Reddit reviews Zoo Med DLX Porcelain Clamp Lamp (Blk UL Listed) 5.5"
We found 5 Reddit comments about Zoo Med DLX Porcelain Clamp Lamp (Blk UL Listed) 5.5". Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
5.5 inch ceramic reptile lampThe ceramic socket is rated up to 100 wattsIncludes on/off switch on the cord for greater conveniencePolished aluminum dome increases light and UV output up to 30 percentFor use with incandescent reptile heat lamps, ceramic heat emitters, and compact fluorescent UVB lamps
That is a red eared slider. It is quite possibly the most popular pet turtle species. These turtles are popular because they're prolific and they look like little turtles, unfortunately in a few years that little turtle will have grown exponentially. Most of the time it's a parent who bought the turtle for a kid, kid loses interest, parent doesn't know what to do...
Do not release the turt. It would die in Toronto and even if it did not, environmentally if anyone releases a non indigenous species into the wild, although it sounds harmless enough there are large implications when it comes to OTHER reptile populations. This little turt could mate and create a bunch of other turts that eat up food sources etc...
1A.
A 10 gallon tank would be a great starter tank for a RES this size. 10 gallon tanks usually run about $10 at petsmart or petco so there is probably a similar cost up there
1.B
You will need two lights to run during the day:
1 UVB fixture with a bulb
and 1 heat lamp. Some people splurge and purchase heat lamp bulbs specifically made for reptiles, however I have found that using a household bulb provides the same amount of heat. User a bulb that the fixture can handle.
1C.
The turt will need a basking platform. There are super cool options but simple and efficient is the way to go if you're starting.
1D.
You will need a filter. Turtles poop a lot more than fish do so when you're shopping for filters always double the GPH needed to account for the extra nitrates.
1E.
You will need food. Every food is different and let me tell you from experience that you can spend hours researching what is best to feed your turtle...
Protein:
I have learned that omnivorious turtles such as a red eared slider do well if they are started with a protein rich diet and then transition into adulthood with an omnivorous diet.
I would suggest doing the following: go to the grocery store and buy a small Salmon fillet. It may seem silly, but it will last you a very long time. Keep the Salmon in the freezer and feed the turt a few small strips (a serving size should be thought of as, if the turts head were empty, how much food could you fit in it). Make the strips small enough so that the turtle can swallow it.
Feeding tip: Salmon or any other form of protein such as bloodworms, krill etc... can be quite messy because of the amount of oil in the meat. Many turtle keepers (me included) prefer to feed turtles outside of the tank in order to keep the living tank clean. get a small rubbermaid tub or something, make sure it's clean of course and fill it up with enough water for the turt to float around. feed the turt in that water, when you're done, discard the water and put the fat n happy turt back in the living tank. This method lowers the frequency of water changes and keeps the tank cleaner. Handling the turtle like this to feed is also helpful to make the turtle okay with being handled.
Calcium:
As you will read, reptiles need calcium in order to stay healthy. Snakes need calcium in the form of rat bones, bearded dragons eat crickets but turtles do best when supplemented with a cuttlebone. There are turtle specific cuttlebones but they're more expensive and the only real different is that they do not have the hard backing that the cuttlebones for birds have. All you have to do to remove the backing is toss it in a saucepan, boil it for a minute or so, let it cool and then that backing can peel off. This also softens up the cuttlebone some. It's not easy to get the backing off in one fell swoop, but turtles don't care if the cuttlebone is in one big piece or if it's in little white chunks. Calcium supplementation is vital for young turts just as the protein is. Once a week or so is good for calcium.
I have rambled. I am passionate about reptiles so I tend to nerd out. Anyway. Please feel free to PM me with questions, I would really love to help in any way.
Chad
Total Startup: ~$500
Also to note most of the "hedgehog foods" you'll find are not good. Your hedgehog will do a lot better on a high end cat food. Kitten formula dry food is best for the first 4-6 months of its life then switch to adult. You can also try to incorporate high end wet chicken and turkey cat foods.
I bought a 8 gal long from a local store last week, it cost me 30 bucks, 5 gal long was 25. I'm (Canadian) in Korea atm. That being said, you can get a 5 gal for 20~30 bucks shipped to you. Petsmart has a 10gal for 15 bucks That being said, mine came with a lid, I don't know if yours will, but you can make a cheap wire mesh/plexi lid for ~5 bucks at home depot, I'm not a fan of glass lids since I'm a clutz.
Heaters will also run you about 20~30 dollars for a good one, but you can get them cheap for about 10 bucks or so. Adjustable ones are great because they shut off if it gets too hot in the summer.
Lights: don't think too much on it. You don't have to get one that fits perfectly, and you don't need a professional aquarium lamp from the get go. You can pick a reptile lamp for under 10 bucks if you get them on sale. Unless you're going for a planted tank you don't need to spend 60+ bucks on lights and you don't need Co2. Hell, a desk lamp suffices.
Filter: bettas love slow water, I'd get a sponge filter like drysider said. pump is about 10 bucks, filter is 10~30 bucks depending on brand. air pump example Sponge filter example
If you have a screen top tank your best bet for warming ambient temps will be a Lamp dome and a ceramic heat lamp. Make sure you buy a Thermostat!!!.
A standard heat bulb can work but you will have to buy a standard for the day and a blue light heat lamp for night. another issue with that will you will need to buy 2 thermostats and 2 timers one for each bulb and turn them off at a set time. The Ceramic you will only need one with a thermostat and leave it on all the time(during the winter).
You can also just buy a nice space heater and heat the whole room. But you will prob notice the cost in your elec. bill depending on the size of the room. with just the ceramic heater you are only heating the tank.
Under tank heaters will only heat the soil and radiant heat panels are way to large for a crestie cage/tank.
some Ref. material (its for snakes but same goes for any reptile cage)
http://pet-snakes.com/5-ways-heat-snakes-cage
Edit: Forgot to add the CHL will dry out the air in the tank but if you mist often or monitor the humidity another way you should be fine.
Youtube vid: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWSLuq1rHDQ
Hey, great choice on turtle, I have a central american/ornate wood turtle too :) I'm a little concerned about your light though- turtles need UVB and heat lights. UVB lights need to be replaced about once a year, they are either mercury vapor bulb (which produces UVB+heat) and require a ceramic fixture, or they are flourescent (compact or straight and long, don't produce heat). If you use a flourescent UVB bulb you need a heat light too, like incandescent or halogen. Based on your post, it sounds like maybe you didn't have a UVB bulb? Or you originally bought a UVB bulb, but used it for years? The element in light bulbs that produces UVB stops producing it after about a year of use, which is why they need to be replaced even if they haven't burned out and are still giving off visible light.
This bulb produces UVB and visible light only (no heat)
This is an MVB bulb that produces UVB+heat
And if you use MVB you'll need a fixture like this
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What kind of light are you using now? Are you monitoring the temperatures? It might not be hot enough if it's too far away.
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Are you in the US? Is it cold where you are? I've been having a bit of a hard time keeping my wood turtle active in the winter when it gets cold. The species doesn't hibernate/brumate so they shouldn't get cold in the winter. I use a ceramic heat emitter to give him a bit of extra warmth, especially at night.
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You probably should take him to an exotic vet for a checkup since he hasn't been eating or drinking. Turtles are usually voracious eaters, so not eating is a worry. Are his eyes clear? Does he have a runny nose or anything else physically that might be worrying?