mississippi map baby

Question
i recently bought a baby miss map turtle, we had him in a tank with a uv light for 3 weeks, he passed away-what did i do wrong?
he seemed okay the first week or two-we got him from a swap meet type place and he was a tiny little guy
any help on this would be appreciated,
ro

Answer
Not a lot of info to go on, but...

1. A lot of baby turtle die in captivity. They went through a lot of stress to get there, especially if wild caught. this is one of the real reasons baby turtles are illegal in most places.

2. Baby turtle are tough to raise- they need a lot of room, a rather specialized diet, good lighting and temps, tank management, and so on. In the 'old days' of mass baby turtle sales, nearly 100% died within a month just from poor care.

3. UV is not the only light a turle needs, and too much UV is harmful to most life forms. It is actually used to kill microbes, and an cause burns and skin damage if there is too much of it. The proper lighting is a balance simulating the sun, but also allowing plenty of shade/hiding spaces. UV is really ony needed for about 15-60 minutes a day.