Box turtle (heat/light)

Question
QUESTION: I have two box turtles which I have kept outdoors for over 20+ years. I just moved and built them another outdoor pen which gets some morning sunlight but want to make sure they are getting adequate heat/light on gloomy colder days. Do you recommend any additional outdoor heat/lighting such as the Powersun lamp with UVB/UVA or should I keep them indoors on colder days?

ANSWER: Karli, They will find away to stay warm...make sure you have  moss or hay in there if you want ....I always keep it behind pieces of small trees they like to get under to hibernate in the winter around here. They are acclimated to the outside they will be fine. They sound very loved and are lucky turtles. Good Luck, Tina

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the advice! Their pen has a combination of bark, rocks, dirt and grass along with their caves that I "tuck them into" at night. Although summer is just around the corner, I live in California and the whether has been gloomy lately so just wondering if it would hurt to give them the UVA/UVB so I keep their appetites up (they are omnivourous and are picky eaters) to help keep them active and healthy.

Answer
Karli,  Since you are keeping them in an enclosure and they are older if you wanted to add a heat lamp that will be fine. Get a small thermometer and keep a spot that is always around 75 to 80 degrees.....80 in the winter as it is in Calif. lol The light will be a UVB...the UVA is more for sunlight and calcium production than heat. They get plenty of sunlight I would imagine. Twenty minutes a day gives them all the UVA they need. They have a life span of about 20 yrs or so , so they will be very comfortable in their old age. Good Luck, Tina