Tell me about Turtles...

Question

Hi...

I have 3 baby red-ear sliders...and I want you to tell me everything about them...like what they need...what do they do...and more....

but one question....

how many years they can live and how big they can grow ....

Answer 1

Oh ouch, I thought you wanted to know what kinds of turtles made the best pets or something.

Okay, so I have ONE red eared slider and of all the turtles I have come across they are by far the nastiest! Don't get me wrong, I love my turtle...but you had better be ready for a whole lot of cleaning and get used to it. I have had mine for over a year and his tank gets cleaned every other day. I'm talking a full flush of the tank, all water gone and new water in. I had been to petco countless times and they sold me water filter after water filter, nothing worked. He was just too yucky. However I recently came across a specialty shop in town that sells filters made for turtles. Oh lord, best thing ever. It wasn't cheap but now I can go two weeks without changing his water. SO HAPPY! But you need to get a big tank, more than 10 gallons for your three turtles, they get pretty big and need enough room. Also, I have a floating dock for the turtle to sun himself on (also helps keep the water clean because he is out and not always so slimy). Buy a heating lamp that can be left on for the day and i would suggest getting a bulb to keep him warm at night, but one that isn't so bright that it is going to keep you up. They have "moonlight bulbs" that work just fine. What else...uhm definately get drops to treat the water and prevent waste build-up...and they typically are happiest when the water temp is from 75-80 degrees. I hope that covers the basics...it is a lot of work but that comes with owning pets, haha enjoy your turtles!

Also, I have found the feeder fish to be a waste of money. I stick with the dry pellets and the dried shrimp. Honestly my turtle showed interest with the live fish but turns out he didn't want to eat them...he just wanted them dead. So, that turned into just another mess to take care of in the tank.

Answer 2

red eared sliders average live 25 years. but can live longer with proper care.  one can easily finish a feeder fish  with no problem, but they are messy eaters.  feeder fish, some greens, and turtle food, and an occasional cricket is a good diet. to take the stuff out of tap water, use a water de chlorinater or something, you can ask your local pet store to help you find it and it's probably in the fish section. they need a really good filter and a big tank. they can grow about 1ft long.  for lighting, a basking spot with a heat lamp over it is needed. also a UVB bulb is needed. hope this helps:)

Answer 3

They should be free, that's what. Turn 'em loose in a creek. Captivity is cruel.

Answer 4

I had a turtle. They eat lettuce and grassy stuff. They just walka round but you have to make a little shelter for them like a house and give them water.

Answer 5

they live for a very long time, I believe past the 40 year mark, and usually get around 10 inches long, but can get longer. They need plenty of space to swim, but also a basking area where they can get COMPLETELY dry, if they can't completely dry they might get shell rot. They eat a varried diet of plants and animals. do not just feed them turtle pellets. turtle pellets are good but shouldn't be the staple of thier diet. give them a lot of meat, feeder fish or earth worms are good, and give them some aquatic plants to eat. They will never stop eating so don't over feed them. A bunch of pellets each week and several earth worms each should do fine. Personaly I recomend keeping the tank stocked with feeder fish that they can eat as they please. Oh and they need a light to bask under. enjoy your turtles

and in response to others posts, unless they are wild caught, DO NOT FREE THEM EVER releasing a store bought animal is a very bad idea, it is bad for the animal and very bad for the environment

Answer 6

They need aBIG tank or as they get older in a small tank they will kill to the death for space and food.

Are they basking 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D they need to grow? Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees.

Clean water do you have a good filter system?

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium. They will eat anything that moves.

They need leafy greens for vitamins.

Dried tubiflex cbed worms or some form of turtle stix?

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

Sliders I have two that are 36 yrs old!! Plus an 8 and 5 yr old.

I have had them in a pond for about 6 yrs now..

Amquel takes out the cholrine so the feeders don't die.Turtles don't need it.

Answer 7

they can grow up to a foot long and live from 25 to 50 years and in some cases longer

heres a good website that can help you with alot of questions

http://redearslider.com/

Answer 8

omg just go to google and search red-ear sliders!!!!! you will get all you need

Answer 9

they are relatively easy to take care of. a male reaches 7 to 9 inches long. a female will get to be 10 to 12 inches.  almost all of the tank should be dechlorinated water. their water should be about 80 degrees. they will need a water heater to maintain that temp. they like their water high also. they will need an area just big enough to hold all of them to completely dry off. over the dry dock should be a uv light. uv lights are vital to a turtles health. turtles should be kept in clean water. their tank should be cleaned once a week. to keep their water as clean as possible feed them in a seperate container (filled with water) and invest in a filter. they eat live foods such as crickets and mealworms. they also need to be fed pellet foods high in calcium and vitamin a. you need to feed turtles seperately to reduce aggression.  juvenille turtles should be fed daily and adults should be fed every other day.

how big of a tank-

your going to need a huge tank.  when they are all adults your going to need over a hundred gallons.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

http://redearslider.com/

Answer 10

You should have done your homework before you got the turtles.

Is their tank correctly set up?  Do they have proper water and basking temperatures?  UVB light?

http://www.uvguide.co.uk/

Here are some sites to get you started on learning about the turtles, like you should have already done.  With proper care and nutrition, turtles live a long time.

And three are going to need a HUGE tank or pond!  They will not stay little for long.

Illnesses to be aware of:

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

http://www.geocities.com/margareth100.ge...

Slider aggressive behavior:

http://redearslider.com/unusual_behavior...

Information and diet:

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

http://reslider.free.fr/backup/feeding.h...

http://www.redearslider.com/

http://www.turtle-care.com/

http://www.petturtle.com/care.htm

http://theturtlesource.com/

That should get you started on your quest.  An informed owner is a happy one with healthy and content pets.

Good luck with you new pets, and I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 11

they are relatively easy to take care of. a male reaches 7 to 9 inches long. a female will get to be 10 to 12 inches. almost all of the tank should be dechlorinated water. their water should be about 80 degrees. they will need a water heater to maintain that temp. they like their water high also. they will need an area just big enough to hold all of them to completely dry off. over the dry dock should be a uv light. uv lights are vital to a turtles health. turtles should be kept in clean water. their tank should be cleaned once a week. to keep their water as clean as possible feed them in a seperate container (filled with water) and invest in a filter. they eat live foods such as crickets and mealworms. they also need to be fed pellet foods high in calcium and vitamin a. you need to feed turtles seperately to reduce aggression. juvenille turtles should be fed daily and adults should be fed every other day.

how big of a tank-

your going to need a huge tank. when they are all adults your going to need over a hundred gallons.