I was just wondering...do the halogen bulbs you can get at Walmart give off UVB like the expensive UVB lights I get at the petstore?

I have turtles and was just wondering if I could save a little money on this.

7/12/2008 11:21:10 AM

Absolutely not. You need a bulb that gives off the proper UVB radiation, which is not found in your standard fluorescent bulb.

You have the other necessary items for turtle habitation? FIltration, heater, basking lamp, etc?

7/12/2008 12:21:15 PM

They're fine. I just hated buying such expensive bulbs if I can find a substitute that does the same thing.

They're newborns in a 29 gallon long tank with full water fall, undergravel filter, basking area, UVB light, heat light, water heater, 1/4 land area blah blah blah. In other words...they're the happiest f'in turtles I know.

7/12/2008 3:39:59 PM

undergravel filters?! they still sell those things? i dont know if that's the best for turtles, seeing as (at least the older ones) tend to draw shit down into the gravel where it just lodges...not that if you have a perched-on-the-edge filter you wont get the same problem.

i've had a turtle since i was 5, and that fucker is still kickin it. unfortunately, at my young age, i didnt realize that he needed UV lights (and i dont know if they even made reptile UV bulbs in 1987). on the other hand, i always did take him outside in the warm months, which i guess gave him the UV exposure he needed to survive.

but yea, theres nothing other than those expensive fuckin bulbs that sell for like no less than $20 each. you can get CFL's , strip fluorescents, but it's probably most worth it to get the incandescent UV lights, seeing as they actually dont go for $20 each and provide basking heat. fluorescent bulbs only carry stable UV levels for 6 months (or so they say), even though the overall light lasts a hell of a lot longer than incandescents.

so for now, best thing to do is probably buy multi-packs if you can.

good to at least hear someone who's not keeping them in a small plastic cage with a little gravel and an inch of water, the way they're usually sold.

but man, those things are gonna last forever.

7/13/2008 10:44:32 AM

I'm only keeping them until they get big enough that I'm not worried that racoons and shit won't eat them. Then they're being moved to my dad's man-made garden pond (We'll add longs and shit when the time comes years from now)

7/14/2008 6:08:28 AM

it is illegal to buy a pet turtle in NC.

7/14/2008 6:33:43 AM