Urgent Care :: New Turtle Owner and questions about eating (updated)

[Tilted]

Hello,

I am a newbie, and I have a few questions. My biggest concern right now is that I am unsure if my tutles are eating. I have not seen them eat, and I see some of the food floating in the water that I gave them yesterday, but I don't know it they have eaten..I just got them on Saturday night, so I understand that they might be upset, but I want to make sure I am not missing anything or doing something seriously wrong.


How big is your turtle?
I have 2 turtles, they are both the size of a silver dollar. I got 2 because I did not think they would both live. I got them in chinatown, NY

How long have you had it?
I got them Saturday night, so 2 days

What is the water temperature?
Steady 78

Are you using a water heater? yes

How much water is in there?
about 5 inches deep

Are you using a water conditioner?
I put in "Turtle Clean" which is suppose to get rid of waste

Are you using any filtration? yes, there is a turtle filter

What is the basking temperature? Most of the day it is 72 in there. When I get home, I plug in the basking light and the temp goes up to 82

Is there a basking light? yes, but I don't leave it on all the time

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes, and they have been on it several times

What kind is it or what is it made out of? turtle ramp

Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? turtle pellets, romaine lettuce and some tuna. Should all of thier food be in the water?
When was the last time your turtle ate?
I don't know

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallons

Is the tank near a window? no

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? somewhat, it is in the office

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
They look healthy. They are a bright green, their eyes are clear and not puffy. They are stong and like to swim around and they spend a lot of time floating with thier heads popped out of the water.

[cam722]

Ok, a few things. One is the basking light should be on the same amount as the sun is out. The need the UVB rays in order to metabolize calcium for strong bones and shell. The basking temp really should be about 10 degrees warmer than their water temp.. high 80s to 90. Do you also have a UVA light, because UVB lights do not generally generate heat.

As for the food, the food doesn't have to be in the water, but they have to take it in water to be able to eat it. So if you want to place some pellets on the dock to see if they take it in the water and eat it and thereby be able to tell if they are eating.. not a bad idea.. I've done it as have many others

As you seem to realize, they are shy and may take a bit of time to get use to their new surroundings.

[Tilted]

Just a clarification. I have 2 lights, one is an aquarium light that I leave on during the daylight hours(UVB) , and the other is a basking light which I switch on when I am home (UVA)

[cam722]

The problem with that is that the basking area doesn't heat up enough. The won't bask properly if the temps aren't high enough and as I stated.. UVB doesn't usually give off enough heat to raise the temp. Ideally, they should both be on at the same time.

[steve]

The weather has been cold in NYC, so its very possible that these guys are going to be showing some symptoms of illness. Get the water to 80-82F and basking area about 90-92F

Turtle clean is not a water conditioner. Get some Reptisafe (blue liquid) and shelve the Turtle Clean. I personally do not think they should be in an office (unless its a home office). Lights are on too long and the air is pretty stale.

The basking light should be on when the UVB light is on, and they should both be on during the daytime.

Have you tried live food? You can try guppies, you can even hold it by the tail for your RES.

[Tilted]

I will get some Reptisafe. The water in the tank is spring water (bottled) I did not use tap water because it is clorinated.
They are in a home office, now a work place.

I can get live food, but they are so small right now, they aren't much bigger than a guppy.

[steve]

Feeder guppies are very small, if they have a hard time catching it you can cripple a guppy for them to catch. You can also cut up a live earthworm.

[Tilted]

Hello Turtle People,

I went to the pet shop today and bought a some Reptisafe and added that to the water. I also got some small feeder fish, who are happily swimming around in the tank. ::sigh::

I ran into another turtle owner at the store and he owns 24 turtles!!! Not all sliders, but lots of different types. He told me not to worry about them not eating because they are still getting use to their environment. I just got home and checked on them again, their eyes are clear, and they were active. I took them out of the aquarium so I could fish out the old food, and they were relatively calm. One is more active then the other, and slightly larger.

I have finally named them: The larger one is Foster and the smaller one is Sufjan.

[marisa]

It would make life easier for you if you put your lights on timers, so they can both be on and off at about the same time. Do you not keep the basking light on because you think there might be a fire?

They have to eat in the water, and what they find out of the water, they'll bring into the water to eat.

The sound like they're still getting used to their home. You might also try some frozen bloodworms or foods with a strong smell (bits of tuna and sardines packed in water).