All Turtles Message Board

Turday · Level 2 Joined: 29 Aug 2006 Posts: 97

how do u know if you have enough uvb lighting for a baby res???????
_________________
Aug 29 2006

Linzlou83 · Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 10:05 am Post subject:

hey Turday,

It seems like you're a little confused and asking a whole bunch of questions. You should be looking at the big picture. Turtles need the following to be happy and healthy, and once you have completed all of the following, sit back and watch him or her for a few days and see if you see improvements in their behavior.

1. 10 gallons of de-clorinated water for every inch of turtle.
2. A basking area (either a large stable rock or suction-cup platform that you can get at a petstore) where they can get dry and warm if needed.
3. A combination UVA/UVB light. This can double as a heat light also depending on the power and heat output. Too much heat in the basking area is not good either. Light can be on for 8-10 hours a day. At night in the wild, it's dark and chilly, so this is ok for your turtle in your home.
4. Natural sunlight when available, either a short and safe walk outside or an hour on a windowsill.
5. Water temps between 72-78 degrees when healthy, 80 when showing signs of sickness. You can get tank heaters for $10-20 if you can't maintain these temps with a heat light and room temp.
6. High vitamin diet of fish, worms, crickets, and turtle pellets. Leafy greens if they'll eat them.
7. Good filtration and/or weekly water changes.

If you find that you don't have one or more of these things, this could be your problem. Also, the stress level could be high for your turtle if you play with it too much and there's a lot going on around it. They're very sensitive. Good luck and let us know how he does.
_________________
I brake for turtles!