8 year old res?????????

Question

I have this mature res thats 8 years old that lives in a plastic tank. He has never grown an inch in his 8 year life.does anyone know whats wrong? im afraid to put him in the same tank with 1year olds because there bigger.

Answer 1

You've probably stunted your RES.

How big is your plastic tank?

There is no way a healthy 8 year old res should not be at least 8" right now and still be alive.

I don't think we have all the information about this animal to make a good judgment.   At the very least, saying the actual size of the animal now, the size (gallons and or dimensions of its container), what you use for the animal (heater/uv light), and it's diet should help everyone.

Depending on their size difference, they should get a long fine.

If they are an inch or so smaller, it shouldn't be a problem.   But watch them, if they fight separate them.

I think the main problem is that you aren't providing them the space they really require.  A single BABY turtle (quarter to half dollar size) should be in a MINIMUM of a 10gallon tank, 20Long is preferred.

Housing multiple baby or young RES should be in at least a 20L so that they all have adequate space to live.  Feeding should be at least a little daily or every other day.  

Baby turtle food, krill, shrimp, fish is a decent diet for a baby.  You can try vegetation, however they normally only need start eating it later on.

A stunted turtle is a very unhealthy turtle and is hard to grow out once you've already done that to it.

Answer 2

well are you giving him vitamins,uvb lamp, heat lamp and heated water?????????????????????????? if not get him this stuff and he shud grow

Answer 3

The plastic tank has been to small or when you got him his shell had already been stunted. A turtle that size needs a big tank with UVA light and plenty of fish to eat.

Oh honey if your tank is BIG enough put him in then.  Do it they are social creatures then put him in.

I think mine have lasted so long cause they have each other....as long as there is plenty of room and food. Otherwise they can become canabalistic!

I have 5 and  2 slider  girls for 36 yrs. Plus an 8 and 5 yr old and now a 2 yr old adopted from this site.. Been in a pond for almost 7 yrs now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

The bigger the environment the bigger the healthier the turtle.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear! This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!  They sleep at the bottom of rivers,streams.lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes,  foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass.

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worm, meal worms, crickets, flies, crayfish and  anything that moves!

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose, Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about  3” across.

I wish you luck.