General Care Discussion :: Do turtles seriously need UVB to stay healthy?

[SneakySushie]

Can turtles live without UVB and still be healthy? What does the UVB actually do? I know it helps absorption of D3 but can't you just give them D3 in their diets?

Also-- I know austin's tp says to keep it on for 12 hours a day. But to economize light. Can you put the turtle in a 5 gallon bucket with the light above them for a couple of hours (3-4) to make sure they each get their full exposure to UVB a day? Or would this cause a lot of stress? It's what I am currently doing on rainy days because I still haven't built an Above Tank Basking Area... As I am waiting a couple of weeks until I can afford a 125 gallon aquarium and a fluval fx 6 with a hydor external heater.

[steve]

If they can't get any UVB then they will need some sort of vitamin d3 supplementation. Not an ideal situation. Can some survive? Yes and some do but those are hardly healthy turtles.

A 5 gallon bucket will be extremely stressful and can dangerously heat up. One hour under the sun is probably better than all the UVB bulb a can produce in 12 hours. They turtle should still bask a few hours a day regardless of the UVB situation.

[SneakySushie]

If they can't get any UVB then they will need some sort of vitamin d3 supplementation. Not an ideal situation. Can some survive? Yes and some do but those are hardly healthy turtles.

A 5 gallon bucket will be extremely stressful and can dangerously heat up. One hour under the sun is probably better than all the UVB bulb a can produce in 12 hours. They turtle should still bask a few hours a day regardless of the UVB situation.

mk

[ljapa]

Vitamin D3 is essential for our turtles to convert calcium to bone and shell. No D3 and you are looking at metabolic bone disease, pyramiding of the shell and a wealth of health issues.

In the wild uvb and heat is necessary to convert vitamin D3 precursors into D3. You need both heat and uvb. There's some evidence in the research of a metabolic feedback loop that prevents the over synthesis of D3.

It is possible to supply D3 as a dietary supplement, but there is evidence that it can be overdone and cause issues. That natural feedback loop isn't there to deal with an over supply of D3.

So, as far as D3 and calcium processing is concerned, no, uvb is not essential. And that's really all the research on uvb tends to support; uvb is needed for D3 production.

My totally unscientific opinion is that it's likely uvb does more. There's just not much grant money out there to support reptile research. So, my unsupported opinion combined with the possibility of D3 overdose via supplementation but not uvb makes me lean towards uvb may not be necessary but should be provide.

[SneakySushie]

Vitamin D3 is essential for our turtles to convert calcium to bone and shell. No D3 and you are looking at metabolic bone disease, pyramiding of the shell and a wealth of health issues.

In the wild uvb and heat is necessary to convert vitamin D3 precursors into D3. You need both heat and uvb. There's some evidence in the research of a metabolic feedback loop that prevents the over synthesis of D3.

It is possible to supply D3 as a dietary supplement, but there is evidence that it can be overdone and cause issues. That natural feedback loop isn't there to deal with an over supply of D3.

So, as far as D3 and calcium processing is concerned, no, uvb is not essential. And that's really all the research on uvb tends to support; uvb is needed for D3 production.

My totally unscientific opinion is that it's likely uvb does more. There's just not much grant money out there to support reptile research. So, my unsupported opinion combined with the possibility of D3 overdose via supplementation but not uvb makes me lean towards uvb may not be necessary but should be provide.

I am trying to give them as much sunlight as possible.

[ljapa]

I am trying to give them as much sunlight as possible.

If they're getting direct sunlight, you're doing better than many here, including me.

And I wouldn't worry about the occasional rainy day. What do you think happens to a turtle in a pond on a rainy day?

With uvb in the next month or so as high as it gets in the northern hemisphere, you're fine with natural sunlight. You just want to make sure you have a uvb light as the sun's uv been begins to wane. In the wild a turtle's metabolism slows and it brumates. That means a lack of uvb isn't an issue. Our turtles stay active, so we need to supply uvb, or at least D3.

[SneakySushie]

I am trying to give them as much sunlight as possible.

If they're getting direct sunlight, you're doing better than many here, including me.

And I wouldn't worry about the occasional rainy day. What do you think happens to a turtle in a pond on a rainy day?

With uvb in the next month or so as high as it gets in the northern hemisphere, you're fine with natural sunlight. You just want to make sure you have a uvb light as the sun's uv been begins to wane. In the wild a turtle's metabolism slows and it brumates. That means a lack of uvb isn't an issue. Our turtles stay active, so we need to supply uvb, or at least D3.

I put them in a 5 gallon bucket and let the sun do the rest. I do this when the sun is int he middle of the sky(aka noon)... and they get their sun's fill then... then after that I bring them indoors and put them for another couple of hours with the light on.

[steve]

Don't use a 5 gallon bucket and especially at noon. You're going to stress them out or cook 'em...

[SneakySushie]

Don't use a 5 gallon bucket and especially at noon. You're going to stress them out or cook 'em...

So what do i do then? I've been doing that for an hour or two a day and they seemed fine...

[Jeremiah]

You can try a kiddie pool in half sun, half shade. You will want to cover the bottom with towels or something that won't overheat like plastic will.

[SneakySushie]

You can try a kiddie pool in half sun, half shade. You will want to cover the bottom with towels or something that won't overheat like plastic will.

I was thinking of that but wasnt sure if they'd find a way to get out...