Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How hot should the basking area be for painted turtles? what wattage too?

Basking spot should be 85-90 degrees. The wattage of bulb
depends on factors that are directly related to your set-up
Ex: distance from the basking area.

Get a thermometer and try different wattages until the desired
temp is reached.

Linda

I have a baby painted in a 20 gal. tank with a rock platform as a basking spot and as a refuge to get out of the water and my lamp in on the opposite side of the tank bent down towards the basking spot onthe rock. I do have a thermometer right next to the spot to and its only been around 78-81. But then again i am using a 40 watt. bulbbecause it's all that I could find around my house. I haven't had the time to go out and buy a new bulb, but i'm ging to a reptile show soon where i hope to get a good bulb for him. I also have my uv lighting directly over the basking spot to.

thanks,
-Paul

p.s. sorry about my writting my comp keeps eating the words whenever I try to fix something. I hope your able to understand what I wrote.

Also would you like to see a picture of the setup to make any suggestions?

n/p

Try to put the basking light right above the area. You can
control the temp easier. You should really get the temp
up to 85 degrees.

Don't worry about any special bulb for heating. I feel they
are a waste of money. The exception is the UVB tube. I
have used the Reptisun 5.0 for years. I use regular old
household lights for heating the basking area. I have
large ponds for my turtles (160 gallon) so I use higher wattage
like 100 watt above the basking area at the proper distance
to reach 85-90 degrees.

Good luck and gotta tell ya, Painteds turtles are in my
opinion the best of the water turtles. Mine are 9-10 years
old and very personable.