General Care Discussion :: basking and feeding

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2017 7:28 pm   basking and feeding

I have 2 baby red ear sliders I have had them for about 1week .. Just finally got one of them to eat a blood worm... The other one won't eat and they both barely bask for long the one only goes halfway out the water. All temps are right any help would be amazing
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 4:46 am   Re: basking and feeding

I would be a bit more aggressive on getting a new hatchling to eat. How much water and privacy do they have? What else have you been trying to feed them?

I would try a live minnow if you can.... hold it by the tail and let it wiggle in front of his face.
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Post Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 7:41 am   Re: basking and feeding

I agree with Steve ! Live minnow , worm from your garden , cricket...
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 2:35 pm   Re: basking and feeding

I had fish they didn't eat them. The one is eating just fine now but only will eat the red worms. They have about 40 gallons of water. My tank hold more then 40 but was told to keep it at 40 for now. I have pellet shrimp and krill.. And also what do you think getting a 4 inch one would try to eat the babies?
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 3:56 pm   Re: basking and feeding

You would be just asking for trouble getting a 4" in with the babies. Then what if all are males...would need to separate needing three tanks !
Which you could still end up with two tank's if these babies are males !

A free swimming fish may be to fast for a baby. Catch one , "stun" it , hold by tail to "hand feed" the babies.
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 7:38 pm   Re: basking and feeding

The babies one is male other is female and the 2 4inch ones seem to be males too. But why would I need to separate the males?? The aint fighting each other. Im just worried about the 4 inch ones trying to eat the babies. I don't have another full setup. I didn't want the 4 inch ones but my friend didn't know and im not gonna get rid of them i can't im not that type of person
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 9:25 pm   Re: basking and feeding

At 12:35 was "a" 4" maybe now @ 5:38 two 4" and two babies ??? You may want to do homework especially saying "why separate males" ! Yes today not fighting...

The babies even a vet can "not" tell sexes 100% they are not sexual mature to tell ! What one wants them to be and what they are is two different things.
The 4" ones may be sexual mature to tell ? Why you say "seem to be males" how are you assuming that please ?

I am only on this forum a short time but I am this hobby 50 plus years with an internship just to understand this hobby on a personal level also 18 year's as a volunteer at a reptile nature center here.
What some long time turtle keepers have found to be very true is : At sexual maturity 2 males will fight for dominance / territory , female and a male the male will harass the female for sex to a point the female will hurt the male , 2 female's "sometimes" get along if and only if they have the same personality's. And good luck on that. This happens in open nature and some there even ends up hurt or killed. In an indoor limited size habitat it will happen more so !
Today yes may get along But I am informing you that day will come . I am just trying prevent the day you wakeup finding one hurt or worst ! It take's a lot of homework to have happy healthy long lived turtles. There are reasons of the 10 gallon for every in of shell for just one turtle. 40 gallons water for four turtles (2-4" + 2 say 1 1/2" babies that today needing 110 gallon of water alone and pray all turnout to be females with same personality's)
You already have concerns about the larger ones eating the babies ! It's good you took in the 2-4" ones and not that type of person as you state above. Now it's time to apply that to what a turtle needs to be happy healthy and have a long life. There are ways to keep all four , I can help with that and keep the cost way down. Turtles are not like cats we must be realistic on there needs they are living animals . There's enough horror stories out there now on what some found when they woke up.
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 10:12 pm   Re: basking and feeding

You can tell by claws and tails. Its not 100 accurate but its one way to tell... And yes I plan on separating them just can't at the moment. I only asked why separate them cause I had 2 males in the same tank nothing ever happened
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 10:13 pm   Re: basking and feeding

Also I know how much water they need... When it was just the 2 babies there was enough water...
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:19 pm   Re: basking and feeding

Yes the long uneven front claws are a trait for males. The tail , it's more so the cloaca location, some tails alone may take more time to tell. And if you have a fat male would be hard on male to tell by tail alone. Claws and cloaca ! Unless your turtle is fanning at you !

You may of just been lucky on those other two in the past. Males for sure ? What size were they , important ? What type tank setup ? Amount of water alone ? How long you had them ? What happened to them ?

None of this is going to happen today you have time. Some have more time than others depending on there sexual maturity and aggression that shows up ! With four the odds are not with you ! Prevention is key for a long life.

Some beginners think a year in this hobby is a long time and some turtles have a short life when not taken care of . RES's in captivity well taken care of can live 40-50 years !

My original turtles would be in there mid 40"s today if Hurricane Katrina didn't take them. 7000 gallon in ground pond could not stand the 31' surge and when all settled down I had 9' of water where my house was 27 days later. Three were adult female RES's and two adult male RES's along with one common snapper. Also 10 Koi over 20" and some goldfish. Then a lot of mosquito fish. That size pond the males had there own places but did get into fights and had the scares to prove it but being such a large area did not kill. Too many stories in my time of indoor setups where it was to the death due to aggression and or dominance ! Seen my share on what happens from the center on what can happen being the only rescue site around this area . That was in the area , Katrina wiped it off the map. Twelve years later just starting to rebuild it and been asked to return but just to old now. Yes some may get along even for a year or two maybe more but those days do come. Then it's too late ! When people are told about it they just don't want to believe until that day comes for what ever reason.
All we swam away with were the cloths on our back and our lives. Life started over and I was already retired. Today can only afford an indoor pond and to keep cost down with one male RES , Piggley. Yes males are really less work due to only getting 9" and not having to worry about nesting areas. I use a 150 gallon stock tank for him. Cost 1/4 the price or less of just one regular glass tank same size. Only one's creativity limits on how the inside and outside looks. Piggley love's his home and I love Piggley also its make him feel like he in a nature pond. Piggley never seen a pond in nature with glass sides that more just for us to view. Here's a short video I use on my last update for the forum : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KREuab7P8eA
It's Piggley's design , if I put something where he hates it he moves it , it's his home so I listen !
Last edited by litefoot on Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:26 pm   Re: basking and feeding

They were snapping turtles... Got them from someone who had them sexed by a vet.. Both males I had a 100 gallon tank. They were about 4 inches so where I had the water level was fine. I had to get rid of them because at the time mom wasnt happy with them..
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:33 pm   Re: basking and feeding

Snapper's don't really need lots of water when small so that helped. They are bottom walkers but do swim here and there at times.
4" that would be juveniles.
RES's are very different in cramped spaces. Snappers just got a bad name by the way they hunt and rather run and hide than fight !

Mom may of know that a full grown common snapper can get to be 30#'s ! Then two of them ?
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:45 pm   Re: basking and feeding

I know they are different that's why I wanted advice. I put more water in the tank they seem happier now. But im gonna try and get a different tank tomorrow
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:51 pm   Re: basking and feeding

Shop around and or use a price tracker for sales.

Yes sliders love to swim as much as basking. Seem happier bet they love it ! :D
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Post Posted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 11:57 pm   Re: basking and feeding

If one is eating, great but you will want to get it on a healthy diet ASAP. It is critical for a hatchling and it's shell. As for the other one, I would keep them separated. Did you hold the fish by the tail? For how long? What was the response?
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