General Care Discussion :: A newb to turtle care

[Anonymoose]

I've been reading the site lately, and it's given an alarming message to me:



I've been mis-treating my RES. My turtle's around 4 inches long, and for about six years, my grandfather owned it, and he gave it to me last month. When he gave it to me, he told me to keep it in the bowl, at half-full water volume, and told me to clean the water every other day, and to feed it pork.

From what I've read on the site, I'm lucky she's alive.

Her shell has a very light shade of green, since I've never basked her, let alone even known that I should bask her. She emits bubbles from her nose, and she has some algae growing on her shell.

I'm going to a pet store on Saturday to see if they have turtle supplies, could anyone give me any pointers as to what to get? I know it'll take a lot of determination to get her healthy again, and basically, what I want is a 'to-do' list from you good folks here at redearslider.com.

I've got in mind this shopping list:
A large tank (Don't know exactly how big in terms of volume)
Some Small Fish and Pellets
Some Lamps (Don't know what wattage)
A Basking Rock (Don't know how big)

Is there anything missing from my shopping list?

Thanks in advance.

[flutterby]

You're making a good start getting educated on your turtle, you should be very proud of yourself.

-You need at minimum a 40 gallon tank, if you can afford to go larger thats even better.

-I think I used reptomin turtle sticks, i'm not sure off hand but you might have to have a trial and error session to see which your turtle prefers.

- You will need a filter! It has to be rated 3 times the amount of the tank you are purchasing. Example. You have a 10g tank you'll need a filter for a 30 gallon tank, because turtles are messier than fish.

- You need a UBV bulb (10% I think is what Jen said) and you can use a regular house bulb for heat. Make sure you get two thermometers, perferablly digital to keep track of the water and basking temps.

- I suggest a Zoomed turtle dock that will fit in your tank they come in three sizes I believe. Most of us use them and haven't really had a major problem with them.

-You might want to pick up a cuttle bone (make sure when you get it home to take the backing off before you float it in the turtles water)

-I would also get a head of Romaine Lettuce to get the turtle started on greens as well

I think thats all, someone else will probably add more.

[Anonymoose]

Thanks for the advice, will keep in mind, but I'm not so sure I'll be able to find some of the things I should buy, considering that the pet shop I'm visiting doesn't exclusively cater to turtles and/or reptiles.

By the way, how much would the equipment cost?

I live in the North York Region of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and if anyone could guide me to a reptile or turtle shop, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.

[CountryGirl68]

Flutterby has given you some great info, especially regarding the tank size. If you can, get at least a 55 gallon tank. If you can go larger, then go for a 90 gallon.

When you by the turtle pellets, just get a small container. Like Flutterby said, it's trial and error as to which ones your turtle will like so it would be a waste if you got a large container and the turtle doesn't like that particular brand.

For the light, you need bulbs that give off UVA, UVB and heat. You can get a bulb that provides all three (I use T-Rex Active UV with heat) or you can get them separate.

Don't get any gravel for the tank. If you don't want the bottom of the tank to be bare, you can get a black or blue tank backing and tape it to the underside (on the outside) of the tank.

You should also get at least one decoration for the tank (like a fake plant or rock made for aquariums) so the turtle has a place to rest in the water between swimming.

[Boogerbutt02]

Go as big as you can afford for a tank... Female res's get up to 12 inches long... and they also need a nesting area to lay egg's... RES's are very expensive at first and are more expensive each month then a dog is to care for...

oh by the way you might even want to look into a stock tank for your turtle, In my opinion they are great tanks and easier to clean then a glass tank...

hope this helps, everybody has given great advice...

[marisa]

I second the stock tank (you can find them at farm supply stores).

For the UVB light, look for a reputable brand like Reptisun, which comes as either a tube or compact flourescent. 5% UVB is OK (and the light can be positioned a bit closer to your turtle, 6-8 inches), as is 10% UVB (positioned a little further away). A regular light bulb for a heat source is fine, use whatever wattage will get the basking area temp 88-90F. A mercury vapor bulb will do the work of two bulbs, providing UVB, UVA and heat, but will be more expensive to purchase. You can buy much more cheaply on-line, or, if there's a Petsmart near you, it may price match if you bring in a copy of the item with the price that you found on-line. For on-line places look at www.bigalsonline.com which as a Canadian site.

You might want to get a few different pellets and rotate them for variety.

[missibsu]

Everyone above has posted some great info! I would just add that you should browse the photo gallery. If you see something there that you like, you can mimic that.

[SpotsMama]

Hi there!

You'll also need a heater for the water. A good brand is Stealth. The Stealth heaters come in different sizes depending on the size tank you wind up with. There are also other brands of good submersible heaters. The water temperature for an adult slider should be maintained between 75 and 78 degrees, but if yours is ill the temperature will need to be higher.

Speaking of being ill, you'd better have a vet look at your turtle right away. If she's blowing bubbles out her nose she may have a respiratory problem, which can be very serious indeed. Choose a vet that knows about reptiles. There's a sticky on vets in Canada under the Urgent Care heading on this site.

Good luck to you! Sounds like your little girl is lucky to have found you!

[steve]

This is only a basic guide but it explains some of the important issues of turtle care.

http://www.redearslider.com/res-guide.pdf

[Anonymoose]

One more question: Is it alright to use hot tap water? I've only been using cold tap water for his bowl water, and that results in him being lethargic. Is it alright to do so, or do I have to add in some boiled water that's slightly cooled?

I can't measure water temperature, so how hot should 75 degrees fahrenheit be?

[flutterby]

You should get a thermometer to measure it, its not safe to have too hot or too cold of water. Either could make your turtle sick. Thermometers are relatively cheap.

[Boogerbutt02]

Yea don't put your turtle in hot water... room temp or colder...

[steve]

Anonymoose, here is a topic on using hot tap water and my opinion is expressed in there. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=45736

[marisa]

I get water from my turts from a spring, and the water is really cold (especially in winter). I try to get the water enough in advance to let it stand and warm up some. However, in cool weather, to bring the temp up more quickly when changing the water, I heat some of it on the stove and mix the heated water in with the cold water. Temp is monitored with a thermometer (you do need one), and when the water is reasonably close to the temp the heater is set for, I put the heater in and let it sit for about 15 minutes before turning it on so it continues to warm the water to where I want it.

[Andrew7769]

hmm interesting i have a spring fed stream they must be common in CT