Re: This is a legitimate question!

Posted by Justin on October 10, 2001 at 08:14:06:

In Reply to: This is a legitimate question! posted by DaviDC. on October 10, 2001 at 00:50:35:

All tortoises need some level of uv light to properly absorb calcium. Take Sulcatas for instance. Now if you were in the african deserts the uv index would be incredibly high. That is why sulcatas have relatively light colored shells. They are exposed to a ton of uv and sunlight in general, so the light coloration keeps them cool while they absorb their needed uv. Redfoots live in forests and grassy fields. They do not get near as much exposure to uv as sulcatas do, good thing to, they would heat up like an oven because of their black shells. The coloration of their shell helps them to absorb the sun when little is availlable because of the forest canopy and overcast skies. Therefore redfoots and yellowfoots are much better at processing calcium than other desert species. Another thing redfoots and yellowfoots do not eat much nutritious food in the wild, but they do search out food high in calcium.

Justin

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: All tortoises need some level of uv light to properly absorb calcium. Take Sulcatas for instance. Now if you were in the african deserts the uv index would be incredibly high. That is why sulcatas have relatively light colored shells. They are exposed to a ton of uv and sunlight in general, so the light coloration keeps them cool while they absorb their needed uv. Redfoots live in forests and grassy fields. They do not get near as much exposure to uv as sulcatas do, good thing to, they would heat up like an oven because of their black shells. The coloration of their shell helps them to absorb the sun when little is availlable because of the forest canopy and overcast skies. Therefore redfoots and yellowfoots are much better at processing calcium than other desert species. Another thing redfoots and yellowfoots do not eat much nutritious food in the wild, but they do search out food high in calcium. : Justin

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