Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello! First time turtle owner! Questions!

[melrai]

Wow! This forum looks wonderful! I'm glad to be a part of it

I have two red ear sliders - they are my first turtles and I would love to give them all the care and attention they absolutely need. I've done some research and it has helped me a lot. Although, I would love to hear some first hand experience from people who have actually successfully cared for these little guys!

I have an 8 month old male slider and a 5 month old female slider. The male is VERY skidish, doesn't like being held and seems a little anxious. The female on the other hand is very sweet, gentle and friendly.

Since I've had them (about a week or so) I have fed them a rotation of turtle pellets and lettuce. I feed them the pellets 2-3x per week, as it is only 25% of their diet. Is this correct? I always make lettuce readily available in their tank otherwise. They were having a little trouble eating before - especially the male, but they both seem alright now!

The basking area is in tow. The light is 10" away from it (I had a thermometer there before, but it broke now). The temperature of the water is steadily around 72-75 and I also have a heater. The filter is also in there. I also have a little cave for hiding, which they don't do very much of - thankfully!

I have a couple new-timer questions...

1. Is it okay to handle the turtles outside of their tank? I'm not sure if there is like a standard amount of time you SHOULD take them out of their tank - ie: to not stress them, make them sick, etc etc

2. I plan on cleaning the tank 2x per week. Although, last time I cleaned it, I added water, and it was dirty once again. Almost immediately after...is this enough times to clean the tank? How sparkling clean should the water be?

3. Is there a way I can make the male slider a little more affectionate and less stressed?

4. Is there anything special the female needs?

5. How big should the tank be for 2 baby turtles?

I hope this isn't too many questions!
Thank you for all your help in advance, I can't wait to become a part of this community

[steve]

Welcome to the forum! First... you won't know their genders until they are around 4" long. Pellets should be the primary part of a hatchlings diet, but try to see if they are interested in other foods like plants and prey. I would also bump up the temperatures.. water should be around 78F for hatchlings and the basking area needs to be around 90F. A basking lamp is not the proper way to heat tank water. Do they have a UVB light? Be very careful of small and tight hiding places... they will trap and drown your turtle.

1 - Only handle them if they are OK with it. Some are more curious than others, some don't like it at all. It's something you do not have to do*, so you might want to limit yourself.
2 - Your tank and water volume, is probably too small. The filter is also probably inadequate. The correct size tank and filter will only need limited maintenance.
3 - Give him more time... he's probably not used to a big giant looking down on him.
4 - Go through the basic care section.. it'll cover everything.
5 - Tanks should be 10 gallons per inch of shell. So if their combined shell lengths are 4", you need a 40 gallon tank now. An adult female and male might require a tank as large as 200 gallons.

*edit

[AlexisAwesome]

Be sure to wash your hands after handling your turtle.

[ataraxiamb]

Welcome!

[melrai]

Welcome to the forum! First... you won't know their genders until they are around 4" long. Pellets should be the primary part of a hatchlings diet, but try to see if they are interested in other foods like plants and prey. I would also bump up the temperatures.. water should be around 78F for hatchlings and the basking area needs to be around 90F. A basking lamp is not the proper way to heat tank water. Do they have a UVB light? Be very careful of small and tight hiding places... they will trap and drown your turtle.

1 - Only handle them if they are OK with it. Some are more curious than others, some don't like it at all. It's something you have to do now, so you might want to limit yourself.
2 - Your tank and water volume, is probably too small. The filter is also probably inadequate. The correct size tank and filter will only need limited maintenance.
3 - Give him more time... he's probably not used to a big giant looking down on him.
4 - Go through the basic care section.. it'll cover everything.
5 - Tanks should be 10 gallons per inch of shell. So if their combined shell lengths are 4", you need a 40 gallon tank now. An adult female and male might require a tank as large as 200 gallons.

Thank-you for this wonderful and informative reply!
I took your advice and got rid of tight, cramped spaces. The filter ALMOST made my small (Steak) drown. Thank God I caught it in time.

[steve]

I forgot a word in my first post, but I'm glad everything is going well!