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hi, i am a new member from New Zealand. my girlfriend and i recently bought a RES. he is 4 yrs and called george. I've read that turtles need both heat lights and uv lights. we have a grow-lux light but no heat light. he seems quite happy to bask. do we need a heat light or is that only needed to encourage him to bask? also, his shell has white patches all over. it was like that when we bought him. he recently shed a bit and has some darker patches now. is that normal? its not soft, i'm guessing its from scraping his shell on things.

Temperature is very important to maintain the health of any reptile. The basking spot should be 88-90F and the water low to mid 70s. The heat will entice basking but it is also needed for a turtle to digest it's food. Allowing the turtle to thermoregulate (get warm/cool off when necessary) is vital to it's health. If you already have a good uvb bulb, all you need for heat is an ordinary household light bulb. Just make sure the basking temp doesn't go too high.

how do you make sure the basking temperature is 88-90F?

move the lamp further away to make it cooler, closer to make it warmer.

Use a thermometer you know is accurate and place it on the basking area where your turtle would usually bask. You can get a more accurate reading if you place the thermometer on an object the height of your turtle. Leave the thermometer on the basking area for 20-30 min. Then check the temp. to see if it's in the range of 88-90F.