General Care Discussion :: Drastic Changes for Old Turtle

[twinkie]

I have had my turtle 18 years. I recently bought a new aquarium for her (I think) and am in the early stages of updating her tank. I was researching ATBA and found this site. I had no idea but I have been doing almost everything wrong. I have never had any lights for heat or sun. When I was in the pet store talking to the lady about the tank she said she wouldn't suggest adding lighting or basking lamps now because it might harm her since she's lived so long without it. I've also never had a water heater and she said she wouldn't add that unless the turtle seems to slow down. I am trying to upgrade everything to take care of her since I just found out I'm wrong in so many areas but I don't want to kill her by changing everything. Please help with suggestions and don't be hateful, I just found out.

[ElectricTurtle]

Welcome to the forums. <3 We're all here to help and learn so no hate here. I don't think turtles are as sensitive to "shock" as fish are, so maybe just making small adjustments at a time and she will settle? I would definitely get some bulbs and a dock. The resident turtle authorities can back me up.

[ElectricTurtle]

Also there are ways to make cheap ATBAs too. I made mine entirely out of egg crate and zip ties. Just try looking around the forums for advice and tips!

[twinkie]

Thank you for the welcome. I've always had a dock for her to get out on but now I'm going to do an ATBA so she has swimming room. I will get some lights if I can figure out what to buy. I hope the heat light and heater in the tank don't hurt her.

[ElectricTurtle]

You have a few options for bulbs: http://www.redearslider.com/light_sources.html

I buy mercury vapor bulbs, which provide UVB, UVA rays, and heat all together. They're a little pricey though and you have to replace them every six months. Zoo Med PowerSun is a good brand: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002A ... UTF8&psc=1

You can also buy the smaller bulbs, like a fluorescent bulb, but keep in mind that you will also need a regular lightbulb for heat.

[ljapa]

Besides the good advice that ElectricTurtle gave, when you build you ATBA, put the old dock up there for a bit, so your turtle realizes that's what it's for.

[twinkie]

I will hopefully have the ATBA finished in a couple weeks, my dad is making it. He has the structure made, I just have to paint it and get sand, etc. I am still nervous about the lights and heat since she's never had that before.

[steve]

What kind of lighting/basking heat are you thinking of?

[twinkie]

I'm not sure exactly. I haven't done any research on it. I would like for it to be as inexpensive as possible. I am hoping I can figure out a way to have the light further away and then gradually move it closer to help her adjust to the heat. Also, my husband isn't comfortable with leaving a heat lamp on while we aren't home and/or awake. So, she would only get about 6 hours of the light per day and that's on nights we are home. Do you have any suggestions?

[Kansasslider]

Lights should be on to mimic nature. On a timer mine turn on at 7:30am and off at 8:00 pm. This needs to be adjusted accordingly summer winter etc. At least that's what I do. For lights you can buy cheap clamp lights at hardware stores menards home depot etc. Cheap bulbs, you can use a regular or outdoor halogen bulbs for heat and exo Terra 13 watt Reptile UVB 100 for uvb.Clamp light x2 plus bulbs=roughly $38.00. You will also need to check the basking area temp keep it in the 90s.I use 75watt incandescent bulbs but I'm not sure you can still find them? Not sure what watt halogen you will need? 75 might be a good starting point.

[steve]

I'm actually using 50-watt halogens and they are bout 7-8 inches away. The ones I use are for outdoors and they have splash-proof ones as well.

[twinkie]

I will have the long light with the casing that came with the aquarium, will that work for just the lighting part and then I would need a UVB and a heat light? Do they make UBV lights to fit into the ones that come with the tank? They are long. The lady at the pet store said she wouldn't put any lighting or heat in there, do you guys disagree with that? She said only because it's an adult and has never had it. She said it may disrupt it too much. Also, my turtle has never laid eggs but I'm fairly certain it's a girl. Is that possible?

[steve]

They do have tube UVBs that you can use in hoods, but how you use it depends on how close they are to the basking area.

Yes it's normal for females to not lay eggs.

[Kansasslider]

The hood on your tank your talking about is how high from the basking area? The chick at pet dunb butt or pet slow don't have a clue. You can use tube UVB lights any is better than none. But if your going to leave the hood on the tank you really can't add a heat bulb. I'm going to find a picture of my first tank so you can see what we are talking about.

[Kansasslider]

Sorry my phone is acting up.