General Care Discussion

Hi, guys. I am new, but I wanted to post this before posting about myself. I put my babies (turtle, cavy, or canine) before myself- always. That's the first fact you learned about me. Yay.

I am the owner of a wonderful Red Eared Slider juvenile. He's a wonderful little guy and has been a joy since the day I got him. However, I, like any other pet parent, am having doubts about my "skills" when it comes to his housing. I have been advised that the amount of water I have for him is acceptable as long as he has a basking area, which he does, so please don't harass me about that. I have two VERY specific questions, but I am accepting any advice (not harassment) that anyone is willing to offer. Just be courteous.

My questions are as follows:

1) Is the lighting I have for him enough? If not, how do I get more? If it is, why do I keep panicking about his care?
--Conditions currently: He has a 50W basking bulb for during the day (7 AM - 7 PM) and a red light for the night time (7 PM - 7 AM).
--My concerns: I am concerned that he's not receiving the amount of light UNDER his basking area (in his water) that he should. You can't see the decor very well, and there's not much light in the back corners. (Is this alright?) I just feel there should be more light.

The second question has to do with gravel. I've heard extremely controversial viewpoints about the ingestion of gravel for the little dudes. So...

2) Should he have gravel small enough to eat in his aquarium? Does it REALLY help with digestion?
--Conditions currently: The rocks and "pebbles" are FAR too large for him to even THINK about getting into his mouth. The smallest one is probably about the size of one of those 25 cent bouncy balls. You know the ones?
--My concerns: I've heard that ingesting the gravel can be beneficial to their digestion and also that it can cause blockages, and ultimately, costly surgeries.. or death. I don't want anything to go wrong with him, but I want his digestion to function in tip-top shape. Sometimes I feel really good about keeping him from gravel COMPLETELY, and other times I feel like a bad parent cause "it might help". Sigh. The problems of a parent.

Thanks for taking the time to read and help. I appreciate ANY feed back on the issue that you may be able to provide (just be NICE)! I am including a photo of his "house" for your assistance when answering the questions.

Sincerely,
Taylor

Welcome to the site!

Lighting: a few comments. Turtles don't need much light in the water. Remember, in the wild they would be in a pond that may not be very clear and likely has buried logs or tree stumps. So, no worries about light under the basking platform. You say you have a basking bulb. Do you have a UVB bulb? A reptile needs exposure to UVB to turn calcium in their diet into bone. You don't need the red light at night, unless you're using it to heat the water.

Gravel: I can't personally advise you on gravel. After reading here, I have used sand. So, there has been no gravel available for my turtle, and he's fine. I have read here of others that have had gravel and have ended up with problems, as well as some that have just found gravel in the poop. I think you're making the right decision on the gravel.

Thanks for welcoming me, ljapa!

Thanks for the information. It totally slips my mind sometimes that the creatures are meant for living in the wild. Mine has no clue how spoiled he is!

And alright, I won't include gravel in his aquarium, but sand: now that's a good idea! Do you have any tips or thoughts for using the sand? I'd love some. Again, thank you for welcoming me and being so kind as to offer your assistance.

It's much appreciated. Tank (my RES) and I thank you!!

Very nice looking setup.

There's a very long thread on sand in the indoor setup section:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17268

I ended up going with pool filter sand. It's much cheaper than aquarium sand and easier to clean than play sand.

Your picture wasn't coming up for me earlier. I'd replace the red nightlight with a UVB bulb, and then add a heater to the aquarium to keep the temp more even.

Once you do have a UVB bulb, you may want it a bit higher. The strength of the UVB is cut by the screen, but that still looks close for UVB. Do you have any idea how warm the basking area is? That may be too close, even for a 50 watt bulb, but I can't say for sure. For a turtle your size, you probably want the water temp in the upper 70s and the basking area in the high 90s or low 100s.

Your turtle will be able to figure that out, though. If he's basking and swimming, he is thermoregulating.

He basks for short periods and then swims for short periods or basks for hours and then swims for hours. It varies day to day. Is that normal?

Sounds completely normal!

You should NOT have gravel in a turtle tank as they may try to eat it and this can cause death. Stick to sand or a bare bottom for easy cleaning.
As ljapa mentions you should have the lights higher up. From your picture they look too close to the basking area.

How could I, in the area you see in the picture, get the lights higher up off of him? Any suggestions are helpful! Thanks

The distance of the lights dictates the basking temperature. Do you know what the temp is?

Easiest way to move them higher is to lower the water level. Alternatively, you can get clamps for the lamps.

What about how the lamps are held up here?
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=34211&p=325582#p325582

Just wanted to give everyone an update since you all have been so kind and helpful. I've gotten some all natural aquarium sand ($27 for 20 lbs of the stuff! eek.) for Tank's aquarium. I've also gotten a holder to bring his light up off his basking area. I didn't see it natural to take away all the water he's used to having. Along with those two items, I've gotten him new bulb for his light that provides UVA and UVB light. These purchases, alone, cost me over $100. For now, I'll be keeping the Red heat lamp on him during the night, but will soon be implementing a water heater. Thanks so much for everything, and I already LOVE this community.

Sounds like you're going to do great. And you've got the right attitude. Your desire too keep the water depth for your turtle is the way to go. After the water heater, you should check out above tank basking area (ATBA) for your next expense.

When you move to a larger tank--and you will as your turtle grows--check out pool filter sand. It's much cheaper.

My son got his turtle back in July. I can tell you that a turtle is not cheap, but the expenditure does fall off once you get what you need.

I agree, ljapa. I've had Tank since about June and our financial situation is really tight. Getting him the items he needs to be completely like out in the wild has been an adventure- a very slow adventure, but an adventure. It's still going, too. I'm hoping to have all of this sorted out within the next 6 months and I think it's feasible. I want to do the above tank basking area, but I worry he won't know to go up there. Is that a valid worry? Can they NOT know where to go? Anyway, before I get on to that, today is water changing day. I'm excited to implement his new sand. I'm wanting to get some logs for him soon. But first, I'll need to think about the water heater, which I THINK I can get at WalMart. Ha. Finding something you need at WalMart. What a joke, right?

Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate it.

I figured I would do the honors and show you all this new sand. I'm in love with it. Everything I'm reading says it will clear within a few hours and it's almost cleared now. So, thank goodness!

He didn't know what to think without his rocks to kick around at first, but I think he's settle in now. My next step is including a new water heater and getting him started on a diet with more veggies. Yay! I love every step with this little guy. Watching him grow has been a blessing.

Before I go, I'd like to ask another question: His shell and belly seem to be.. peeling? Like when fingernails peel. Is this normal for growth? :mrgreen:

Yes, shedding is normal and healthy. Shedding thin and complete layers is a good thing

Thanks, Steve! I really am just trying to do the very best by him. I appreciate the help.

General Care Discussion :: HoitleToitle and Tank: The "Help Me" Section

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