General Care Discussion :: Is it okay if I use tap water temporarily??

[Zova Dot]

I'm starting to bring my turtles outside in my backyard for about an hour or two for them to get some natural sun. I always give them some water and a couple rocks for them to bask in. But if I do this, is it okay to use tap water? My tap water is actually "drinkable" but just in case, we actually usually use the drinking water faucet instead. It's softened, too, so I'm sure it's mostly safe. And I wanted to use tap water because it's more convenient since it's only temporary and also, I can actually use water that's a little on the warmer side, instead of the cold drinking water.

I live in Arizona so right now, the weather's okay, not too hot, not cold. So should I give them room temp. water or colder or hotter? I've got lots of questions, I know. lol ;3 Thanks!

[steve]

If the tap water is potable (drinkable), then it's usually fine.

[Zova Dot]

Thanks!

[x1243]

what if the tap water is chlorinated?

[Linus]

You don't want to take warm water out of a faucet because then it has to go through the water heater and other pipes as well.

As far as tap water, it should be fine, remember these guys survive in incredibly polluted rivers

[Zova Dot]

What's wrong with taking warm water from a, suppose, a water heater (like you had said)?? What if it was drinking water that I heated up my self??

[Linus]

It just means that when you heat the water, it must go through more pipes. The more pipes, the higher the chance that there's something icky in there.

[Zova Dot]

Sooo like I said, is it more safer if I use a mix of regular drinking water and the same drinking water that I heated myself?? (as in boiling it on the stove, and NO i dont actually boil it, just heat it up by a few little degrees) ???

[steve]

Yes, that drinking water is fine. Water that goes through a hot water boiler is not recommended for drinking/cooking. In older homes, hot water releases lead in the soldering of pipes. The boiler could also contain some nasty elements that have built up over the years.

[mikee]

Most any potable water is ok for sliders, however, watch any extreme water temp changes. Putting turtles in hot, cold, hot cold is not good for them. When they are small owners have a habit ot taking out multiple times and that is a temp. problem for them and can cause an RI issue.