well im going on a trip for 4 days and im nervouse about leaving my turtle. i cant bring him with me.. im going to put 12 gupie fish in the tank so i know he will have food. but what am i going to do about him and basking?? he has a heat lamp and a float which he loves to go on lol but i cant leave it on for all 4 days. so thats y im asking will he be ok if he doesnt take sun for 4 days?? well really three because im comming back on the 4 th day but late...
so please help.. will be be ok without sun for 4 days???
thanks
2007-04-07 07:30:05 · 13 answers · asked by JUSMI 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
i see alot of ppl are saying to get a timer, but i dont have money to get that.
and a friend?? well i just moved and i dont know anyone...
will he get sick or something if he doesnt have one.
im going to check the prices on it, but if not, will it be that bad?
2007-04-07 18:55:40 · update #1
thanks everyone, for helping me out. i got a timer, but now im worried about power outage lol
can it get caught on fire?? i wont be here so now im worried lol
what do u think?
2007-04-10 17:15:47 · update #2
I'm going to assume you have a good filter and a good water heater (although most turtle keepers, sadly, do not).
If the water is clean and warm, a few days without light is not a big deal, although a simple timer would be an easy enough investment, and well worth the few bucks.
If the basking light is also the only way to keep the water warm, you DEFINITELY need to put it on a timer for that time.
2007-04-07 09:55:09 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, this exact same thing happened to me a few days ago. We already had a timer though, so I don't know an alternate option for the heat lamp and basking, but I do know that food wise your turtle should be fine with that. Does your light stay on all the time or do you switch it will at night time one? Because what I would do is keep your day light on the whole time, except it might be difficult for it to sleep. If you do decide to not have the light on but keep the heat that would be the smartest decision because heat is more important. Without heat the shell could get infected, but without light it's just like in the wild if there's a rainy few days or something. I wouldn't worry too much, Red Eared Sliders are some of the smartest turtles ever! Good luck!
2007-04-14 16:14:01 · answer #2 · answered by Charlotte 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Timers are not expensive. Get one that has been UL tested - they are supposed to be safe. Your outlet should be properly grounded. I use a timer even when I don't go away, that way, there is never a problem about turning on or turning off appliances that make my pets happy and they get what they need - when they need or want it. It's good to keep them on a schedule. You should connect the timer and have it on before you go, to make sure that there are not snags, and don't worry if the power goes out, when you get money, you can get a battery back up and if the power goes out, the back up keeps going. It is also good for computers, and acts as a surge protector as well. Have fun, I think your turtle will miss you but it will be okay. Make sure that there is a screen cover over it's tank, so that nothing can fall into it while your gone. They are not expensive either - better to be safe then sorry.
2007-04-14 18:13:00 · answer #3 · answered by C S 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your turtle should have her basking and uvb lamp on while you are away. Are you using a uvb/heat lamp so there's just one fixture? You can put it on a timer (available at any home store or hardware store) so it goes on and off at the same time every day. For food the guppies will be fine. Four days is not a long time to be with out any other food.
Julie
www.turtlerescues.org
2007-04-07 15:42:53 · answer #4 · answered by Julie 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can replace the heat lamp with a red bulb or a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Although the CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) is more expensive than the red bulb its usually a better option because it only emits heat and no light at all. You just need to make sure that it goes into a ceramic socket. That way he has heat night and day, but his sleep isn't disturbed.
Now, if you're saying that you don't want to leave any lamp at all on, you could invest in a water heater. Just make sure its "fully submersible" that way it doesn't matter how high or low the water is.
2007-04-07 14:41:26 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are going away for only 4 days you can get a timer to put the light on and have it on and off automatically. Your turtle will not starve if you feed it before you leave and are only gone for 4 days. I feed mine 2 times a week.
2007-04-07 18:02:11 · answer #6 · answered by Ajaxnl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never had a turtle before so I don't know about leaving the lamp on fo the four days that you are gone but I have a dog and I've gone out of town before and wasn't able to take my dog with me so I would ask a friend to drop by every now and then. I suggest you have a friend stop by and check on him maybe turn off the light when it needs to be and on when it needs to be.
2007-04-07 14:45:44 · answer #7 · answered by FSUgurl 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Timers are your best bet but as you've pointed out they're kinda spendy. You can get one between $5 and $20 at the Home Depo and Lowe's Home Improvement. One of those should set ya up just fine and let you have no worries.
2007-04-08 20:47:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would not recommend him going without "sun" for 3-4 days. however, check with PetsMart or PetCo, they may have a light timer you can set. they are listed on their websites.
2007-04-07 16:39:36 · answer #9 · answered by lilpadiddle 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i would say that you should get a friend to care for it. if not, put lots of food into their, or get a automatic food dispenser. if all these things dint work, just leave the lamp on. which is more important?: your pets life or a humongous high light bill?
2007-04-07 16:23:19 · answer #10 · answered by josh 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋