Habitat - Indoor :: Whoo Boy! Need some tank advice!

[turtlesitter]

Okay, I am babysitting 2 RES that are currently in a very small tank (20 gal, I think). One is 5" long and the other is 4.5" long. There is no thermometer, heater, filtration, or light. There is very little water in the tank which allows them to submerge but not necessarily swim around. There are climbing rocks, as well. They've lived in this tank for at least 10 years!!

According to what I've read, they need a gigantic tank, right? 10 gals per inch is at least a 90 gallon tank! I don't have a ton of money and I'm only babysitting these cuties for a while. I think I'll get as large a plastic tub as my table will support. But what about lighting and heat? Can you do that safely with a plastic tub? Will any large plastic tub work or are some plastics "unsafe" for turtles to be in? (I'm so ignorant, I don't even know if that's a stupid question!)

I'm terrified of changing their water but it needs it badly! I'm off to buy a PH kit and water conditioner today (as well as a tub). ANY general advice you are willing to offer is appreciated. I want to do right by these turtles but I'm not in the position to purchase a perfect set up for them.

I'm sooo glad we found this site

[marisa]

Welcome. There was time when I kept my RES in a 50-gallon Rubbermaid plastic storage container with a submersible water heater and filter, everything that he would have had in a regular tank. You can use clamp lights to position lights (UVB and heat lights) over the basking area and a submersible water heater shouldn't melt the plastic. Or, if you use a tube UVB light you could rest it across the container if it's long enough. It might be difficult to keep the heater suctioned to the side of a plastic storage container, however, so you might just let it lie on the bottom; if you do, getting a heater guard to put it in might be a good idea.

Since ideally they do need a large habitat, you might consider getting a 100-gallon stock tank (the storage containers don't come that large) that's meant to hold water and would be safer. With a large habitat, they need to have a good filter, which will keep them healthier and make life much easier for you.

I wouldn't be terrified of changing the water---the poor things sound like they really need it.

My question to you, though, is where is the owner of these turtles? If you're the babysitter, the owner should be contributing to the cost of a better set-up (which they really need from what you wrote)? How long are you supposed to be "babysitting" for?

[turtlesitter]

I appreciate the advice and will look around for an affordable LARGE indoor habitat for them. In the mean time, I have changed their water, given them a thermostat/heater, and basking area. The tank hasn't changed yet but hopefully, things have improved a bit.

I'm just trying to help out a friend who could really use a hand and I can only believe that she has been ignorant as to the proper care of these little guys. She's going to be in physical therapy/rehab for quite some time adjusting to the use of a wheelchair for the rest of her life, and although I'm mortified at the state of her pet turtles, I'm not about to add to her misery. I'll do the best I can for the little guys and when she's strong enough to take them back, they'll go home with a much improved habitat. I wish I had more space and money to give them a proper home. It's very hard to watch them and not feel bad for their cramped conditions.

[untsmurf]

Hiya, I just wanted to drop in and say that it sounds like you are doing right by these little guys. Keep up the good work.

[megcornell]

Wow, your friend is having a rough time I imagine. Turtles make great companions when they are healthy and happy. It's really enjoyable to watch their antics and see their personalities come out, I hope they can put a smile on her face.
It's nice that you're making their set up better... there are a lot of economical ways to do so... the easiest being a rubbermaid container versus a tank, it saves a lot of money. Then you can focus on filtration and a heater (heaters are cheap)... I assume the turtles already have a basking dock? If not those are under $20. Naturally you should pick up a thermometer to monitor the water temp, they're very cheap, $5 or so. The most pressing needs are clean water with a stable temp and a place to dry off and sun themselves. The other parts can come as you can afford them, or as your friend can afford them.

[marisa]

Very sorry to hear about your friend. You're right--she's got more than enough to deal with right now. You sound like you're on the right track. Keep up the good work.

[turtlesitter]

Well, as soon as I installed the basking area, these guys really perked up! Now there is a UVA/B light, as well and a nice strong filter running. I upgraded to a 20 gal long tank....I know, I know, it's still not big enough but it was what I could get my hands on affordably right now. I don't have a ton of space and I'm hoping I can upgrade again soon (after I rearrange a bit) Still, it's DOUBLE the space they used to have and they seem to be enjoying it.

There's more water for actually swimming but mostly they are itching to bask. Both are shedding flakes of shell like crazy (their shell looks lighter in color and then the top layer flakes right off). Otherwise, they are very perky and much fun to watch.

Thanks for all the support and advice.

[turtlesitter]

[megcornell]

Looks like a great start! I'd remove the rocks, or only leave one or two for them to push around, they look like they're taking up a bit of space and I'd imagine they trap a lot of debris. If you can, I'd look into another basking perch for the other turtle, because when they're both on that one, neither can dry its shell properly because the area sinks so much. You could also look into making a basking area, one person on here used a crate that they added a tile on top of to weigh it down and to make the basking area comfortable for the turtle. I think that would be great for you because it wouldnt be very expensive and you could place the crate so the open end faces out allowing the turtles to swim under the basking area.
They do look to be in pretty good health though, nice job on improving their set up!

[DavidY]

That's a nice improvement from what they had before! That's great that you're doing so much to help out your friend and the turtles. Meg makes some very good points to think about as you move forward. Nice job!

[turtlesitter]

I took out a majority of the rocks, which were originally in there to create a larger basking area but it didn't quite work. You're right, the floating dock I have is too small but the larger sizes are too big for this tank. They also seem to have a hard time getting up onto this dock - is that strange? I'll look into making one of our own - a good project to do with my daughter.

[megcornell]

As long as they can get on they dock that's okay. When I bought my turtle a new floating dock she wasn't used to it and would plop her front half on and struggle for a minute or two kicking frantically to get her hind nails on it to hoist the rest of her body up to bask. After a while she refined her technique, and has no problems whatsoever getting up or down now.
Sometimes hatchlings have problems because they're so small, but these turtles are large enough that they should easily be able to get up on that dock, so perhaps its more of a fact that they're not used to it.