UV light is a MUST for raising a healthy tortoise. The best source of UV is natural sunlight, but for indoor enclosures, you’ll need an artificial source of UV, like a UV tube.
If the weather is nice, put your tortoise outside, in a safe outdoor enclosure. Even a few hours a week outside will eliminate the need for an indoor source of UV. Put baby Russian tortoises outside for at least an hour per inch of shell length. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good source of UV. It just means you don’t necessarily need it.
But, if you can’t get your tortoise outside, you’ll need a UV source for an indoor Russian tortoise enclosure.
When shopping for a UV tube, you’ll find a few name-brand options at your local pet stores. But if you’re shopping online for a UV tube, you’ll find a lot of knock-off brands. Cheap, knock-off UV tubes can be dangerous for your pet Russian tortoise.
Some UV tubes can cause too high UV rays, the wrong wave length or the wrong type of UV. UVA and UVB is a must for a healthy tortoise, but some UV tubes emit UVC, which is harmful for tortoises.
Types of UV Tubes
T-8 UVB Tube
There are two major brands of T-5 UV tubes – ZooMed and Arcadia.
ZooMed’s ReptiSun and Zilla UVB fluorescent tubes are the more popular and common T-8 tubes. They are available in 2.0 UVB and 10.0 UVB.
The T-8 tube is a sufficient source of UVB for a tortoise.
T-5 UVB Tube
The T-5 UVB tube emits a higher UVB output when compared to the T-8, and it can maintain the emissions at a higher level for taller enclosures. There are two major brands of T-5 UV tubes – ZooMed and Arcadia.
Arcadia T-5 Tubes aren’t quite as easy to find as the ZooMed tubes. They can be purchased from online sellers, like Reptile Basics. The Arcadia T-5 UV Tube emits 30% UVA and 6% or 12% UVB, depending on the bulb. Arcadia produces a Forest and Desert tube for different UVB outputs.
ZooMed T-5 HO Tubes are easier to find in the US. You can purchase them online or at your local pet store. The Zoo Med Y-5 10.0 HO tubes emit about 5% UVB.
When to a Replace UV Tube in a Russian Tortoise Enclosure?
No matter which UV tube you buy, or the brand of UV tube, you will want to replace it every 6 months to a year. There are claims that the ZooMed T-5 HO tubes will continue to emit UVB up to 1.5 years, but the emissions become weaker, the older the tube is.
Before you throwing out a UV tube, use a good solar meter to determine if it’s time. You may find that you’ll save money by testing the UV output with a solar meter. Essentially, you may be able to keep using the UV tube a little longer before it needs to be replaced.
Replace the UV tube when the output falls below 2.9%
