Habitat - Indoor :: Sunlight and outdoors

[birdlady]

How much sunlight do they need? And what is the "coldest" temp you can take your turtle outside? It is nice in the 80s these days and I've been letting Sheldon outside to bask in the sun. Temps will only get into the 50-60s in the coming days so is that too cold to take them outside?
My son takes Sheldon outside every afternoon for exercise and sunshine. We have a 20 gallon bucket out on the back porch with a rock in it and Sheldon loves to sit in it and sun. He also gets free roam of the back yard (supervised of course). Yesterday he found my pond(either he smelled the water or the fish) cuz he beelined it straight for the pond and by the time my son got to him...SPLOOSH!! Sheldon dove right into the pond. After swimming a few laps and munching on some Water Hyacinths, he came right back out and went to my son (this turtle is better than the dog..lol). And no the dogs are not outside when Sheldon is walking about. I then placed Sheldon back into his tank indoors and gave him 2 baby Hyacinth plants which he immediately went to work eating..Good thing I have a large supply of Hyacinths.
Holly

[marisa]

Sunlight is much stronger than artifical UVB lights, and if your turtle could get direct sun for an hour or two several times a week, his UVB needs should be met (until it gets too cool to do this). How big is he? Personally, I don't take my turts outside for sun unless the temp is at least mid 70's.

It gets cold in Michigan in the winter, yes? Will you be trying to grow your hyacinths indoors over the winter?

[birdlady]

I bring my Hyacinths indoors every winter...I have some babies that have come from 3 yr old plants.
So about an hour a day is sufficient a few days a week then. Cool!!! He must have gotten about 2 hrs yesterday and he's been out with me all morning as I'm cleaning out the ponds...he was swimming till I drained the water out and then he decided to lay on the stones around the ponds..he's chillin'..lol
When i'm not down there watching him, I put him in a tote with a little water and a BIG rock and he seems to enjoy that as well. It gets part sun/part shade so he can sun or cool off if needed.
So once the temps dip below 70, then leave him inside..got it!
Thanks
Holly
ps..yes it gets extremely cold in the winter here...down to like 0's some days and that's without wind chill.

[marisa]

When you bring him in, don't forget a submersible water heater and a UVB light (in addition to a heat lamp) for the tank.

One more question (actually 3) about the water hyacinths--what are you keeping them in, what's the water temp and what kind of lighting are you using on them?