Is it ok to continue using a regular household 50 watt bulb in my 75 watt fixture, i konw it does not contain uva or uvb lighting but it does pretty much produce heat for him ! he seems to like it just as much as his old 50 watt heat lamp (until it blew) ....
2007-05-01 21:45:12 · 5 answers · asked by Jake C 1 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
YES
you can use a normal light bulb to provide a basking heat spot.
UVA is not really very important.
hovever you do need UVB.
so get a UVB emmiting fluorescent tube. 5.0% or above.
(these need changing every 6 months)
otherwise you'll have all kinds of trouble with calcium.
but heat is heat doesn't matter if it comes from one of these 'special' bulbs that emit some UVA.
2007-05-01 22:04:37 · answer #1 · answered by petermorgan 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Nope, you need to stop. Get a 75 watt reptile light that produces UVA. These also produce heat so they do two jobs at once. Turtle must have UVA and UVB so if you don't already have a UVB light, you must get one. Without the UVB you're basically slowly killing your turtle because UVB helps them digest food, produces vitamin d3 which prevent metabolic bone disease which is lethal, and it metabolizes both calcium and d3. Regular house lights aren't good for anything with turtles. They can get extremely hot and if you have it too close to their basking spot, they can reach up and touch it which would burn your turtle. Reptile bulbs usually have a protective layer so that if this happens they aren't burnt.
2007-05-02 02:03:16 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You should change it eventually but it won't do him any harm in the short term (as long as the bulb is keeping him at the right temperature). I was able to get away with the same thing for quite some time but, according to my vet, it was because my red eared slider's tank was near a window.
2007-05-01 21:56:37 · answer #3 · answered by voodoodolly 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
No.
Your turtle NEEDS UVB, why don't people grasp this concept? As for how much heat it puts out, put a thermometer on his basking spot, what temperature is it? If it's not the temp it should be at, you're probably looking at trouble down the road.
But then again, it -is- your turtle, and if you want to kill it, go ahead.
Edited to add.....
Windows for turtles can be dangerous. Remember, glass blocks UV rays, so there's no benefit there. It -will- help to warm the tank up, but if it's hot out, it can also help to cook your turtle.
2007-05-01 23:38:37 · answer #4 · answered by gimmenamenow 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Go get a turtles tank set up call reptile store
2016-05-18 21:15:38 · answer #5 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋