Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: New Parents

[boruchj]

Hi Everyone,

We are new RES owners, as of late last night. I don't think my bf knew what he was getting himself into when he decided to buy a hatchling out of the back of someone's shady van. javascript:emoticon(':roll:')

But.....I have been doing tons of research for hours last night and this morning. We are getting to the pet/aquarium store asap Sat. morning.

As of now, the little turtle is in the small aquarium, with a quarter inch of water of which he came in. I put the set-up (hardly) under my Northern Lights full sprectrum light, which I use myself to get vitamin D.

He also came with some pellets, but is not eating it. We are going to switch his water, becuase we have no idea where it came from, or how long it's been in there. I put two river rocks in there, but he seems to only be able to lean on them, or prop himself up.

Overall, he is pretty active. I keep saying "he", but have no idea what the sex is yet.javascript:emoticon(':shock:')

[jenaero]

Good luck with your new turt. Here's some basic care info that I copied from one of my other posts

Basic requirements:

large tank (as large as you can afford). Remember the rule of thumb is 10gal per inch of turtle as a minimum. A full grown 12inch female will need a 125gal.

water conditioner - ReptiSafe is good

2 Thermometers. one for water temp, one for basking temp

Possibly a water heater, depending on the temp in your house. It will say on the back of the package how big a tank it's rated for.

Filter - canister is better that submersible. I like the fluval 404.

lights - uva for heat, uvb for health. Uvb bulbs give light but no heat and are necessary for the turt to metabolize calcium in the diet. There are some combo bulbs out there as well.

Basking dock - you can buy one or make one yourself if you're handy. Make sure it's something that the turt can get completely dry on.

I think that's it....somebody jump in if I've overlooked something..

Some things to make the tank interesting:

River rocks. Make sure they're bigger than the turt's head so he cant eat them. I buy mine at the dollar store for $1 a bag.

Plants - I use the kind made for lizard cages. They suction to the side of the tank and hold up quite well in water.

Feeder fish - give him something to chase. Rosy red minnows are best.

That's all I can think of right now. I know how it is to feel overwhelmed with info so do some more reading on the main site and if you have any questions, just ask.

[sonyj]

Welcome to the forum. After you've got him all set-up, we'd love to see pics.

[kimmie_Kichi]

Welcom welcome! I'm a single mommy right now and have custody of my best friend's bay to! If you haven't fallen in love with him yet don't worry you will!

[missibsu]

Welcome! We like to see pics if you have any!

[Pokey's Grandpa]

Nice to meet you! Ditch the water, god knows how long that little fella has been swimming in that! Also, the sooner you can get a bigger tank and fill it up with a good deal of water, the better. I once had a mississippi map turtle who couldn't swim because when he was young I didn't have a tank large enough for him to learn!