What to add to my hatchlings food?

[NATURALIS]

Originally Posted by red foot marg

nutrabol is used every other day with calcium ( lime stone floor ) used the days inbetween , i put cuttlefish in for them also. 5%uvb is a little to low for hermanns , a 12%uvb tube would be better .

to the OP , this is good advise above

[anol03]

Hi Ed.

Control Freak???

Requried for what, to survive? Guess it depends if feed aditional D3 vitamins, if being keept outdoors in natrual sunlight (or just indoors) and for who long and where in the world.
Apparently it exist tortoise in uk that has been there for more than 50-60 years long before UVB tubes.

/Anders

[EJ]

See... you're being ambiguous. You don't know. I don't know... nobody knows... so how can anyone say what the tortoise needs in the case of UVB.

Tortoises have survived in captivity for hundreds of years without any attention to UVB... that is not really the point because I know that UVB is needed... or a supplement. My point is that some have implied that we know what is too little in this case.

This stems from the statement that 5.0 tubes do not provide enough UVB for a hatchling to utilize for vitamin D synthesis... back to the point. I Think they are sufficient but 10.0 tubes would not hurt... what is the problem with that statement?

oh... you left out temperature... which effects metabolism.

You mentioned basking... how do you know it is not for temperature instead of UVB?

Originally Posted by anol03

Hi Ed.

Control Freak???

Requried for what, to survive? Guess it depends if feed aditional D3 vitamins, if being keept outdoors in natrual sunlight (or just indoors) and for who long and where in the world.
Apparently it exist tortoise in uk that has been there for more than 50-60 years long before UVB tubes.

/Anders

[Kirkie]

Theres some dangerous presumption on this thread. UVB tubes are an excellent way of delivering a UVB dose to a chelonian and I find them a less intense way of delivering it, the animal not being forced to endure constant high temperatures to do so. I'm using a reptisun 10 UVB for my hatchling Hermanns with very little additional dietry D3 supplimentation and it's working fine. Reflectors, height, output; they're the factors as to whether a tube produces "enough". I've used reptisun 5.0 UVB for hatchling aquatic turtles and they work fine when mounted correctly and monitored regularly. *I took a reading from a 4 month old 10 uvb tube with reflector at the weekend and at the distance I use it it was producing 125uw/CM2 Uvb. That figure was 160 when new. *That runs 3/4 length of my hatchling setup and I'm assumimg that if the tortoises alskin is warm enough, the D3 reaction continues away from basking spot (currently a ceramic spot). It's all about exposure time rather than intensity in my opinion. A day 10 hours exposure to 30 uw/cm2 is as good as an hour at 300 if the animal is warm enough.

As for how much exposure is required, heres a dangerous presumption of my own. I kinda worked out that 40-50 minutes under a regular lamp producing 150-200 uw/CM2 should enable enough exposure for sufficient D3 to be produced . Don't try that at home, thats me "reverse engineering" some sucessful exposure time figures I've seen for far more powerful lamps. Funnily enough, at the weekend someone told me thats the figure Andy Highfield came up with too.

Anyone who reads the Frances Baines link all the way through would note that after "enough" D3 is produced any excess breaks down. Overdose is not an option with organically produced D3 it can be broken down and stored in the body. I've been asking around for two years if animals can do this with ingested D3, no one seems to know.

[EJ]

(whaaaaat? You're agreeing with me?)

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Theres some dangerous presumption on this thread. UVB tubes are an excellent way of delivering a UVB dose to a chelonian and I find them a less intense way of delivering it, the animal not being forced to endure constant high temperatures to do so. I'm using a reptisun 10 UVB for my hatchling Hermanns with very little additional dietry D3 supplimentation and it's working fine. Reflectors, height, output; they're the factors as to whether a tube produces "enough". I've used reptisun 5.0 UVB for hatchling aquatic turtles and they work fine when mounted correctly and monitored regularly. *I took a reading from a 4 month old 10 uvb tube with reflector at the weekend and at the distance I use it it was producing 125uw/CM2 Uvb. That figure was 160 when new. *That runs 3/4 length of my hatchling setup and I'm assumimg that if the tortoises alskin is warm enough, the D3 reaction continues away from basking spot (currently a ceramic spot). It's all about exposure time rather than intensity in my opinion. A day 10 hours exposure to 30 uw/cm2 is as good as an hour at 300 if the animal is warm enough.

As for how much exposure is required, heres a dangerous presumption of my own. I kinda worked out that 40-50 minutes under a regular lamp producing 150-200 uw/CM2 should enable enough exposure for sufficient D3 to be produced . Don't try that at home, thats me "reverse engineering" some sucessful exposure time figures I've seen for far more powerful lamps. Funnily enough, at the weekend someone told me thats the figure Andy Highfield came up with too.

Anyone who reads the Frances Baines link all the way through would note that after "enough" D3 is produced any excess breaks down. Overdose is not an option with organically produced D3 it can be broken down and stored in the body. I've been asking around for two years if animals can do this with ingested D3, no one seems to know.

[Kirkie]

I dunno, am I? I didn't read it all. And dammit if I didn't forget you have to back everything up with a photo these days. So here we go, a 2011 hatchling, raised under "toobs".


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=45156

[EJ]

a picture is worth a thousand words...

but that thing is deformed. (I never us thos things)

Originally Posted by Kirkie

I dunno, am I? I didn't read it all. And dammit if I didn't forget you have to back everything up with a photo these days. So here we go, a 2011 hatchling, raised under "toobs".


http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/for...ad.php?t=45156

[Ozric Jonathan]

Originally Posted by paulus

The problem arose because the UVB bulb I have is only a 5% UVB so I gather it is too low

Hi Paulus, I suspect what you have been using is a tube and not a bulb! I know it seems pedantic but this might have caused some confusion. I think we have all agreed that a tube rated at 10% would be an improvement. If you are getting a tube at 10%, then as you say you would still be in need of the bulb for heat and a dimming thermostat is a good way to do it.

If Ed is still following here, agreed you did say right at the start that a 10 tube would be suitable.

[Kirkie]

Alright, I've actually read it all now and I think Paulus says half way through thats its a screw fit 5.0 UVB bulb. I'm assuming its one of the coiled ones that look a bit *like an energy saving bulb.

I've not really used these, the older high output one's were cautiously linked to eye problems, I tested a 10% exo terra one a couple of years ago and it had a very high (about 11) UV index reading.

[EJ]

ahhh... I didn't read it that close... still a tube.

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Alright, I've actually read it all now and I think Paulus says half way through thats its a screw fit 5.0 UVB bulb. I'm assuming its one of the coiled ones that look a bit *like an energy saving bulb.

I've not really used these, the older high output one's were cautiously linked to eye problems, I tested a 10% exo terra one a couple of years ago and it had a very high (about 11) UV index reading.