Question about miniature turtle (purchased from "surf shop")?

Question

We just got back from Florida and my daughter came back with a baby (miniature?) turtle (which was purchased from a "surf shop"). After reading more on my return, I realize the chances of this little turtle surviving are against us, but we are really trying to take care of this new family pet.

We have the "habitat" set up (fresh de-chlorinated water), rocks for "sunning", heat lamp....I've read that their food needs to be in the water for them to eat it, so we take the turtle out to feed it, but we cannot tell that the turtle is eating...There does appear to be some "p**p",but I am not sure how much is normal...some websites tell us to feed it several times a day, others say once a day, others still say a couple days between feedings?? Anyone know of a reliable site to get info from?

Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

First, I'm confused as to why you take the turtle out of the tank when feeding if you know it needs to be in the water. She should be in the water when the food goes in, this way she can see it being put in and go eat it.

I must say I admire you for setting up a proper tank for her. Too many people think they can live forever in those little plastic cages. But I do hope you realize that this is no miniature turtle. It's a baby Red Eared Slider, whom was sold to you illegally. Though don't worry about that, it's perfectly legal to own them, it was the store who was in the wrong. RES can grow to be over 12 inches long, and live for decades. This turtle will likely outlive you if properly cared for, and possibly your daughter as well.

It's very normal for a turtle to not eat for the first week or so in a new home. She's scared, she doesn't know where she is and is afraid to eat. Keep her in the tank so she can see it's her new home. Offer food every day, once a day. It's good to try and feed around the same time every day to get her on a schedule. And to help her know that she won't be getting fed every time you walk by. I wouldn't rely on the p**p to be an indicator, especially if you've got a filter. I have two baby RES, they eat every day but I hardly ever see p**p in the tank.

As for the diet, you should be offering a wide variety of foods to your new pet. Babies need extra protein so live and freeze dried fish and insects from a pet store should be offered 3-4 times a week. And baby aquatic turtle pellets should be offered daily. In addition, offer fresh fruits and veggies every day. Most babies won't eat this but some do. In the future produce will be the main diet, so offering early gets them accustomed to it. And remember, all food goes in the water.

Here are a few sites full of useful information on the care and diet of baby and adult Red Eared Sliders:

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilest...

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/re...

http://www.redearslider.com/

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/ca...

Hope I could help! And feel free to e-mail me with any other questions or problems!

Answer 2

Go to www.turtlesale.com, and you can chat live with turtle specialists. Is's a great site! I have no idea why so many people make these negative comments about it.

I "adopted" 4 turtles from them(for a price), and I would recommend them to anyone.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

I would go to ReptileChannel.com.  There is TONS of information there.  And join Club Reptile, go to the forums, post questions you have about the turtle (try to put up pics to get it identified), and experts on turtles and all herps will come to help you out.  You may even see me (FastFoward5k).

Answer 4

turtle sale. is awful, seriously.

you have a cute baby red ear slider. did you know those turtles can get between 8-12 inches?

there whole set up and care can be found on a good website called redearslider.com they also have a forum.

but you answer your immediate question you should feed your turtle only once a day as much as could fit in the turtle's hollow head. the tank should be full of water as they love to swim, and there should be no gravel in the tank (they eat it). the need 75-80f water which can be achieved with a water heater and they also need a UVB lamp.

good luck! you sound like you want to learn, im sure your baby turtle will be ok!

Answer 5

Oh that is horrible that they just sell them in surf shops to people who know nothing about turtles at all! I am glad you at least decided to do some researching on your own! Ok, miniture turtles do not exist! They just look "miniture" because they are babies, but of course will grow! I think you have a red eader slider. You can tell by the red or orange stripes they have on the sides of their head. Believe it or not these turtles will grow up to 12 inches! But that is for females, males usually grow up to 10 inches. To take care of the baby turtle you will need  a 50 gallon tank, the bigger the better because it will be good later on, even though your turtle looks tiny in that tank, he will grow! a 100 gallon tank is best latter on, but a 50 gallon is fine for now, until s/he is more than 5 inches, then you will need to upgrade.But that ill be after 3-5 years. The tank should be filled up nearly to the top, with four inches left util the top. The water should be around 78-82F degrees, this can be accheived with a water heater.

On top of the water you need a big floating dock, that floats on the water without sinking. At the petstore there is one called zoomed floating turtle dock, get the large size, because your turtle will grow. You also need a basking light. What it is, is a warm heat light that turtles need because they are coldblooded and need to regulate their body temperatures. Get a 75 watt. You also need to purchase a dome shaped light fixture that you s***w in the bulb. It is really important you get a uvb bulb also. They are tube shaped and emit uvb rays, which are needed to harden a turtles shell. The best brand to get is Reptosun 5.0 uvb bulb. The basking light and uvb light should be shined together over the basking dock. The temperatures should be 85-90F, get a thermometer to check. You also need a water filter, and it has to be really strong. The best are canister filters and cost around $100, but work wonderfully for the cost, and are 100% worth the price. Turtles are really messy so you need to get a good canister filter. The turtle should be fed reptomin pellets (all found at the store off course)crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, earthworms, shrimp, fish and veggies like romaine lettuce, kale, mustard greens and other dark leafy lettuces. Since he is a  baby mostly feed him protien found in pellets, crickets, and worms. Latter on ( 6 monthes) feed him veggies. All of the foods should be powdered with a calcium supplement so the turtle can have a strong shell. You should feed the turtle twice daily in another container. He should eat in there for about 10 minutes, but it varies, you can feed him and as soon as he starts to regurgitate he is pretty ful!!!lol.Start feeding him once a day after he is 1 years old and is about 2.5-3 inches. Also you need to have a cuttlebone in the water. Turtles need it for calcium. It is found in the bird section at the betstore, but it is also for turtles. If you get absolutelly everything i wrote, then you turtle will be pretty happy!- And oh yeah almost forgot a good turtle site is Austin's Turtle Page ( ATP) it gives you loads of important info on turtles! Good luck with your turtle!