General Care Discussion :: My turtle without UV lamps

[virusspawn]

Guys i wanted to know what wil happen if i kept my turtle without uv lights?

[rockstar]

he will most likely get health problems.
and shell problems.

[SpotsMama]

Yes - UVB enables turtles to absorb calcium which they have to have for their shell and bones. Without the ability to absorb calcium they can't survive.

For a short time, if you don't have a UVB light bulb, you can take your turtle outside in the sun for a few hours a week and he will get UVB because the sun is a great natural source of UV rays. But if you do this you have to be very careful with your turtle to make sure he doesn't overheat (a big concern with the little ones) or wonder off or get into some kind of trouble. You literally have to watch them every single minute. Most people find this isn't practical for long so it's best just to bite the bullet and get a good UVB light bulb.

[virusspawn]

how much does it cost to get the whole bulb and lamp thing?

ps. theres a petsmart near by

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Some keepers claim that with a good diet, and a lot of Vitamin D3, that aquatics can do quite well without UVB lights..but..I'd rather play it safe, you know? It's easy to OD on Vitamin D3, and many have had success with UV lights. So I'm all for them. Though..It be foolish to only rely on UVB lights for Vitamin D3 (thats what its for, to provide vitamin D3, vitamin D3 helps absorb calcium) a good varied diet is more important IMO. I always supply my turtles with a little extra Vitamin D3, but I dont rely on that alone. I rely on Vitamin D3 from diet, UVB lights, and a little bit of natural sun every now and then.

UVB bulbs arent that expensive, the reptiglo uvb bulbs go for 10$ at petsmart, the fixture is cheap if you get it from a hardware store, cost ya around 5$.

[rockstar]

just go check out petsmart or petcos website and look up the cost for a simple UVB setup.


www.petsmart.com


www.petco.com

[virusspawn]

will this be okay my turtle about 1 1/2 inch

http://www.petco.com/product/102892/Zoo ... -Lamp.aspx

and do i have to get this with it too?

http://www.petco.com/product/12467/Exo- ... ector.aspx

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Nope. That is NOT a UVB light..This is one: http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... ts_id=1817 and that clamp lamp is good.

[Threepwood]

You'll need the fixture and the bulb.

[virusspawn]

do i have to get a uva light too
or will the above one do

so i should get the clamp lamp from petco and the light u showed me?

will the bulb fit in the lamp?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

I would get two clamp lamps from a hardware store since they are the same thing and cost a hell of a lot cheaper, for the UVA light, just get a normal lightbulb, and for UVB, get something that says UVB, if it doesnt say UVB, then dont get it..so in the end, you need two lamps.

[virusspawn]

hey whats the difference in
a
fluorescent bulb
halogen bulb
Incandescent bulb
Mercury Vapor bulb

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Mercury vapor is usefull for both UVB/UVA and heat (since a normal flourescent UVB bulb will produce no heat for them to bask) though you can only use them in tanks 50 gallons and up..

halogen bulbs are used for UVA and heat, i would just use a normal light bulb, dont bother wasting your money on it.

Flourescent bulbs are the type of bulbs I linked you to..they produce no heat, but UVB, so a second lamp will ne needed.

Eh, i suck at explaining. Spotsmama...jump in.

[virusspawn]

hey which one of these fixtures should i get according to the bulb you showed me

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... cts_id=471

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.ph ... cts_id=402

[SpotsMama]

Fluorescent bulbs - cool, come in tube and compact form, low wattage, can provide UVB (BUT only if the packaging says it provides UVB), moderately expensive, needs to be replaced about every 6 months.

Incandescent bulbs - hot, like regular household bulbs, higher wattage, cannot provide UVB (but can provide UVA) your typical basking bulb, the least expensive.

Mercury vapor bulbs - very hot, powerful, high wattage, can provide UVB (IF the packaging says it provides UVB), needs porcelein fixture because of the heat, not suitable for tanks smaller than 55 gallons but if your tank is larger then it can be a great all-in-one bulb for turtle setups, the most expensive and has to be replaced about every year.

Halogen bulbs - ?????

A typical setup for a smaller tank uses a flourescent bulb for UVB and an incandescent bulb for heat.