Habitat - Indoor :: Help ... New RES Owner Here!

[Pet_Lover]

Hello everyone! I just aquired 3 RES about a week ago. They are about 4". When I got them they were in a 10 gal. tank w/ about 2" of water. They have lived like that for at least a year that I know of. Well, after reading some information on here, my husband and I weighed our options, we can't afford a huge tank right this moment, so we opted for a 55 gal. tank, and they love it! I don't think they ever had the option to swim before ... cause when we put them in there they just sunk down to the bottom and walked around for a few. I know I need a bigger filtering system ... mine's for a 60 gal. tank. And I plan to go out today and buy another. After a couple days the water stinks real bad and the water is cloudy. Now I hope its just cause I need a bigger filtering system.

I have a few questions ... how can you tell if they are male or female? They all seem to get along quite well.

What size basking area is suitable for 3 RES?

Can I put Fish in the tank w/out them eating them? e.g. Alge Eater
I've read some post that say add fish and others that say they feed their RES fish.

And one last question ... the person before me didn't give them any veggies ... she just gave them reptile sticks ... and when I try to give them veggies ... they don't even try to nibble on them ... is there a way I can introduce them into their diet?

All your responses will be greatly appriciated!

[therizman1]

Here are some answers for ya

For male or female, males will have longer nails, and their tale will be thicker right by their shell. The males nails will be noticably longer than the females. Dont trim them though, it will just cause the turtle unnecessary stress and possible pain.

You should get a big enough basking area so that all three can fit up there if they want to, also make sure you get a UVB bulb and a basking light so that they are enticed to go up there. A lot of people have been making them out of PVC piping, but you can also get floating basking spots at most stores.

Anything you put in your tank will be possible food for your turtles, they like to take a bite out of everything, usually if they dont bother something its only because they havent realized they can eat it yet. So you can put an algae eater in there, but be ready for it to be gone one day. I have snails in my tank, and they seem to do a pretty good job, I have three Black Mystery Snails.

Fish dont hurt to have in the tank, they do help to keep things clean, but get cheap feeder guppies or rosie red minnows, that way they can be eaten too, dont get goldfish cause they are too fatty.

As for veggies, just keep offering, they may not realize they can eat them yet but they will eventually. I have two turtles, one took to lettuce right away and the other one after a month of being in there just started to eat it in the last week or so. Once one of them starts to eat it though, the rest will probably follow. Lettuce is a good started, just let it float, and maybe shred some carrots. After that, there are tons of veggies and fruits you can try, you can find a whole list in the Feeding and Nutrition section.

Hope this helps, and you might want to look into getting a canister filter, they are a little pricy for a good one, but they work unbelievably well and will keep your tank super clean.

[Pet_Lover]

Where can I find a Canister Filter? They don't have a big selection at any of my local Pet Shops for Reptiles. (Possibly on-line?) Thanks Again for you help!

[marisa]

My favorite place for filters is www.bigalsonline.com

[Justamonk]

You will find the canister filters in the fishing section, I don't think they put it in the reptile section. As Marisa already stated, Bigalsonline is a great place for a filters, can't beat most of his prices. You can save almost $20-50 on most of the filters online, rather than buying them from a local shop.

[therizman1]

Just as a note drfostersmith.com is having a huge sale, here is a link to the canister filter section.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/N ... 2004+22777

A lot of people are using the Filstar ones, usually the XP3, and that is the cheapest youll find it anywhere.

[marisa]

Compare them--I always seem to find that when another site has a sale, the sale price is what bigals' regular price would be, or very, very close to it.