Does it matter how much UV a box turtle gets?

Question

I have an eastern box turtle, and it was in a basement for most of its life. I have since moved and it is now siuated near a window. Is it possible to get "too much uv light"? I do not wish my box turtle to hibernate, so I will leave the light on.

Answer 1

If your box turtle is supposed to hibernate you should probably let it do its natural cycles. Putting it near a window will not give it any UV lighting from what I've read. The glass of the window and the glass of the tank filter out the UV and just let in light. You would need a UV bulb and I would suggest leaving it on for 12 hours a day. I use a red night bulb for the evenings too, they don't alter the sleep cycle. If you don't want to buy the bulbs then you need to take your turtle outside in the natural sunlight as often as possible for as long as possible. Natural, direct sunlight is always best anyways. I doubt there is such thing as too much UV since most turtles that live in the wild live under the sunlight on a day to day basis. Good luck!

Answer 2

get one of those hallow logs they can hide under.    the turtle knows how much rays he wants, so he will just hide under the log thingy

Answer 3

Don't put the turtle's tank by a window! The sun can heat the tank and literally "cook" your turtle!! To provide UV light,buy a UV basking bulb and place it so it shines on one end of the tank/cage. Have a moist,cool hide box for the turtle to get away from the heat when it wants to,and a shallow water pan that is long and wide enough for the turtle to get it's entire body into so it can soak ( very important for box turtles.) And leave the light off at night.Turtles need some darkness,just like you do.

Answer 4

yes a turtle needs UVA and UVB light in order to properly grow and digest its food properly. If it hasn't had some light source, then I am sure he has some deformities by now whether they are noticeable or not. Keep him exposed as much as possible during the day as long as he has a "cool" side to get out of the sun if he were to get too hot.