:unsure: do I need a heater for my red bellied turtles, I have one in the tank but not sure if it is safe, will the turtles burn themselves on it.
flossie

I have a redbellied turtle too. He has a heater, a Stealth heater which can't be shattered (no glass). I've positioned it so he can't lay on it. When he was a baby, he did lay on the heater, and yes, it burnt him. So, I stuck the heater inside a fake log thing and aimed the filter output through the log to create water flow over the heater. Redbellied turtles can take down to freezing so they don't need a heater but, if they get colder than about 70 degrees F, they will eat less. Below 55 degrees or so, and they won't eat anything. I should really take the heater out of my turtle's tank in the summer I guess! It's only needed in the winter if you want to keep the turtle eating well. If you use a heater, don't use a glass one and make sure the turtle can't lay on it. Incandescent heat lamps will heat the water some as well but mostly heat the air under the lamps. Good luck!