General Care Discussion :: What should the water temperature be?

[GeorgeLee]

Hey I have a underwater heater, I'm wondering what the temperature of the water should be?
I keep it at like 28-30 C, and he shedds a lot
the site says 25-27 C, but i think its a little too cold for the turtles
What do you guys think?

[mike hill]

G - Lee The water temp should be around 74 to 78 F. The smaller they are the warmer they should be. My smaller turtles are between 76 and 78 and the larger ones are between 74 and 76F. The basking area should be around 90 to 91 degrees.

[wbedoya]

is it ok if the basking area is like 2 or 3 degress plus or minus 91? Right now as we speak the temp is 88 F and the water temp is 77 for a baby res

[BullDog]

28-30 is quite warm, even for a hatchling.

For turtles under 1 year old, you want to aim for 25-26, For turtles older than that go for 23-24.

Remember, just because the water feels cool to your hand doesn't mean it's cool for your turtles. Average body temp is about 37, so anything lower than that will feel cool to you.

[mikee]

Hatchling do better at acout 79 to 80 degrees. You can reduce that temp for a small adult to about 76 to 77 degrees . Adults do well from 74 to 76 degrees . The basking should be about 90 to 91degrees with uvb lighting.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Basking area temps are an estimate, so you want to start out at around 90-91 degrees F and raise it up or down as your turtle wants it. I've found that if they don't bask for several days, it may be too warm or too cold. Keep an eye on them to find this out. You can change the wattage of the bulb to raise or lower the temps as well.