General Care Discussion :: Can natural sunlight be a substitute for a UVB lamp?

[Matryoshka]

So my parents refuse to buy a UVB lamp and say that I should save up for one instead of asking them for one.
In the saving process, can natural sunlight be a substitute? How long should they bask in natural sunlight a day and stuff?
I may be having their tank in my sister's room (it was a balcony, but we turned it into a room with windows.) and there is a lot of natural sunlight in there.
Yeah

[Kurtni]

Windows filter out UVB from sunlight, so any use of natural UVB would have to be outside.

[steve]

Depending on where you live, there are some real inexpensive compact florescent UVBs available.

[mikee]

If you do decide to put your turtle outside on the balcony be sure you watch the temp. Turtles have been around a lot longer than artificial lighting. When out in the sun they need to get their carapace dry to metabolize their food. Keep their temp constant as getting them hot then cold then hot then cold is not good for them.