Do Wood Turtles Need a Heat Lamp? The Final Answer

If you want to get a turtle as a pet you will need to get some equipment ready beforehand. Most obviously the tank, and of course the basking area. But what about the heat lamp, do you really need it?

Wood turtles need a heat lamp. Heat lamps are vital for all pet turtles. Without one, their health will be greatly affected.

So a heat lamp is required for a Wood turtle, but just getting any heat lamp won’t do it. So let’s take a closer look at what you actually need to look at when buying a heat lamp.

How to Choose a Proper Heat Lamp

How to Choose a Good Heating Light/ Heating Lamp

The thing that you have to look for in a good heating bulb is durability. You don’t want to have a bulb that will go out after only a couple of days of usage. Another important thing that you have to choose is the power, and the power of a light bulb is given by the wattage.

How to Choose the Wattage

Most heating light bulbs usually have 50, 75, and 100-watt options to choose from. And you can choose the right options by taking into consideration the following things: The size of the basking area, the number of turtles that will be using it, and the size of the turtles.

If you have just one turtle and a relatively small basking area then you will probably need the 50 watts light bulb. But if you have 2 big turtles and a medium-sized basking area then you can go with the 75-watt option. And if you have more than 3 turtles and a big basking area you will definitely need a 100 watt light bulb. In case you have 5+ turtles and a huge basking area then you will find even more powerful bulbs on the market, or you can just buy multiple 100-watt bulbs.

More watts mean more power, and more power means more heat. So basically when you are choosing the wattage of your bulb you are choosing the amount of heat that will be produced.

If you choose a bulb that is too powerful for your turtles, you can easily solve the problem by placing the bulb farther away from the basking area. Unfortunately, this trick doesn’t work too well if you want to place the bulb closer. Even if you put the bulb millimeters away from your turtle it still won’t be able to produce the needed heat in some cases. And placing the bulb too close can be dangerous and unhealthy for the turtle.

Here are the distances that you should put your heat bulbs away from the basking area ( they are not exact, but they will give you a basic idea ):

If you have a 50-watt bulb you should place it between 6-8 inches away from the basking area.
If you have a 75-watt bulb you should place it between 7-9 inches away from the basking area
If you have a 100-watt bulb you should place it between 9-11 inches away from the basking area.
If you have a 100+ watt bulb you should place it between 11-14 inches away from the basking area.

Turtle Basking Temperatures

Now that you know how to choose a heating light let’s talk about what temperature your turtle needs in the basking area.

For most turtle species the basking area should be 10 degrees Fahrenheit ( 5 – 6 degrees Celsius ) warmer than the water. Generally, a good basking area temperature is between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature also applies to Wood turtles.

My Favourite Heating Light

I am a long-time user of the Exo Terra Swamp Glo Basking Spot Lamp. Depending on your needs you can choose between the 50, 75, and 100-watt options. Those bulbs will last a long time and they will produce enough heat for your turtles. Because I had no problems with them I didn’t feel the need to try too many other options since those bulbs worked great for me and my turtles.

For the lamp fixture, I use this one that allows me to put both the light the UVB bulb and the heating bulb in the same place. Right now I am using both slots for two 75 watt heating bulbs and it still works great.

Mercury Vapor Bulbs

At this point, you might already be thinking why there is no bulb that can take care of both the UVB light and the heating needs of your turtle. Well, there are such bulbs and they are called mercury vapor bulbs.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mercury Vapor Bulbs Over a Classic Two Bulb Setup

The most obvious advantage of the mercury vapor bulbs over the classic setup is the space required. If you are lacking space in the room for your tank this bulb can be really helpful.

The price difference is not that big, and depending on the brands you use it can go either way. You can end up spending more on one mercury vapor bulb than on two bulbs from the classic setup. Or you can end up saving some money, it all depends on the specific products that you are using. So I can’t add the price to advantages either to disadvantages.

The biggest disadvantage is that some of them will occasionally explode, and in that process, they can hurt the turtle really bad. I have no idea why this can happen, but maybe later this won’t be a problem. This doesn’t mean that you have a 50% chance that it will explode or even a 10% chance, if chances were that high they wouldn’t be on the market at all. But I don’t feel comfortable knowing that this can happen when I could just choose another type of light bulb.

Recommended Product

I haven’t tried any kind of mercury vapor bulb but from what I could find out people are generally pleased with the Evergreen Pet Supplies 100 Watt UVA UVB Mercury Vapor Bulb. In the reviews, I didn’t see anybody say anything about explosions. So if you want to try one of these bulbs this one seems like a good choice.

Don’t Forget the Water Heater

I also want to mention that you shouldn’t forget to get a water heater for your turtle.

Fortunately choosing a water heater is much simpler. You just have to make sure that the water heater has an adjustable temperature and that it comes with protection so that your turtle won’t break it.

Final Thoughts

So this should cover everything that you should know about heat lamps. If you have any questions remaining you can always leave them in the comment section and I will do my best to answer them as soon as possible.