Red-Eared Slider: UV ray light?

Question

i have just bought a baby red-eared slider turtle, i was researching how to keep my turtle in the best condition and some websites suggested i get a uv-b ray light to shine for the turtle.

is it absolutey necessary to have a uv light? how will it effect my turtle if i dont have a uv ray light shining for it??

Answer 1

yes turtles need a basking place and UV light. but i don't really want to buy a Uv light, so i put it in the direct sun for 45 minutes a day. make sure you drape maybe a cloth over half of the tank so that it has some shade if it gets too hot!

if you dont get them UV light, they get soft shell. its unhealthy and wouldnt you rather have a hard shelled healthy turtle? its better to give it sunlight or even better, a proper UV light system to keep your turtle healthy :)

good luck with your turtle! :]

Answer 2

It definately matters 100%.
UVA and UVB rays are naturally from the sun. everyone, even humans need the life sustaining benefits that these rays provide.
The key benefit is vitamin D3. This is what our bodies use to help our bones, and without it, our bodies would be nothing more then sickly, squishy piles of goo with pudding for bones.
This goes for turtles. Without UVA and UVB rays, your turtles can suffer serious health effects and will ultimately die.
Just like mentioned above-they need to be changed every 6 months! There is some great advice being given here, please read up on your little guys!
Also key for lights is the heat they bring. Turtles (reptiles in general) don't have stomach acids, they use heat to digest their food. Without a proper amount of heat, their food will not be digested properly and rot in their system.
Lights need to be on in the day and off and night, just like the sun. Don't leave them on too long or not enough, a wierd light cycle can be very bad health wise and psychologically for your turtle, even getting so upset that they won't eat.
Please read up on red-eared sliders, you seem to have alot of questions, and it's great that you want to know to be a better turtle owner! here are some great resources. The top one is from a herp specialist, i've gotten an insurmountable amount of information from her, she's a great resource.

http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesturtles/a/reslidercare.htm

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/slider/

http://redearslider.com/

Answer 3

It is critical to your turtle! They cannot survive a long healthy life without proper UVB lighting, which immitates the sun. They need it to metablolize calcium and vitamin D3, and without it will develop serious illness and bone disease (MBD). Use a Reptisun or Reptiglo specifically made for reptiles and it needs to be within 12 inches of the basking spot, on for 12 hours a day, and the bulb needs changing every 6 months as it loses UVB potency.

UVB cannot penetrate glass, so do not put your tank outside or in front of a window. Buy a UVB bulb.

Answer 4

yes its important to absorb certain things for a turtles health
putting it to "sun" isnt enough

Answer 5

i dont think it really matters