Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Do any of you keep a heat bulb on 24/7? I heard from a person working at a petstore that you should have a heat bulb on 24/7, in addition to the water heater and basking/UV light. I have a water heater - the temp is 77F; I turn on my UV light and 60 bulb basking like during the day - basking temp is 86F. Should I get a nightlight/heat bulb for the night? The air temp does get pretty cold around the house at night - it can drop to about 55F. Any suggestions?

2 suggestions:
2)if the air temp drops to the mid fifties & you want to keep the turtles air warmer you could put a piece of plastic sheeting over the tank.this will hold in the warm,moist air from the water.i would do this if you had baby turts or a tropical species.i don't believe that 55deg will harm any of our native,adult species.
3)i would try a 75 watt bulb to try and get the basking spot up another 10 degrees or so.
hope this helps!

I use a red basking light at night. My house also gets cold, and I don't want to limit my turtle to his water at night if he's cold. The red light isn't bright, so it doesn't throw off the day/night cycle.

Alison

First, what kind of turtle?

>in addition to the water heater and basking/UV light. I have a water heater - the temp is 77F

Water temp of 77F sounds more than adequate for most NA turtles.
Is this turtle from the tropics?
If you want to add more warmth, I'd suggest a ceramic heat emitter (on a thermostat, of course) rather than any other bulb.

If your turtle is basking at night, his day/night cycle is screwed. Aquatic turtles should sleep under water, if theyre sleeping on land, then your water is probly too cold. I use timers for my basking and uvb lights. You can get them at w@l-m@art or hardware store for about $10. That way I never forget to turn the lights on or off.
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