Zoo Med’s Turtle Bone is a natural calcium source that lets your turtle get extra calcium as needed. It’s cuttlebone (from the cuttle fish, which is actually a squid), so there’s nothing unnatural or dangerous in it. It also helps keep his beak trimmed, because the rough surface wears the beak down as your pet eats it. It floats, so it works for both land and water turtles.
You get 2 cuttlebones in each pack.
The Zoo Med Nocturnal Infrared Heat Lamp is sort of a combination of the company’s nightlight red bulb and the basking spot lamp. It’s made of red glass, providing very good heat transfer and a red glow like the night light. But it’s designed to focus the heat emitted on a small area right below the lamp, like the basking light.
Since box turtles don’t need high heat overnight, this bulb isn’t strictly necessary (unless you have a sick or injured turtle that needs more heat). But if you prefer the red light over the white, this bulb is a perfectly good alternative to the basking spot lamp (although the basking area is a bit bigger).
Zoo Med Night Light Red Heat Bulbs are incandescent bulbs made using red glass, so the light emitted is red, not bright white. This way, you can provide your pet with nighttime heating without disrupting his day/night cycle. If you’re using a basking lamp during the day, this bulb may not be strictly necessary for your box turtle, since they generally do fine with cooler overnight temperatures. On the other hand, it makes a convenient set-it-and-forget-it, 24-hour heat source, especially if you use it with a thermostat or rheostat.
It also provides enough light that you can see your pet at night. It is important to remember that the light emitted does not provide either UVA or UBV rays. If your pet does not get regular time outside, you will need a separate bulb that does provide these light rays.
This review is for the T5-HO ReptiSun® 5.0 fluorescent bulb from Zoo Med. Click here to read the T8 version review. You can also read about the differences between T5 and T8 lamps.
These lamps offer the same high quality you expect from ReptiSun, but they’re stronger, giving you more flexibility in where you put the lamp. Where the standard ReptiSun 5.0 lamps need to be about 12 inches from your pet in order to offer enough UVB, these lamps give your pet the same 5% UBV at up to 24 inches. This makes them ideal if you have a taller habitat set-up.
Reptile keepers and even zoos use the ReptiSun brand because it’s reliable and high quality. Many won’t use anything else.
This review is for the T8 ReptiSun® 5.0 fluorescent bulb from Zoo Med. If you’re looking for the T5-HO version, you’ll find that review here. We also have information on the difference between T8 and T5 lamps here.
Almost all reptiles, including box turtles, need UV rays to stay healthy and especially to make Vitamin D. If your pet doesn’t get much time outdoors, you need a bulb that emits both UVA and UVB rays. This bulb fits the bill. It puts out 5% UVB at up to 12 inches away.
The ReptiSun 5.0 and 10.0 line of UV lamps is one of the best products available. Reptile keepers regularly recommend these lamps for consistent quality and reliability. Many will use only the ReptiSun brand.
You can feel confident that these lamps will give your boxie the UV light she needs. All you need to do is decide which lamp you need.
Hang your bulbs and heat emitters safely above your box turtle’s home on this Reptile Lamp Stand from Zoo Med. No more bumping lamps attached to the cage. Or having to move hot lamps to get access to the cage (because face it, planning far enough ahead to turn them off & let them cool just doesn’t happen!).
This stand is also invaluable if you’re using self-ballasted mercury vapor bulbs, which need to point straight down. That’s a whole lot easier when it’s hanging instead of clamped to the habitat.
And it just feels safer to hang hot lamps rather than set them on top of the cover. Call us crazy, but we’re just not big fans of fire!
Unless you’re very lucky, your heat lamp or other heat source will probably not keep your box turtle’s habitat at the right temperature without a little help. The Zoo Med ReptiTemp Rheostat is a simple, economical solution. Just a quick turn of the dial increases or decreases the amount of heat coming out of the heater. And that increases or decreases the temperature in the habitat.
It can control a lot of different heaters, including heated rocks. In fact, if you want to use a heated rock, you need a rheostat to make sure it doesn’t get too hot and burn your pet. (Although we personally don’t trust the safety of heated rocks, even when attached to rheostats … but that’s a different issue/review!).
Zoo Med guarantees the product for one year (as long as you don’t get it wet).
The instant-read Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared thermometer (temperature gun) makes checking the temperature in your box turtle habitat a breeze (it works anywhere else, too!). With the push of a button it’ll display the temperature in either Fahrenheit or Celsius. You can take single readings or scan the whole habitat. It’s Min/Max function lets you find the warmest and/or coolest spots in the habitat.
Stop relying on a single reading in one spot in your pet’s home. Now you can be sure he’s comfy wherever he roams.
The Zoo Med ReptiTemp® 500R Thermostat/Remote Sensor is an economical way to make sure your box turtle’s habitat stays at the right temperature. It can be mounted on the habitat, out of the way. And the 6-foot cord on the remote sensor probe is long enough that you can monitor the temperature in any part of the habitat, no matter where you mounted the control unit.
You can also plug it into a timer so that you can let the temperature drop automatically at night (no remembering to unplug or reset your heat device!).
It comes with a one-year warranty for peace of mind.
Zoo Med Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter helps keep your box turtle warm without any light. This makes it a great choice for nighttime heating without disrupting the animals’ day/night cycle. It also lasts longer than light-emitting bulbs, and high-humidity habitats don’t shorten its life. It’s even UL listed when used in approved Zoo Med lamps.