Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello Everyone

[CrashRES]

HI my name is Eric i recently got a RES from my girlfriend's co-worker. I've had him( i think its a he) for a couple months now and he's grown alot. He's my first turtle experience and so far so good. I want to learn as much as i can so i can be the best dad i can be

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Awesome,so tell us how is your turtles setup like? This site is wonderful definitley has taught me alot!

[CrashRES]

Currently his tank is small (10 Gal) because i got him when he was real small. Now he's out grown the tank and i want to get something bigger but i don't want to go over board and get something too big.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Theyre is no such thing as too big for a turtle,the bigger the better and the more $$$ you save.Rule of thumb for every inch is 10 gallons for example.

1 inches:ten gallons
2 inches:20 gallons
3 inches:30 gallons
4 inches:40 gallons
5 inches:50 gallons
6 inches:60 gallons
7 inches:70 gallons
8 inches:80 gallons
9 inches:90 gallons
10 inches:100 gallons
11 inches:110 gallons
12 inches:120 gallons

[cam722]

Currently his tank is small (10 Gal) because i got him when he was real small. Now he's out grown the tank and i want to get something bigger but i don't want to go over board and get something too big.

considering that RES live in ponds and lakes, trust me you can't get anything TOO big for them.. Most experienced keepers would tell you to buy big and buy once. That way you don't have to have a bunch of unused too small of tanks laying around to be filled with something else to take your money. Been there done that. have the fish to prove it..

Just for reference.. a female can grow to be 11".. and a male around 9".. so following the 10 gallons per inch rule, you'd need at the minimum a 110gallon tank. See what I mean by not too big..

oh and btw, Welcome to the Forum

[CrashRES]

Where should the water level be? I saw some pictures where they havve alot of water in the tank and also not alot of water. Should i get him a friend i feel like he's lonely or bored sometimes.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

No,the only thing another RES is going to do is cost you a hell of a lot more money..Telling it like it is.They dont socialize with others.Youre fine with one.You should fill up the water as much as you can without giving him the passage way to escapeing (putting something like chicken wire on the top works well)

[cam722]

two turtles means the possibility of 2 complete setups in the future. If they don't get along for whatever reason or if one gets ill. Turtles are not social creatures as much as some seem to think they are Read some of the posts regarding turtle injuries. I had gotten 3 at a time and if I had to do it over, I'd get only one.

Remember the 10 gallon per inch rule doubles with two turtles so you'd need a 220 gallon if you had 2 females that would stay together.. either that or 2 110 gallon tanks

[CountryGirl68]

Welcome Crash. I am glad to see that you are researching what your turtle needs. The advice given above is right on!! If you have the funds now, definitely go for the biggest your turtle will need. It will save you hundreds of $$ in the long run.