Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Inherited 3 RES

[zipattidoda]

Hi ! I have been searching the web for some good turtle sites for the last month. This one is fabulous! I got a lot of info and just love all the pictures and how to on basking areas. I inherited my brothers turtles after his death. Their home now is a makeshift kiddie pool which I know is not enough for them , but I'm really not to sure how big I'm going to need. Mo is the biggest and is 7.5" L x 5.5"W. Larry is 5.5"L x 4.5W and Curly is 4"L x 4.75"w. They appear healthy and eat well. My brother had a beautiful pond area for them. I live in the Northeast, New York area and can not keep them outside during the winter. They seamed to have adjusted well. Curly is the only one who freaks out when you go to check on them. I am now their mommy so I will do what I have to. I have a heater for the water, filter,etc.. But I just want to give them a home big enough. any suggestion with be greatly appreciated. Oh my brother had them for at least 5 years.

[Vtolds]

Sorry to hear about your loss.

A little pool really is not a good home. What you are going to need is a very huge tank the normal recomendation is 10 gallons of water for every inch of turtle so you have 3 turtles with a combines length of 17 inches so you need a 170 gallon tank and about a 300 gallon when they are fully grown. This is really the maximum they need. What you should do right now if go out and buy the biggest tank you can afford a 75 gallon tank may be fine for them for quite a while. You could also try seperate 55 gallon rubbermaid totes but them you need 3 heat lamps 3 UVB Lights 3 Filters and 3 basking areas. RES are very aggressive and they may attack each other if the enclosure is too small or they may do it no matter how big it is. There is a ton of info on this site hope it helps you make a good home for them.

[zipattidoda]

Thanks for the info, It looks like I need to put an addition on!:) This gives me an idea of what I need to get. I don't want to disrupt their environments to often so I guess bigger is better. now to locate a tank that big! thanks again

[TurtleLove]

Check out craigslist or local classified ads for used tanks. You can get a much better deal than buying new!

[emma]

hello and welcome!

[notoch351]

Welcome to the forum!