redearslider.com

Hello, I'm new here in the forum but have used the site as a guide for everything for my two red ear sliders! Fantastic reference -- I never knew how much special care turtles need until I came across this site. Believe it or not, we (my boyfriend and I) first bought a dinky little 20 gallon "turtle tank" for our two 4-5 inch sliders. The water could only fill up about 5 inches because of the big cut-out on the side, and they barely had any space to move around! And the gravel we put in there at first was a big nuisance, not to mention dangerous. So we traded in the dinky tank and got a 40 gallon, and my turtles are having a wonderful time chasing minnows, basking on the cork bark, and just being awesome. Kudos to the site all the wonderful information. The turtles thank you!

--Lisa and Adam

Welcome to the forum.

What are your next upgrade plans? A forty gallon is much better than the 20 gal. but still just half the size they should have now, not to mention what they'll need when both reach full maturity (9-12inches possible for each).

Hello and Welcome to turtle talk.

Welcome! We like to see pics if you have some.

One of the big issues with having a tank that is too small is aggression. Do you know whether your turts are males or females? or both?

They are both males, and I think they get along pretty well. They like to hang off of each other when one is propped against the cork bark and they sit on each other on the bottom. I hope their relationship stays like this until they grow up!

Right now, I definitely can't afford a huge tank (10 gallons per inch... so that means two adult male sliders need a 180 gallon tank? Whoa), but I will definitely get a bigger tank sometime. Do most people follow the 10 gallons/inch rule?

We all try! There are some less expensive options to a 180 gallon tank. Stock tanks, and rubbermaid containers are cheapers. Rubbermaid containers won't last long, because they aren't made to hold that much water, but for a short term solution they can work.

My plans right now are to put a stock tank inside and then build up around it so that it looks like a nice indoor pond. Of course, that's subject to change too, lol. I keep changing my mind.

Keep your eyes on the classifieds, or check www.freecycle.org (com) to see if there is a local group in your area. You can find some really great deals that way. There's another website, but I can't think of it right now. I'm sure someone will remember...or I know that it has been posted on other posts.

Welcome ^__^ Cute turtles!

PS: Thanks missibsu for that link! I was supprised to find a group in my area

wetheturtles, can you post a picture of your tank and your turtles? i'd like to see how you set up your tank and your cuties!

(my turtle is so lazy...doesnt chase the minnows. think it has to do w/ the size of the tank??)

The other link that I couldn't think of was www.craigslist.com It was actually on the news the other night. There are some great deals there as well!

Thanks Missi for the links, and everybody for the warm welcome. I've posted a couple of pictures in the photo gallery of my tank and my turtles. I hope you think they're as cute as we do!