TURTLE HELP Plz!!.?

Question

Im getting 2 baby red eared sliders and 1 painted turtles off the internet. but what do i need to know about taking care of them? thanx in advance

Answer 1

Have 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell (cumulative). You need a basking spot and a ramp to get the turtles up to it. Keep the tank bare otherwise. Have a filter rated for at leat twice the size of the tank. Feed high-protein food, such as earthworms, fishes (not goldfish), and soft-bodied insects. Strips of liver dusted with bonemeal are good too. Keep the temperature up. Unless you feed something loaded with vitamin D, get a UVB basking light.

There are caresheets and books available on the subject.

Answer 2

wow. lotsa turtles. you know you're going to need over a 300 gallon tank to house them all when they're adults, right?

let me give you a run down of what you need:

at least a 30 gallon tank (to start with)

a heat bulb

a UVB (not uva) bulb

a thermometer

a water heater

a basking dock

substrate that isnt gravel.

turtles love to swim, so fill the tank up 5/6 of the way.

hatchlings eat protein. buy rep-cal aquatic turtle food as a staple. they also eat feeder guppies such as rosy reds.

when they are aduls they need veggies, not pellets and protein. you can feed kale, collard greens, squash, carrots and dark leafy greens every other day. feed tomatoes, blueberries and apples with the skin ON sparingly (like once a month). spinach should be avoided, it can block calcium.

oh, and buy some cuttlebone from the bird section. they love to munch on it and it provides them with calcium.

if you have the time join a turtle forum. you can ask them all sorts of questions and they will have every answer for you. here are two i like:

redearslider.com and turtletimes.com

good luck!

Answer 3

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

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, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home

The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellets and small feeders guppies or goldfish or minows. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of  leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again..Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want.

For adults their of the diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens , romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Vital Statistics

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max.

Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration

Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water real quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent defecation. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

*** Health Problems

If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

Fungus Infections

“Fungal infections are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

**Shell Rot.

First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light.

Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water.

Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond..clean water.

1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes.

Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.

** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. . MOST important !!! TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

Respiratory Infections

“Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their early stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold.

Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

Ps..I have arthritis in my hands, so I have  pasted my answer for you. I just try to help you the pet  owner as much as I can. I wish you  Luck.

Answer 4

Get a heater for the water and a UVB Basking lamp. If you dont get the lamp then put the turtle in the sun.

provide big rocks/stones in the tank and not pebbles because they can swallow it and die.

my turtle loves Rosy red minnows which are 12 cents a peice at petco. one or two a week for them would be fine.

you should also feed your turtle pellets everyday

Answer 5

i have a red ear slider, i feed my turtle 'ReptoMin' by Tetrafauna, we also give him fruits like apple slices (no skin) cellary and broccli, we give him worms occasionally (but idk if u can give that to babies) and also feeder fish (same deal with the worms). I've had my turtle since i was 3 and i am now 17, so they last a really long time. I clean the tank about ever 2 weeks. I hope you have fun w/ your turtles :)

Answer 6

The best thing to do is go get a book on turtle care. There's way too much to tell you about habitat, diet, and hygiene than can fit in one Yahoo Answer. The For Dummies series has a pretty good primer on turtles and tortoises.

Answer 7

Go to this website and read up on everything you need to know.  They are not easy.  Very large tanks, UVB lighting, basking platform, heat lamps, water heater, water filter, change the water a LOT, a variety of foods, etc.

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

Answer 8

you need to feed them worms, fruits and veggies.clean up after them!!!!that's all i have to say