Do tourtises need there uvb/uva lamps on 24/7?

Question

how long should i keep the lamp on all day and all night?its for my sulcata tortoise

Answer 1

it should only be on in the daytime hours.  so 10-12 hours a day. the point of uv is to simulate the rays of the sun, at night there is no sun. as well as they need darkness to sleep properly.

Answer 2

No, not at all. They wouldn't have UV 24/7 in the wild. 12 hours a day is good. You don't even need heat at night because you are trying to simulate not having a sun at night just like in the wild.

Answer 3

They only need their lamp on 10-12 hours a day.  If the temperature gets too cold at night, an undertank heater is a good idea.  I live in New England (USA) and in the winter, the temperature can drop down to around 65 degrees at night in the house and I had an undertank heater for my Greek tortoise.  I put it under his hide box and he would sleep in their and be nice and toasty all night long.

Answer 4

they need a a heat source 24/7 but as far as heating and uvb about 12 hours or a little less get a timer and set it like 6 to 6 or just turn it on when you get up and shut it of when going to bed.

Answer 5

I also have a Sulcata Tortoise. I use the bright white bulb (100 Watt) for 12 hours during the day AND I use a 75 Watt infrared bulb for nighttime. If you only have one then I would say 12 hours so as to not upset the natural sleep cycle. The red one doesn't mess up the cycle. I would suggest getting your bulbs at PetCo or PetSmart or whatever pet store you have locally and make sure not to get the aquatic bulbs, specify that it is for a tank full of only sand! Get the clamp lamps at Home Depot or Lowe's, it's much cheaper there! if you have any other questions just shoot me an email at [e-mail]

Answer 6

They need a constant heat source, but only UV rays 12 hours a day.  If it lived in the wild would it get UV in the evening? No.

Plus, if you were to keep a constant light on the animals sense of night and day would be completely out of balance. They need that light during the day and the dark in the evening.  It's how they manage their natural behaviors of sleeping and eating.

Answer 7

you only need to keep a UV light on for 12 hrs a day, but there does need to be a second heat source on all the time, if you don't like a bright light at night you can get night lamps which still give off heat but give off a soft glow, so don't disturb anyone in the house or room

Answer 8

not think of it like the wild at night things get colder and theres no light