Habitat - Indoor :: HELP PLEASE!!! NEW TURTLE OWNERS

[Whatapair]

Just bought 2 tiny turtles off a Chinese lady on the corner of my street (Hey its New york!) I've been doing A LOT of research on these guys and i still need help here are a few things i know i need...

-I have a 10 Gallon Tank
-I have a filter- http://www.animalworldnetwork.com/ca30070gphup.html
Not sure if its the best kind I'm very confused about the whole filter thing but this is what the guy at the pet store said i should get
-I have a mini floating dock
-A few rocks and pebbles

-I know i need a water heater
-A UVB light, A UVA light







Another other suggestions on what i need to get??!??!?!? [/img]

[akaghettoraver]

hello, first thing I suggest is get rid of the small pebbles, they trap dirt can be swallowed and not passed, possibly killing you turts. That medicated sulfur turtle block is useless, you can throw it out. You need a filter that is rated at three times the size of your tank. So for a ten gallon tank you need a thirty gallon filter. You should be fine for now but will have to upgrade when adding more water and a bigger tank, turtles are super messy. You can use a regular 60w house bulb for the heat light and a 26w fluorecent uvb bulb, that willl take care of lighting. Look into upgrades tho, when takin care of correctly your turts are gonna grow fast. As for a heater one for a ten gallon tank will do for now. I would see about finding a way to attach your turtle dock to the side of the tank to keep it stationary, if I were you. Read all the stickys and the info on this site it is very helpful and holds tons of info. Good luck, wecome to the site.

[Bladedvixen]

Please read the main site for all of the general information you will need to give your turtles the best life possible.

Also, remove all gravel as soon as possible. It is very dangerous!

EDIT: You will definitely need a larger aquarium as well. I would start with nothing lower than a 40gal

[akaghettoraver]

Also what kind of food are you gonna feed these guys?

[Whatapair]

Thanks i will get rid of those pebbles ASAP,
Well i have been giving them green leaf lettuce Which they seem to love and eat it all when there fed but there not eating the pellets the lady gave me which are "Nutrafin Floating Turtle Gammarus Pellets"
Any Idea's on what are the best brand of stuff to get and what's useless?? i really don't wanna spend a ton of money just to find out its a piece of crap.
Thanks again for the suggestions!

[Caphits]

Buy reptomin from walmart. It is a very respected food, is extremely available (walmart) and is inexpensive.

Another brand is Mazuri, but it has to be ordered online usually. Some petshops have been known to carry it though. No big shops though, usually only like mom and pop pet stores.

[trudykurz]

Cute babies! I also use Retomin as well as Hikari (sp?) Whatever I can find at Petsmart or on-line. Great that they eat lettuce! Check out the link for nutrition. My turt will eat anything I put in her tank and I'm very lucky.

They already said get rid of gravel/pebbles. My turt is 7 inches and is currently in a 40 gallon breeder tank. I just bought a 90 gallon that I am picking up tomorrow. Get the biggest you can afford, it's a pain to have empty tanks in your garage. I have a Fluval filter that a great friend gave me to use on this tank, and also a Stealth heater. Your guys are still small so you have time to get them the best accomodations they will need. Good luck!

[Caphits]

Can you make your avatar smaller please?

Thanks!

[Whatapair]

I removed the pebbles and they started eating those pellets are those fine until i get retomin??

[trudykurz]

They should be fine! I don't use Reptomin exclusively. You have babies, right? Check out the nutrition section, I think they need more protein than what my turt needs at this point. When I give her pellets I alternate between Reptomin, Hikari, and Fluver, just because I like to give her variety. There is also a sticky on feeding schedules, check that out. It is very helpful.

[jujuzeking]

i think that you should take out the small pebbles, put in more water, get a bigger dock, and get a water heater

[marisa]

Since they're small hatchlings, try to get Reptomin Baby, which is made for smaller turtles. It's not sold in Walmart, but I've gotten it at Petsmart. If you get regular-size Reptomin, break the pellets into smaller pieces so they're easy to eat. The Nutrafin pellets are fine as part of the diet.

[mom crush]

I have a female adult and two male babies. Two out of three of my turtles eat what ever is put in front of them, but one of my babies is picky. I found a great substitute for a growing and picky eater. Flukers blend buffet blend food. Has pellets and two types of dried food. The babies love the variety of not having just the pellets every day. Enjoy the little ones!!!