I beleve sun is needed for vitamin D3 to be produced by the body. Vitamin D3 is found in most commercial foods. If your turtle is eating food fortified with vit D3 and calcium, you should have no problems theoretically. I don't recommend substitutes for the sun at all, I still think you should get the turtles out in the sun as much as possible, just don't worry about doing it daily or weekly...only monthly with commercial foods containing vit D3 and calcium. A friend of mine actually had 3 RES that he never put in the sun although he always planned on it. 4.5 years later they are still healthy and champ turtles.

Happy herping!
Jeff
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Jeff M.
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1.2 tri-colored hogs
2.4 w.hogs
1.2 albino RES
2.4 spotted turtles
0.1 puppy
--->2.7 albino mice feeder breeding colony

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