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A few ideas to use to get your pet safely through a power outage, regardless of the time of year.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn how to care for tropical lizards, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn about live insects for reptile feeding, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Learn how to take care of your Crested Gecko, tank size, diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
Read more about our recommendations for preventing the transmission of infectious diseases in reptiles. Keep pets safe with these best practices.
Updated on November 13th, 2025
A RES requires full spectrum lighting (UVA and UVB) and lighting that provides heat. The dry dock, or basking area, should be completely out of the water. Basking temps should range between 90F and 95F (32-35C). You should place the UVA/UVB bulb as close to the heat lamp as possible. It should be no more than 12" away from your RES and should not have a barrier between it and your turtle. Glass, acrylic and plastic block UVB while screens with grids under 1/2" can obstruct a good portion of UVB rays negating the health benefits. Lighting should be on for around 12 hours a day, depending on the time of year. Full UVA/UVB bulbs need replacing every 6 months. The simplest combination for adequate lighting is a UVA/UVB fluorescent bulb and an incandescent light bulb (for heat). Incandescent light bulbs are standard household lights easily purchased at stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. Make sure your RES cannot splash water on it or come into contact with it. You can also consider halog
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Sliders see very well in the dark. They are mainly active during the day and usually sleep in the water at night. A heat lamp is not necessary unless nighttime temps drop below 65 F. In these cases, you can use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter that will provide heat without visible light.
Updated on August 12th, 2025
You can use a UVB bulb indoors to supplement lighting. Be sure it is no more than 14-16 inches away from the surface of the basking spot and not blocked by glass or plexiglass. A multivitamin and a calcium/D3 supplement should also be used. Float a cuttlebone in the tank. Bongo will munch on it when needed. You can use a soft bristled brush and diluted betadine to gently scrub the affected areas. Dry dock (keep out of the water) him for about 1-2 hours after cleaning daily. If the spots do not resolve, have him examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating turtles. Read more about slider care here: http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have misse
Updated on August 12th, 2025
Hi there! Let me see if I can help you with Michelangelo. I read through this article from Reptile Magazine, and it seems to have some good advice on husbandry and diet of the species: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/Turtle-Care/Golden-Thread-Turtle-Care-Tips/ I also really like Austin's Turlte Page for information about turtle husbandry: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-chinesegoldenthread.htm In addition, I would recommend you do try to encourage Michelangelo to bask, whether it be outside in the sun, or under a UVB bulb lamp (monitored of course). It is important for his metabolism to have the UVB lighting. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!
Updated on August 12th, 2025