Habitat - Indoor :: Direct sunlight on balcony - water or no water?

[stormtrooper]

Hello everyone,

In addition to the UVB from an overhanging mercury vapor bulb, I regularly take my turtle Gamera out onto the balcony for direct sunlight. I put him in a plastic contained with chicken wire. I also put enough water to cover double the length of his shell. I just want to make sure that the UVB from sunlight still reaches him through the water. This is because I'm assuming the uvb bulb indoor is only absorbed when he is basking on the turtle dock, and not when he is underwater. Therefore, can someone tell me what they do when they take their turtle out for sun basking. Is water necessary in this case? I have seen another recent post by a member where he says he simply puts his turtle in a cardboard box.. which means with no water. Is this recommended? Thank you for your help.

[missibsu]

When I take mine out I am sure to provide water, simply because I don't want to dehydrate my turtle. I also have a large plant that provides shade across part of my outside enclosure. If you have a UVB light in your tank, going outside is not necessary, but many people do anyway...like me. What color is the plastic, and how big is the container...like gallons of water? My one concern would be the water temp getting too hot. I know this can happen in a glass container, but I'm not sure about the plastic.

[stormtrooper]

Thanks missibsu..
as Gamera is only 1.5inch, the container is a small, clear yellow container. I'm not too worried about the water overheating as it doesnt get that hot this time of the year in Australia. Yes, I take him out as many people say there is no substitute for real UVB from the sun. My main concern about not putting water is that he might overturn and not be able to get back on his feet. If I was to leave him out for an hour or so, would you say I should put water in the container? Thanks again.

[steve]

Water will filter out most of the UVB. If your turtle is outside in warm but not cold or hot weather and has shade and some supervision, then I think it's fine. I wouldn't keep them out too long though, 1-2 hours is fine.

I wouldn't just recommend a simple cardboard box though... I'm using an area that is approx 5' X 5'.

[marisa]

When I took my turtles out for basking when they were hatchlings, I did put them in containers of water with basking areas. I tried to make it as natural as possible for them, and since water is their element, that's what I put them in. If your little turtle floats/swims near the surface of the water in the sunlight, as my hatchlings often did, then he should still be getting a good amount of UVB rays. Give him a shaded area he can to to if it does get warm (but in Australia it's your winter now?) and monitoring the temp would still be good. Also, I wouldn't put him out on days where there were strong breezes if he would be exposed to them.