Habitat - Indoor :: 1 YEAR WITHOUT UVB LIGHT?

[sabrinasothan]

WHEN I GOT MY TURTLES AS BABIES IM ASSUMING NO ONE TOLD ME I NEEDED UVB LIGHTS AND IM AM SO ASHAMED TO ADMIT THAT IT TOOK ME THAT LONG TO GET ONE..I HAVE ONE NOW BUT I WANNA KNOW HOW MUCH HARM I HAVE DONE BY WAITING SOOO LONG?...IF MY TURTLES HAVE BEEN DAMAGED FROM THE LACK OF UVB , CAN IT BE REVERSED.?...KINDA WORRIED..I FEEL HORRIBLE!

[rsour24]

any damage done is permanent . they only thing you can do now is give them the proper care so they do not get in any worse condition.

[prettykitty]

depends, do you think theres damage? it really depends.. turtles are damn hardy sometime

[Linus]

I'm afraid to admit it as well but when I was little(like 6), my turtles were in a 10..maybe 20 gallon for probably 2 years without a UVB, and probably not much of a heat light either.


Not the whole Tank


10 Years later...how does Kingler look

PS: Dont be mad at me, I'm already mad at myself.

[prettykitty]

he's not that bad, many a little pyramiding? not sure from this angle

[steve]

It happens. Have you ever taken them outside? Or use a pellet from a reputable company? If so, then he would have gotten some vitamin D3. Don't hesitate to make the necessary changes to your tank.

Kingler looks great... she must be loving that sun.

[Linus]

Ya, that is from last summer, but I caught her Basking yesterday...mid December lol

[Kemul]

To sabrinasothan, I'd say don't worry too much. More RES in the world than we'd like to imagine live without UVB for years. What you can do right now is to correct your turtle's environment and all will go well. If you can bask your turtle under morning sun daily, that would be even better.

To sfmmfreak, Kingler looks great!

[sabrinasothan]

that makes me feel a little better but i still feel horrible.. the whole permanent thing.. uhhhh i was hoping i wouldnt hear that.. if the only damage is to the shell not getting enough d3 i thought if it were corrected and later on would get a new shed it would like start over kinda...ehh i have two turles same size got um at the same time but only one is retaining its scutes and looks kinda ehhhh.. the other looks fine i guess but im no expert at what they should look like by now if they had there light a year ago..

[steve]

Minor pyramiding can smooth out over time with regular shedding.

[mart]

Mine lasted 15 years without the correct bulb - with the previous owner. They had a plant growing bulb which I don't know anything about but we had a vet check them and they are really healthy. Obviously I've given them the right bulb now.