Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Duck the Turtle

[Little Jin]

Hi y'all! My name is Jeannette and I adopted a red ear slider a few months ago which my niece named Duck. Actually, my parents took my 4 year old niece to the mall and bought her the turtle. My brother and sister-in-law weren't too pleased and asked if I'd take him off their hands. I was happy to take him because I've always wanted a tiny water turtle but never saw them in pet stores due to those laws about water baby turtles that are smaller than 4 inches. I have lots of fish and several aquariums, so I thought I was all set. After doing a little reading I realized that his habitat was not set up properly, so I've ordered a few supplies. When I first got Duck, he was in one of those tiny plastic containers and was lethargic. I immediately put him in a 2.5 gallon aquarium with one of my Bettas until I was able to put something together for him. I’ve noticed that his skin is peeling/shedding so I ordered a sulfa dip. I’m not sure if this is normal or if it’s due to improper lighting, or maybe he needs to be “dipped” to remove any external bacterial/fungal diseases. Can anyone shed some light on this? Other than that he's very happy and active.

[Jessica313]

the sulfa blocks really dont do too much.
... and i dont know how big the turtle is, but no matter what size, a 2.5 gallon is way too small. the rule is supposed to be 10 gallons for every inch...

he will also need a UVB light as well as a basking light. and i good filter.
shedding is perfectly normal but he needs a place where he can bask (get completly out of the water) in order for his shedding so be normal.

also, unless you want him to eat your betta, take the betta out of there!

do some looking around on this site, its got everything you need to know, and feel free to ask any more questions you may have

[Little Jin]

Thanks Jessica. He's no longer in the 2.5 gallon aquarium. That was just a temporary set up. He's now in a 10 gallon aquarium, but I don't have the proper lights or wire mesh top yet. The items I need should arrive any day. I'm glad to hear the shedding is normal. I thought it might be because he's growing so fast. The Betta is no longer a tank mate, but the 2 of them got along well for that short period of time. The Betta seemed to think that Duck was his possesion to guard. The turtle is sharing space with 1 tiny fiddler crab. The crab climbs on Duck's back and they bask in the light together. Does anyone know of any problems between crabs and turtles?

[sonyj]

Welcome to the forum. I hope you and Duck are happy here.

Anything that is in your tank with your turtle has the potential of being lunch, even if they have been together peacefully for sometime. Example: today I caught Koopa eating the snail that's been in his tank for almost 8 months.

I've read that some shellfish carry a bacteria or something that contributes to shell rot in turtles. I wouldn't chance leaving them together if you are attached to the crab because he could wind up on the menu one day. That wouldn't be good for him or Duck.

[missibsu]

Welcome! I'm glad that you are getting a wealth of information! How big are the holes in the mesh top you ordered? Just make sure that it is bigger than 1/2 inch so that the UVB can get through!

[TinySlider2]

Hello and Welcome to the forum!

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum.

[Little Jin]

Sonja,

You were right about the crab. Duck had never taken any notice of him until Friday. He was in the process of trying to catch the crab when I got home from work. So, the crab is separate now. I wish I had been able to get a clear picture taken of the crab sunning on Duck's back. It was to adorable.

Jeannette