Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Rescued in FL

[MayhemJay]

Hey there, just a couple days ago a friend of mine mentioned he was having some turtle woes. Apparently he was being extremely neglectful, and hadn't even upgraded the original baby lagoon he got from the pet store. So I decided I had to take them off his hands and take care of them, even when I had only no idea of what I was getting myself into. I'd had a boa and iguanas before, so I thought I had some idea. A reptile's a reptile, right? So, they're two 9 month old red ear sliders, supposedly one male and one female according to a pet shop lady in the local area. Not wanting them to be restricted to little more than a box with a wading pool, I set them up in a 10 gallon tank for now. I also got a water heater, turtle dock, an aeration unit, a heat lamp with UVA and UVB, good quality food, all the necessary creature comforts, thanks to some great info on this site. I also have a filtration unit coming in a few days to cut down on pollution and whatnot. After just that much, I think I'm hooked on them. They're still pretty shy of course, and they go skittering into the water when they notice I'm watching them. They're also pretty voracious when it comes to feeding, but again only when I'm not watching them. The good thing is that they seem so much happier, and even look healthier even though it's only been a couple days. Anyway, great to be here, wonderful site you all have set up here. Look forward to many years and many many upgrades with these guys. Pics soon to come!

Jay, from Florida

[sonyj]

Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you've helped them to a better life. Just so you'll know, a ten gallon is already too small (ten gallons per inch of turtle). Look into upgrading as soon as you can and remember that the larger you go now, the more money you'll save in the long run.

We'd love to see pics of them if you have any.

[MayhemJay]

Well, nuts. That's the one the crazy pet store lady told me to get, so I guess I'm bumping up already. (She also sold me a "full spectrum" heat lamp that specifically said it didn't cover UVB, and didn't even provide enough heat to encourage basking, promptly replaced it)

So, they're still fairly small since they were malnourished and kept in cramped areas for most of their lives, maybe 2" on the shell end to end. So should I go with a 30 gallon tank? How soon can I expect them to outgrow that?

[TNTurtles]

ive heard, that if they are hatchlings, normal growth should be almost to 3" at one year, and then a steady 1" growth/year after that

[steve]

I'd get a 40 or 50 gallon plastic tub for now and save up for a much larger aquarium/stock tank or pond.

[missibsu]

The thing to remember...something that I took forgranted...with two turts, that one inch a year rule is really two. One inch for each turt. So at two inches now, that's 40 gallons, in one year ideally you will need 60. Just for kicks I was out pricing 220 gallons today. For just the tank with a glass lid $770, and an extra 330 for the stand. Makes me like the sounds of building an indoor pond!

So anyway, plan ahead, lol.

[MayhemJay]

Well, I guess it's about time to start going hog wild with these guys. I haven't really spent that much yet by comparison, so it's not a big loss to upgrade their tank already. I guess I can keep the smaller one around for quarantine, etc should the need ever arise. Guess that settles that. As soon as I'm through moving, they're getting a nice gigantic home.