The red eared slider is a medium sized to large sized freshwater turtle with origins in the southeastern united states.
Red eared slider heat lamp.
One of the first things that you have to know about a pet turtle is how to correctly light the tank and how to get a good temperature for the basking area.
They rely on the heat source of the sun.
An integral part of any red eared slider habitat is its source of temperature.
Yellow bellied slider turtles spend a good deal of time in basking spots which for captives must stay at the correct.
Sliders are diurnal meaning they are active during the day rather than at night.
The basking area should have a gradient of temperature such that the turtle can choose a suitable temperature.
Yes red eared sliders need a heat lamp.
Drying off also helps hardening of the shell scute shedding as well as minimizing algae growth and waterborne infections.
So let s take a closer look at what you actually need to look at when buying a heat lamp.
This warmth elevates their metabolism along with their digestive and immune systems.
That doesn t mean you should keep a light on for him all night but it should be on for part of that time.
If your slider wants to go to the other side of the tank and cool down he should be able to do so.
Heat is what keeps your turtle going.
So to help you with that i made this guide that will go over everything that you need to know and do to properly.
Red eared sliders also known as red eared terrapins are among the most popular pet turtles in the world.
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.
Without heat your slider s internal temperature falls because reptiles as ectotherms cannot self regulate their body temperature.
Proper lighting is crucial for a captive yellow bellied slider turtle s health.
Without one their health will be greatly affected.
Red eared sliders being ectothermic regulate their temperature by the ambient temperature.
The heat lamp should never be placed in such a way that your slider cannot get away from it if he wants to.
Moreover it can help at night especially if the temperature is too low.
Heat lamps are vital for all pet turtles.
You must provide your red eared slider with a night time.
An extra heat source can help get your basking temperature there.
So a heat lamp is required for a red eared slider but just getting any heat lamp won t do it.
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.
One mistake many first time red eared sliders.
They belong to the pond turtle family emydidae and species trachemys scripta elegans.
Do red eared sliders need a heat lamp.
As noted above you will only need a heat lamp if you can t get the basking temperature to at least 80 degrees fahrenheit.
