Can anyone advise please!

[new-torti-mum]

I have just adopted my elderly aunt's 3 tortoises, as she has had a stroke and can't care for them any more. Unfortunately she can no longer speak - other than yes or no - so I can't get much information out of her. I've been doing lots of research on the web - tortoise trust, etc so I have a reasonable idea about taking care of them.
The only thing I'm not sure about is what UV lamp to buy - can anyone recommend a particular lamp to get? There seem to be so many on offer, it's a bit confusing to a novice!
The tortoises are three males - a Hermann, a Moroccan, and an Algerian - not entirely sure of the ages of them, but apparently they are not young tortoises
Thank you so much for any help!

Simone

[millie_moo]

what a mixture, do they all live together? i only ask because of mixing species is not heard of that often.
as for the light if you want them on a timer you will need a separate uv tube and heat lamp the uv tube will need to be a 10% uv which will need replacing every 6 months and you will need the controller . i use a 75w or 100w spot lamp bulb in one of my tables
or
you can use a combi bulb which is heat and uv, they are intially more expensive but last longer aprox 2yrs! and you will need a ceramic reflector dome thingy. in my other 2 tables i use the solar glo 125w combi bulb

Lighting - Holders

this page has each type of bulb/heat set up have a flick through and see which set up you think is right for you

[annsimpson1]

are the torts in hibernation? do they live outside? if these are elderly torts and garden kept then you are best trying to keep them the way they have always been kept. They don't take to change very well and if they are healthy and have always been kept the same way then it obviously works for them, ie if they are used to having the space of a garden to roam around in then its not very fair to suddenly restrict them to a table and keep them inside. If they've never had uv etc then you might not have to spend your money on those items, if they are still in hibernation and do live outside then leave them still asleep and think about building their outside house and enclosure (if they can't have the garden) for when they wake up next month. Although people don't normally mix different species if they have spent their lives together then nothing would be gained by separating them now and they will have made freinds with each other.

[the mighty P]

i have en exo terra uv light its a 10.0 i think (i have it on for 8 hours a day) i got mine from pets at home but you can also get them from reptile pet shops - but mine is used to the indoors
the other post is right you should try and keeps them like they are used to

[millie_moo]

never thought \bout that lol i know someone who used to have an old tort they just had a portable bulb so for days when he couldnt go outside they just plugged the bulb into the room they kept him in so he could still have a bask

Originally Posted by annsimpson1

are the torts in hibernation? do they live outside? if these are elderly torts and garden kept then you are best trying to keep them the way they have always been kept. They don't take to change very well and if they are healthy and have always been kept the same way then it obviously works for them, ie if they are used to having the space of a garden to roam around in then its not very fair to suddenly restrict them to a table and keep them inside. If they've never had uv etc then you might not have to spend your money on those items, if they are still in hibernation and do live outside then leave them still asleep and think about building their outside house and enclosure (if they can't have the garden) for when they wake up next month. Although people don't normally mix different species if they have spent their lives together then nothing would be gained by separating them now and they will have made freinds with each other.

[purplepixie]

Pmd you!

[new-torti-mum]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer x

The Moroccan and Algerian are kept together, and the Hermann is seperate. They are all fully awake (since the weekend)
I'm not sure of the previous setup they had, I know they did live in the garden, which I fully intend to do with them when the weather warms up, but I'm reluctant to put them out at the moment will it's so cold and wet. I don't know what my aunt did with them in bad weather and her level of communication doesn't allow me to find out. So I'm trying to make them as comfortable as I can indoors. I want to get them feeding properly and as soon as the warmer weather comes, I will put them in their outdoor enclosure during the day

thanks again for all your help, I appreciate your comments

[annsimpson1]

try to use tables (open topped housing) rather than vivs as they are closer to being outside and as big a space as you have room for, maybe you can for future use have a heated outside house, either a shed split into two or two heated kennel type houses, that way they wouldn't need to come in the house. I'd guess that if they used to live outside they were hibernated a lot longer I know my oldies won't wake untill next month preferably the end and they then have a heated house and will have outside access right from the start, they will stay outside then untill the end of October or so.
Your right in that you can't put them outside without heating at this time of the year and may have to wait untill april or so unless you can build somthing which does have heat.