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After much reading I've heard several differing comments. Are "self ballasted lamps" the same as UVB bulbs? Will they keep Yertle healthy?

And then on to a different subject. My son and I are about to move cross country. We will be taking our motor home from Oklahoma to Utah(?) and staying in it long enough to choose a location and house hunt-could be as long as a year. Is it safe to have the turtle? Would the moving around be dangerous? Changing water? Temperature changes? We've devised several plans to try to keep him safe, but I'm worried. We don't know anybody that would "turtle-sit"--they all tell us to throw him out into a pond and get another later. (NOT an option!)

Comments, anybody? Thanks as always...

While actually moving, you can safely transport the turtle following these tips:
http://www.redearslider.com/transportation.html

Once you get settled in the motor home, you can set up the tank like you normally would with the proper lights, filter, heater etc.

I drove my turtle cross country 2x from NY to colorado and then back to NY and she was fine during the ride.

I'm not sure about the lighting question, you'll have to wait for someone else to answer that, but I hope the link helps you with the travel aspect.

Thanks! The information will help, and the knowledge that someone else has done it helps morale! Do they deal well with changing water, or do I need to go to bottled water?

So long as you have water conditioner to take out the chlorine it should be fine, that's what I did.
If you notice your turtle's eyes are getting irritated you may need to use some bottled water, but it shouldn't be an issue.

A ballast is a device that's used to keep the current steady, and a number of kinds of lights, operate with them. I think the tube flourescent UVB lights have the ballast on the fixture (that little bulb that kind of kick-starts the light). I've seen the term "self-ballasted" pretty much refer to the mercury vapor lights, though. Some are sold as either self-ballasted or externally-ballasted. The self-ballasted mercury vapor lights provide UVB, UVA and heat---you just screw them into a ceramic socket. The externally-ballasted ones don't provide heat and need that ballast (I believe it comes as some kind of kit) to work. The bulbs are cheaper and will last longer, but you need that kit, which is an additional expense, and you will need a heat source as well.

If you're getting a mercury vapor bulb (for tanks around 50 gallons and bigger), I'd get a self-ballasted one.

It would seem then that I have UVB light covered. (No pun intended...) It doesn't put out a lot of heat, but if he's getting enough UVB, that's my biggest worry for now.

You guys suggested that I turn his water temp down, and I did. He really seemed to hate it. He got very lethargic and wouldn't eat. I got worried and turned the temp back up for a day to see what happened and he perked right back up. He likes 78-80. So, am I creating a problem unknowingly or do I leave it?

Thanks as always. We have such limited resources here, and (temporarily) no public library to find books. You guys are life-savers!

your moving from oklahoma? what part?

Garfield County--where are you? Not completely sure about the move yet, but there's definately going to be some traveling coming up for us, hence the request for information. 3 dogs and an RES in a motor home. ARGH!

im going to school at OSU. when im not there im in tulsa. haha. i can imagine the chaos.

On the water temp, if your turtle is small (less than 4"), 78 degrees is fine. When he gets older you can try lower the temp to around 75 and see if he adapts. The higher temperature will cause a turtle to shed skin more heavily and will speed up his metabolism. It's recommended that the temperature be increased for a sick turtle because it speeds up the immune system too.

Different turtles seem to have different temperature preferences. It's most noticable when they are basking. Some will bask at 88 degrees and some need it as high as the mid 90's. If your turtle seems normally active when the water temperature is 78 but lethargic at 75 I'd say leave it a little on the warm side.

taanddean -- In your travels make sure that you put your turtle in the same water temp. Putting them in cooler water then back in warm water may cause them the get RI. If you have them in 78 degree water, put them back in 78 degree water. Hot, cold, hot, cold is not good for your critters. Mine have been cross country several times and do ok. Good Luck!

i have a question 2, so if u have the uva/uvb bulb or w.e, r u supposed to have the light on 24/7 or not, im pretty sure u turn it on like im the morning at off at night? or like when the suns comes up it turs on, and when its night time we turn it off?

taanddean, from what you wrote your turtle only has a UVB light? (If it's not putting out a liot of heat, it's not a MVB.) You're right, UVB lights doesn't put out much heat, and if your turtle has just the UVB light, he needs a heat source as well (like an incandescent lightbulb).

TurtleObsession 28, you keep the UVB/UVA and heat light on an average of 12 hours. If you can, try to mimic the daylight hours. I don't know where you are, but where I am, it's winter and the days are shorter, so the lights are on a bit less. As it turns to spring and summer, I gradually lengthen the amount of time they're on. Turning them on in the morning and off when it gets dark is fine. Putting them on timers would make their day cycle consistent and life easier for you.

wait is uva and uvb seperate lights? and we need that light AND a heater? bc i only have 1

Yes, you need two light bulbs. Sometimes people are fooled when the packaging for a light bulb says it is "full spectrum" or something similar. Those bulbs really are not full spectrum and don't mimic natural sunlight. Here's what a turtle must have to stay healthy:

Both bulbs should be positioned over the basking platform.

1. Heat bulb. The purpose of this bulb is to provide the heat over the basking area that will motivate your turtle to get up there and bask. It also aids in digestion. A regular household incandescent bulb is fine as long as it heats the basking platform to around 88 to 90 degrees. I think people often use a 75 watt bulb for this purpose.

2. UVB bulb. A turtle needs to be exposed to UVB light so his body can absorb the calcium he eats. Otherwise the calcium goes to waste. He has to have good amounts of calcium of course for his shell and bones. The UVB bulb will be a specialized fluorescent bulb that you get at a pet store or on-line pet supply place. Most people use compact fluorescents although if you have a fixture for it a tube fluorescent is also a good choice. Whatever bulb you get must say on the packaging that it provides at least 5% (or 5.0) UVB. The bulbs that say "full spectrum" or "basking bulb" are not the right type. Any bulb that provides UVB also provides UVA, so you'll have both covered. A good bulb is the Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 26 watt compact fluorescent.