General Care Discussion :: changing Mikey's habits/basking

[daredevilgirl013]

I need to change Michelangelo's basking lights and time when they are on as the rule of the household is no heat lamps on when no one is in the house for fear of a fire. Well with school now on Mondays and Wednesdays I won't be home at all from noon until nine at night, so that just about kills his basking time. I was wondering how badly it would affect him if I changed his basking time to at night when I'm asleep. Would it really throw him out of wack? Also for his sleep pattern, would that harm it? I have an idea for that though, I can just close the curtains and put blankets over the windows if I have to in order to turn the room dark. I would like to start this as soon as possible if I can, and this will be the new way from now on as I figure once I get a job too, he'll not be allowed the lights when I'm away. So the night time option is the best, I just need ideas on how to go about this.

[ellman605]

heat lamps wouldnt start a fire if your using them properly i would think.

[cam722]

Well if that's your parents rules, guess you have to follow them. I'd assume that a turtle doesn't really know if it's day or night except for the fact that the lights are on or off. So I'd think that if you kept it dark in your room for the times that you wish to simulate night time it would work just the same as it would any other time. The only problem I'd see is that if you don't do it everyday of the week, it's going to get rather confusing. Know what I mean?

[steve]

I'm not sure if this will help, but are you allowed to have a ceramic heat lamp? They won't shatter like glass can. And, if you have it plugged into a GFCI outlet, it will be safer to use...

http://doityourself.com/electric/gfci.htm

Just make sure the clamp lamps are very secure.

[daredevilgirl013]

Well see they are worried because a fire started next door when another person was using heat lamps, so they are worried the same will happen here and I don't blame them. And I think any heat lamp is not going to be allowed to be left on with no one home.

And this will happen everyday, it'll be easiest for all of us I believe especially if I do leave on vacation cause if someone is home at night they can just turn on his light at night. So this will be his new everyday thing. I think today I'll start him out with just the few hours I can of daylight in the day to slowly adjust him since I'll only be home till 11. And then start him tonight.

[ellman605]

well, that also means feeding him late at night, and everything else, it will affect you too!

[daredevilgirl013]

Actually his feeding times won't chage. He gets fed in the morning when I wake up, and then right before I go to bed. So that won't change at all. So feeding him is no biggie. Nothing will change just that his light will be on at night instead of the day (and I'll have to learn to sleep with his lights on too)

[cam722]

Well personally... if my house were going to catch on fire because of a heat lamp I'd rather not be home If you are trying to simulate night during the day, you will have to feed him during your night and his day. You'd not be feeding him at night if you didn't have this situation with the lights would you? Also, why are you feeding him two times a day? They really only should be fed once, unless you're splitting up the daily food into 2 portions. What size is he again?

[daredevilgirl013]

He is 1.25 inches long and he gets 8 pellets a day, four in the morning, four at night. So it is being split up, and I would still be feeding him at night because I feed him in the morning and at night, it's been like that since day one with him.

And so far for today I had the light on for just three hours before I left and then turned it off and closed the curtains. When I got home he was asleep on the plants and when I turned the lights back on he woke right up so I think he knows what I'm up to.

[reptilegrrl]

I need to change Michelangelo's basking lights and time when they are on as the rule of the household is no heat lamps on when no one is in the house for fear of a fire. Well with school now on Mondays and Wednesdays I won't be home at all from noon until nine at night, so that just about kills his basking time. I was wondering how badly it would affect him if I changed his basking time to at night when I'm asleep. Would it really throw him out of wack? Also for his sleep pattern, would that harm it? I have an idea for that though, I can just close the curtains and put blankets over the windows if I have to in order to turn the room dark. I would like to start this as soon as possible if I can, and this will be the new way from now on as I figure once I get a job too, he'll not be allowed the lights when I'm away. So the night time option is the best, I just need ideas on how to go about this.

Why don't you just get a timer? A timer will control when his lights come on and off. This will give him a consistent day and night time.

A heat lamp will not cause a fire if it is being used properly, any more than any other light fixture would. And he really needs his basking time to coincide with his "day" time.

[daredevilgirl013]

The rule is simple, no lights on when no one is home. Even if I get a timer that won't work, because lights will be on when no one is home. And like I said, a heat lamp fire happened next door a while ago and so my parents are afraid one will start here too and I don't blame them.

And so far this morning I woke up and he was active so hopefully this worked out well for the first day. I know I have still have to adjust to all the light in my room (it was like daylight in here)

[reptilegrrl]

I think this is s sad way to keep a RES. It's not a good life for him.

[daredevilgirl013]

I don't mean to be offensive but why did you have to say that I'm not giving my turtle a good life (I really found that to be offensive to me)? All that is changing is just when the lights are on, he's still getting at the very least 12 hours of his basking lights, he's getting fed his food at the normal times that he is still used to, and he's still staying in his habitat. I have done nothing different except for the lights. Which as I talked about with my family this morning, it's actually brighter in this room at night with the lights on compared to in the daylight with the lights on, so therefore he's actually got more light at night as my room doesn't get much sunlight to begin with.

And actually this is better for everyone, because Michelangelo refuses to bask if he can see people walking around. Well everyone is asleep at night and no one is moving, therefore he'll bask more. The one who is really suffering here is me because I got no sleep last night due to the lights being on and so therefore I'm the one who has to really adjust. Michelangelo has adjusted just fine, in fact he's asleep right now and this morning he was as active as could be.

So don't tell me I've given my turtle a sad life, because if anything I've improved it.

[cam722]

I can't see how making a difference as to when the lights come on means he's not having a good life. Not all turtles go outside anyway, Mine haven't been out for months does that mean mine aren't having a good life either?

As for the sleeping with the lights on, maybe you can get one of those sleep masks that will block out the lights? I can't sleep with lights on or without "white" noise. I'm a VERY light sleeper.

[daredevilgirl013]

Yeah I plan on getting a mask as soon as I can, until then I'll be sleeping on the couch, cause my room is literally lit up as if a spot light was put right on my room and I constantly keep waking up thinking it's seven a.m.