Red Eared Slider Heat Lamp

So a heat lamp is required for a red eared slider but just getting any heat lamp won t do it.

Red eared slider heat lamp.

In the beginning you can be overwhelmed by all the different types of bulbs available and all the different types of light. Heat entices your turtle to bask. One of the first things that you have to know about a pet turtle is how to correctly light the tank and how to get a good temperature for the basking area. Drying off also helps hardening of the shell scute shedding as well as minimizing algae growth and waterborne infections.

Red eared sliders also known as red eared terrapins are among the most popular pet turtles in the world. Moreover it can help at night especially if the temperature is too low. The basking area should have a gradient of temperature such that the turtle can choose a suitable temperature. Proper lighting is crucial for a captive yellow bellied slider turtle s health.

They belong to the pond turtle family emydidae and species trachemys scripta elegans. An extra heat source can help get your basking temperature there. Heat is what keeps your turtle going. Sliders are diurnal meaning they are active during the day rather than at night.

So to help you with that i made this guide that will go over everything that you need to know and do to properly. Red eared sliders being ectothermic regulate their temperature by the ambient temperature. Heat lamps are vital for all pet turtles. The heat lamp should never be placed in such a way that your slider cannot get away from it if he wants to.

You must provide your red eared slider with a night time. That doesn t mean you should keep a light on for him all night but it should be on for part of that time. An integral part of any red eared slider habitat is its source of temperature. When setting up your new red eared slider turtle tank consider having 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle as a general rule of thumb but a 20 gallon tank is a minimum size for hatchling red eared sliders.

Keeping in mind that red eared sliders can read 10 12 inches as adults you can see that eventually you will need a very large tank. So let s take a closer look at what you actually need to look at when buying a heat lamp. As noted above you will only need a heat lamp if you can t get the basking temperature to at least 80 degrees fahrenheit. Do red eared sliders need a heat lamp.

Yes red eared sliders need a heat lamp. Yellow bellied slider turtles spend a good deal of time in basking spots which for captives must stay at the correct. One mistake many first time red eared sliders. Without one their health will be greatly affected.

Without heat your slider s internal temperature falls because reptiles as ectotherms cannot self regulate their body temperature. They rely on the heat source of the sun. If your slider wants to go to the other side of the tank and cool down he should be able to do so.