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Turtle help!

PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:24 pm
by The Trinity
I have a 10 gallon water tank for my turtle
He is about 4-5 inches long
How much water does he need? How deep does it have to be? He has some outdoor rocks as a basking place.

Please help!
and i had him for 1 and a half years and he hasnt grown yet, anybody know why?

Please help!

PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:29 pm
by JessicaTS
A 4-5 inch turtle will need at least a 50 gallon tank. The 10 gallon you have currently is too small for him. He needs as much water as possible without the chances of escaping. Do you have a UVB and UVA light, and a basking dock indoors? How long do you take him out to bask? Is there water he can dip into to cool off?
What are you feeding him and how many times? What is the temperature of the water?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:31 pm
by jenaero
Generally, the reasons for stunted growth are improper habitat and the wrong food.

10 gallons is way too small for your turtle. He needs a minimum of a 50 gal tank asap. I can't imagine he'd have any room to turn around in a 10 gal. Secondly, what have you been feeding him? We'll also need to know the water and basking temps.

RES need a LOT of water. They love to swim and that's a good reason to get a much bigger tank than what you have now.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 7:48 pm
by sonyj
Ditto what turtlesirens and jen said.... Be sure not only to rely on us for advice (even though we are great at giving it ;) ) but read through the forum/stickies in each section and the main site: www.redearslider.com This will give you a lot of great info to help you. The photo gallery has some pics of great set-ups if you browse through.

Just remember RES are aquatic and will spend 90% of their life swimming in the wild. If you own one you must try to provide the best habitat you can. One general rule is 10gallons of tank per inch of shell. This just ensures for a happy, healthy turtle. :)

PostPosted: Tue Oct 11, 2005 12:47 pm
by marisa
Aside from the too-small tank (which is being made even smaller by using rocks for a basking area), what, how much and how often are you feeding your turtle? What are the water and basking area temps? Does your turtle have ocrrect lighting to bask under?