Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, Im new here but i have a question that maybe you folks can answer for me. I have had my Box turtle for 12+ years with no health issues EVER, and this year i decided to pick up a UVB bulb for my lamp (it is a zoo med dome clamp lamp) because we have been having longer winters (Im from Texas) the past couple years. I couldn't remember what bulb i got 2 years ago when i took my turtle in for his/her first beak trim (by a doctor) i call him a doctor because he was a crock, he claimed he was a herp but he had to pull out a book to ask questions about my turtle. i knew more about my turtle then he did. haha.

I bought a:
Exo Terra - Repti Glo 10.0 (23 Watt) Compact Desert Terrarium Lamp

I keep my turtle in a big "dog pool"(36 inches in diameter) inside my house. I put 2 layers of substrate (1 being sand for the bottom, and on top of that i put reptile bark) I clamped the lamp to a desk next to my turtles enclosure and the distance between my bulb and his substrate is 20" inches. I plan on only keeping it on a few hours a day. Here's my question, Ive heard good and bad about this particular bulb and im wondering what yall's thoughts are? Also, with such a powerful bulb, is it necessary to have a UVA bulb aswell? I have heard uvb bulbs put out just enough uva to not need a separate bulb.

Question #2:
I feed him/her every week 2 or three grub worms that have been rolled in "T-Rex's 2:1 Calcium & Phosphorus with d3 powder", is this a ok choice for calcium supplements?

Any Help and knowledge is appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

correction : I bought a:
Exo Terra - Repti Glo 10.0 (26 Watt) Compact Desert Terrarium Lamp

>>correction : I bought a:
>>Exo Terra - Repti Glo 10.0 (26 Watt) Compact Desert Terrarium Lamp

The name of the bulb should give you the idea of whether this bulb is right for your turtle or not-DESERT. North AMerican box turtles are temperate turtles. This bulb's UVB output could be too harsh for a box turtle in a small enclosure, but since the enclosure is of moderate size and the light only shines in at one end, plus it is 20 inches above the turtle- maybe it is OK.

But be careful for any signs of abnormal hiding from the light source. If you notice such behavior, you may want to raise the light bulb to be 25, even 30 inches above the turtle.

I looked at a graph on this bulb's UVB abd UVA output and it seems to be OK, but it does not put out much heat-what do you use for warmth? It will likely not last very long, so replace it every year or give the turtle time outdoors when the weather is nice.

Why not post a picture so we can help you sex ID the turtle?
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Tess Cook
www.boxturtlesite.info

First, Thank you for responding and taking the time to answer my question! and the reason i chose that bulb is the store recommended it because it supposedly gave out a little bit of both as far as heat and uva/uvb went. I do notice that he goes to shade from the light when i turn it on but i generally turn it on in the mornings ( i would be cranky too if i had a light shined on me that early!). I provide plenty of cover by covering half of the enclosure with a board. For warmth- I actually have a heating(pad) spot on one side of the enclosure, im aware that they can get burned that way but the pad i use isn't hot enough to get any burns (Ive tested it extensively). It isnt even totally touching the enclosure all the way, over half is off to the side. It keeps my turtle perfectly warm and since it is inside my house its generally warmer than it gets outside.

id like to ask is there any bulb that you do recommend that works and has been tested? Should i switch to a 5.0 or 10.0 bulb? I cant seem to find any that has a clean bill of health that you screw in a dome like mine does, everything is in "tubes". Any recommendations would help, if at all possible!

Well i said he/she because it is both, I have a hermaphrodite box turtle. I let my little guy walk when weather permits.

Very interesting to have a box turtle that is both male and female. Why do you say that? Have you seen its penis and it laying eggs?

There are light bulbs that are made for temperate zone reptiles and I would suggest you buy them the next time you need to buy bulbs. You should replace light bulbs every year because the bulb's UVB output goes down pretty quickly. Check out Bob MacCargar's website for information about the UVB needs of herps.

no, i just went by the color variations and shell and the vets/herps i went to. I dont plan on having any mating or breeding with my turtle so that is out of the question. my turtle has the eyes of a male, the colors and head of a male, tail of a female (sorta) its really shorter than any turtle i have ever seen, the bottom(plastron) of the shell is more female than anything. The first turtle specialist i took him to said hermaphrodite, the second (recommended) herp i took him too confirmed aswell it was a mixed. He found it very interesting and said that it was uncommon to see such things but he has seen it happen before. He told me that he had a box turtle for over 12 years and said it was a male until one day it layed eggs. He said that some species of box turtles can change sexes over years, even months kinda like frogs. I dunno, i named him a male name so ive just stuck with that name. I bought my turtle from a place near here that is no longer around anymore. It was the last turtle left aswell. Im guessing the other turtles were much more colorful and thats why nobody picked him. Oh well. Im glad with my choice!!

I hate to be the one that sounds like an idiot, but I've never heard of such a thing. These experts do know that it can be hard to sex a box turtle sometimes if it hasn't reached sexual maturity, right? I mean, a turtle can be several years old and its eyes not turn color or its plastron not get concaved. Again, I hate to say I've never heard of this and everyone on here refute me, but it sounds more like a case of not being able to tell the sex yet because of age or other circumstances.

I also saw you asked about calcium sources. I don't use that powder stuff. I recommend providing calcium through natural sources like collard, turnip and mustard greens, snails, dandelions.

Tess' website has a good page on Calcium sources. http://www.boxturtlesite.info/min.html

hi, sorry for the late response.

Here is a photo: