoration

幼龜可在室內飼養，但要小心佈置不會令牠們受傷。牠們喜歡攀爬，故不要讓牠們爬上佈置後有返身的機會，牠們不懂反轉，如不及時發現，會因缺水而死亡。同時不要放置不用適牠們食用的植物於箱子中。
As hatchlings, African spurred tortoise can be kept indoors. African Spurred Tortoises like to climb. If they climb onto something and fall on their backs. They are not able to flip over. If not rescued in time, they may die from dehydration. Choose the decoration carefully. Also do not put in any plants that are not suitable for their diet.

- 通風 Ventilation

盾臂龜很容易患上呼吸系統的毛病，故需要通風良好的居住環境。如你的龜龜沒有進食或流鼻水，可能會和通風問題有關，那便要見獸醫了。 盾盾的玻璃爬蟲箱兩側都有扇頁通風，前面的窗門亦可打開。盾盾還小，不能爬太高，未有溜走能力，遲些便要加鎖了。

Ventilation is important for African spurred tortoises. They are prone to have respiratory disease. If you see your tortoise “blowing water bubble” from his nose /not eating, there may be problem with ventilation. Take him to a vet. My terrarium is a glass tank with slits on the side and I opened a bit of the frontal windows for Tun. She is still very small (can’t climb too high) so escape is not a problem. Later I may need to lock her windows.

在YouTube 看見一隻盾臂龜開門！
Video in YouTube showing a tortoise opening a slide door!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bFdJJOzzVg&feature=related

如果空氣太侷促，可外置風扇，但盾盾不太喜歡風扇的噪音。盾盾的箱子位於窗台，牠很喜歡望我樓下的公園，也愛聽小鳥的歌聲。

I also have fans for her if the air is very stuffy. Tun Tun does not like the noise though. I put Tun Tun on my windowsill and she loves seeing what is happening in the park and she loves listening to the bird singing.

- 水盤 Water Access

如選擇放水盤，請選一個淺身及邊位底和不割手的水盤，方便龜龜出入。如邊位過高，龜龜容易返身，自己又不能返回，會因此缺水致死。市面上有爬蟲專用的水盤，或可選用膠盤蓋子，。盾臂龜不會游泳，故水位不要太髙，每天/骯髒時換水便可。
You may put out a shallow dish of water for your tortoise. Make sure that the dish is safe for your baby tortoise. The edge of the dish should not be sharp and it should be low so the tortoise can walk in and out without flipping or hurting himself. If a tortoise flipped over and not being flipped back in proper position, he may die from dehydration. Yes, they can’t flip back on their own.　You may choose a water dish specially made for reptiles or use a flat lid from a plastic container. Fill it up with water and change the water every day/when it is dirty. Keep the water level low so it won’t drown the tortoise. The tortoise may drink from the dish and then pass his waste there.

如選擇不放水盤，就一定要浸龜。食物提供的水份並不足夠，特別是幼龜。幼龜很容易缺水，而盾臂龜又容易結石。盾盾小時每天浸泡，100 g 後才開始隔天浸泡。
If you choose not to put out a water dish, make sure you soak your tortoise frequently. Some people may think that if they feed the tortoise fresh food, the water from the food is enough for them. Not really especially for baby tortoises. Baby tortoises are more vulnerable to dehydration and remember African Spurred Tort are prone to stone formation. I soak Tun Tun every day when she was very young. Then every other day after she reached 100 g.