Feeling horrible about turtles?

Question

I'm feeling pretty horrible right now. I never, ever agree with impulse purchases of any pet, and yet, today I bought two baby turtles on impulse in Chinatown. They were being sold at many booths, and lots of people had them. They were awfully cute, so I got them. I'm pretty sure they're baby red eared sliders. I honestly don't know why I did it, but I did. Please do not lecture me. I know what I did was wrong, and I know that it was a bad idea. I don't want to give them up, so I'm hoping someone can help me out.

What should I do with them? I mean, I want to at least try to provide them with the life they deserve. As of now, they're in a very small plastic carrier that they came with. There are a few rainbow rocks at the bottom. i will be switching them over to a larger tank soon. Is 10 gallons sufficient for the two of them? I would be getting them a large rock to bask on and possibly a heat lamp. Would it be okay if I substituted the heat lamp with just putting the rock part of their tank in the sunlight?

How often do I feed them? I've read from a bit of research that I've done in the past half hour that they should be fed every other day, but the person who sold them to me said to feed them once a week. What should I feed them? I was given floating pellets for them, but then I read they should have some form of animal protein.

What other things should I absolutely need to know right now? I feel completely awful about the whole situation, and now I wish I never got them. Would it be better if I rehomed them with someone that has experience with them, or should I stick it out and do the best I can? I really want the best for these little guys. I know that I'd try my very best to take good care of them. I'm so sorry to all those out there who are properly caring for turtles. I'm a mess right now, and I'm just not sure what I should do about it.

If anyone could help me out to try and keep these little guys alive and well, I'd REALLY appreciate it. Thank you so much.

Answer 1

You should rehome them. It makes no sense to have a pet which will live many years that you don't even like. Give them to someone who wants them and knows how to care for them properly.

Answer 2

why is that such a bad thing????tehy are ment to be pets. atleast u care about them unlike the sellers, so really u r doing the better thing, they will get into a biger nicer home.

Answer 3

bring them to the local pond or river and they will live fine

Answer 4

when full grown they get 1 foot long. so 10 gallons isn't enough. i think a 40 gallon would be ok, but still pushing it. They eat commercial turtle pellets available at petsmart and petco etc. They need a place to get out of the water and a heat lamp with the right kind of light (i cant think of it off the top of my head). They need an aquarium filter in the tank because they are very messy, so be prepared for cleaning the tank out every week. good luck.

Answer 5

Well..did you know that they were illegal? xD Um.. i dont know what happened, but im gonna tell you now. i heard someoen say that the turtles need a bit of light, so put them near the window, and when i came back today..one was dead. i have two red eared sliders..i feel awfully bad cuz its my fault..maybe its just having a really HEAVY sleep..maybe hibernating. I dont know what happened..it hasnt been eating much too, well it has but not much.. i feel bad. i hope its just having a very heavy sleep and will wake up soon.. my family's been feeling awful too, and this weekend we are gonna go let it go in a pond..they would be better off there, its their home. they do everything on their own, its nature. i just hope that the turtle would wake up..just wake up.

Answer 6

Ten gallons would not be sufficient  for even one of them. By the time they grow up, you could be turning over one room to them in a child's wading pool. For now, you could get away with 30 gallons but you would have to move up to 55 gallons next year. A filter rated for a tank 2-3 times the size of the one you have will keep you from having to change the water so often. No gravel. Bare tanks are easiest to clean.

They need a basking site with a heat lamp and (usually) a UV light over it.

The best food is live: earthworms, fishes, soft-bodied insects. Otherwise, strips of liver dusted with bone meal are good.

If they get to be too much for you, contact your nearest herpetological society to rehome them. Or place an ad on http://www.craigslist.org. Never release them.

Answer 7

Calm down we can all help ya,K

*Sliders, cooter, painted, map, yellow bellied all are basically the same and require the same basic care. I have had my 2 slider  girls for 36 yrs. Plus an 8 and 5 yr old and now a 2 yr old... Been in a pond for almost 7 yrs now.Walmart sells a 55 gallon tank with hood, light and decent filter for $153.00. You would need to buy some extra stuff, but that is a cheap tank set up with a good filter. You still need the rep light and large enough gravel they can’t swallow., and a dock…and fish and rep food.

I have used kiddy pools and plastic pond liners from most nurseries..

**Here is some important and a lot of info. Get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..even meal worms. For the lil guys (under an inch and a half)you may have to cut up there food.

**Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. Males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length. Males are smaller in size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

*The bigger the environment the bigger 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 need leafy greens( Romaine, Butter lettuce. Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any 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 his nose, swollen eyes..so many illnesses.

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

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Thanks for all your emails..we will keep in touch. XXOOO

Answer 8

Don't feel too bad--I did this once too. (In fact, whether or not they will own up to it, I'm sure more than half of all pet owners have made an impulse buy at one point or another.)

Check out this website--http://www.turtlecare.net/ It has a lot of information specific to aquatic turtles.

Answer 9

i used to have a turtle from china town andd it was super cute too but it died because it ate the pebble decorations in his cage so thats just a little advice