Feeding and Nutrition :: Calcium

[cam722]

It's not the amount of hours spent under the light, it's the fact that it's available and that you keep a normal day/night cycle as if they were outside. Water filters out most of the UVB rays, so it's important for a number of reasons that they get out of the water and dry off under the lights.

The sun is a lot stronger than a 10% UVB bulb and they bask for hours in that.. so yes, we're sure it's safe.. Btw, UVB bulbs do not emit heat so you need to make sure to have a heat source (can be a regular lightbulb) along with the UVB bulb.

[marisa]

I doubt he's going to be under the UVB light for the full 12 hours. And the further away from the light, strength of the rays he receives decreases.

What UVB light are you getting? With a 10.0, I'd position it about 8-10 inches from your turtle when he basks.

[Kayte257]

How do i know if my lights are UVB? Are most of them just standard UVB or was I supposed to get special lights?

[Kayte257]

is cuttlebone something that hatchlings will eat or just the bigger turtles?

[sonyj]

How do i know if my lights are UVB? Are most of them just standard UVB or was I supposed to get special lights?

You have to buy a UVB bulb from a pet store. It must say specifically the percentage of UVB on the package or you aren't assured that it is a UVB bulb. Get one that is 7-10%.

And as for cuttlebone, hatchlings should be able to eat cuttlebone if it is broken up for them.

[marisa]

The package the light comes in should say that the light emits UVB rays (and will often give a percentage, usually 5-10%). If you're using a tube, Reptisun and Repti-Glo are two brands to look for. If you're using a compact flourescent, Reptisun and ESU are two brands (the latter, if you get a regular spiral bulb, will emit only about 3%, the desert version gives off about 7%). UVB lights are not standard in the sense that any flourescent light will give off UVB rays (it won't)--it must say so. And a bulb that says it's full spectrum isn't enough--full spectrum bulbs do not necessarily give off UVB rays.

Hatchlings may take a while to take to cuttlebone. Some turtles are never crazy for the stuff--I have a yearling eastern painted that loves the stuff, 4 others that will eat it if there's nothing else around, and a 5-month old baby that just looks at it (but will take a stab at a piece if it's put in the same time the pellets are). My RES goes back and forth, sometimes crunching it right up, and other times letting it sink. I'd try keeping a few small pieces in the tank--make them smallish (head-size or a bit smaller) and thinnish so they can be broken up easily. Cuttlebone is a good secondary calcium supplement.