General Care Discussion :: How much sun should a turtle receive?

[my_manuelita_turtle]

Ive been reading a lot about turtle care (I have a slider...) So I put her yersterday at the sun, for 30 minutes, because I havent been able to buy the UV lamp yet, I just had a incandescente lamp. So I left the turtle for 30 min there at 9:00 am, when I went to the patio to take the turtle back to my room, she was like dead, she didnt move at all, she was just like floating all over the "lagoon" I bought temporarily for her. In my room I took the turtle and put it in my hand, she was only moving her eyes and a little her front legs, but her back legs were not moving al all. So I stayed there for a while with her, until she started to move again. I put her in my bed, so she can walk for a while but she was kind of slow. I had to leave the house, but when I cam back, she was movving again like if nothing had happened. During the week I dnt have much time to take her out to the sun because I work in the mornings, so I dnt know, maybe she got exhausted or something, but I would really like to know what could have happened to her...

[my_manuelita_turtle]

I forgot to tell, I've only have this turtle for a week, I change the water everyday, sometimes twice. Shes like 1 1/2 inches, I feed her with baby reptomin, and I also put her a special wax for her shell and skin. I put 1 stick of reptomin per day, but she eats like avery 2 days (I guess she's still adjusting to a new environment). I have her in one of those "lagoons" you buy but im planning to buy all the equipment this month (larger place, filter, lamps...) The first day I had her, I had NO idea, about the water temperature or anything, but as soon as I read that I putted a lamp over la lagoon, and she got much more active than the first days, no she swims, and walks around a lot.

[SpotsMama]

What was the temperature outside?

She needs a regular aquarium or a big tub to live in when she's inside as soon as you can get it together.

The problem wasn't too much sun - wild turtles live outside in the sun every day their whole lives. The problem was temperature - either too hot or too cold. If you're in a warm climate, know that water in the sun can heat up to a dangerous level in a very short time. On the other hand, cold temps make a turtle lethargic.

Maintaining the right temperatures for a turtle is absolutely critical. Either to hot or too cold and, especially when they are little, they will get sick and die. Water temps should be a steady 78 to 80 degrees for a little one and 88 to 90 degrees on the basking platform. You have to measure the temps with a thermometer - it's impossible to tell just by how it feels.

On the shell wax, you can skip that. It will damage the shell over the long term. Shells need to breath just like skin, and the wax simply clogs up the pores.

On the feeding, have you read up on turtle nuitrition on here? There's lots of good info on the amount to feed and what to feed. Reptomin baby is a very good quality pellet, by the way. Just be sure you're offering the right quantity.

[my_manuelita_turtle]

I live in Costa Rica, so right now the summer is starting, yesterday I think the temperatura outside was like 82 or 83°F and the water, before I put it there I warm it up just a little, so it wont be cold, but I definitely need a water heater, so the temperatura can stay the same the whole day.

[Bascomb]

In regards to sunning, I have put my turtles out for two or three hours at a time when living in Louisiana and South Carolina. I made sure that the outside temp. was over 75 degrees and put them out dry. If you put them out wet the evaporating water cools them off too quickly. When I returned them to the tank they were just fine.