It has been more than 20 years and i still remember the moment when i got my first pet.
Red eared slider heat lamp at night.
But something like a t rex uvb heat lamp combo or reptisun 8 0 or 10 0 along with a heat lamp for basking.
You must provide your red eared slider with a night time.
Red eared sliders being ectothermic regulate their temperature by the ambient temperature.
But that s not the only reason they need.
Yellow bellied slider turtles spend a good deal of time in basking spots which for captives must stay at the correct.
However little did i know that a turtle will become my favorite animal.
The basking area should have a gradient of temperature such that the turtle can choose a suitable temperature.
Do turtles need a heat lamp at night.
Those lights also produce some heat so it s up to you to decide.
When setting up your new red eared slider turtle tank consider having 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle as a general rule of thumb but a 20 gallon tank is a minimum size for hatchling red eared sliders.
Keeping in mind that red eared sliders can read 10 12 inches as adults you can see that eventually you will need a very large tank.
Red eared sliders should have a temperature of 82 to 88 degrees fahrenheit on the basking area and the tank temperature should not drop below 75 degrees.
At night when sleeping extra heat and light are not necessary as long as the temperature remains around 65 o 70 o f 18 o 24 o c.
One mistake many first time red eared sliders.
Also a good basking area and a varied diet.
Staying in the water too long can also increase the chance of turtles contracting shell rot.
This is even more critical for semi aquatic species of turtles such as red eared sliders and painted turtles which live around 75 of their lives in the water.
The heat lamp should never be placed in such a way that your slider cannot get away from it if he wants to.
A red eared slider if i have to be precise.
In my experience many red eared sliders sleep in the water at night.
The usually come in red and blue.
Those night lamps will emit a very faint light that won t disturb the turtle but it will allow to see your turtle better during the night.
I wasn t that excited.
I had two red eared sliders one i had to give away and the other one i still have.
A ceramic heat emitter can do this to maintain some heat on the basking area and a water heater can keep the water temperature warm.
But some turtles seem to be disturbed by the red ones so for my night lamp i choose a blue lighted one.
Of the two the water heater is by far more important.
Do red eared sliders need a heat lamp.
Proper lighting is crucial for a captive yellow bellied slider turtle s health.
Basking is a way to dry out and combat this.
Do not make the water too warm.
It was a turtle.
If your slider wants to go to the other side of the tank and cool down he should be able to do so.
It should range from 76 to 84 degrees fahrenheit.
