Habitat - Indoor :: Petsmart turtle habitat

[momof8]

Hello, I visited this forum to learn as much as possible before buying a turtle. I loved having RES turtles when I was a kid. My sister was allergic to everything else and this was as close to a puppy as I could get! But they were sold back then in the little plastic thingy with the plastic palm tree. My parents weren't animal lovers so I was on my own. Poor thing mostly ate bologna & lettuce. I was always devastated when eventually my beloved turtles would get soft shells & die. Now decades later I'm learning what caused that & indeed it can be prevented which has sparked my interest in them again. Sooo I need to know where to start. PetSmart has a turlte habitat set-up for $99. I couldn't find a size on the tank but it looks to be about 3 ft. long. It comes with a filter, light, & such. Anyone familiar with this set-up? Would this be big enough for 2 turtles? They said their turtles are sold as soon as they arrive so it may be awhile before I even get one (they've only been getting 2 at a time this time of year). Is this typical?

[jenaero]

If you're referring to the tank that has the hole cut in the side for the filter, then steer clear of that 'deal'. They're notorious for breaking.

Go for at least a 40gal for 2 hatchlings and plan to upgrade later. If you can afford a 100 gal or more, then go for that now to avoid lots of upgrades.

Don't buy gravel. Buy large river rocks for the bottom instead. Get a few fake plants for them to rest on and get the best filter you can afford (canisters are better than submersibles). Make sure you get a uva and uvb light.

That's all I can think of right now. Do a bit more reading on the site for basic necessities. Good luck

[sonyj]

Recommended tank size for a turtle is 10 gallons per inch of shell. And just keep in mind that everything doubles when you purchase two or more. If you get two turtles that means larger tank, better filter etc. If they don't get along and are aggressive towards each other (some do, and some don't) then you will have to provide each of them with their own habitat.

Without looking at a direct pic of what you are talking about, I'd say it probably isn't idea for one turtle let alone two. The reason I state this is for the simple fact that it has been almost every member's experience on here that pet stores aren't very knowledgeable or accurate in their knowledge of how to care for a turtle. Their idea of an idea set-up is far from what it should be. I'd look through the photo gallery if I were you just to give you a few ideas of what some of our set-ups look like. And when purchasing a tank, go with the largest that you can afford so that you will save cost later. Because you have to remember that as your turtle grows so must his home. By the time a turtle reaches maturity you will be looking at anywhere from a 90 gallon to a 120 gallon tank, depending on gender (and that's for one turtle).

[momof8]

When you say 100 gal tank are you referrng to a typical fish aquarium size or a tank with lower sides? Sorry this is new to me!

[Az^FolkSinger]

A typical fish aquarium, I am picking up a 200 gal this summer, then Tortuga will be set for life, he is still a baby about 1.75 inches.

[sonyj]

Fish tanks (aquariums) come in both long and tall versions. Either kind work fine, but if you have a choice go with a long since it gives more swimming room back and forth so to speak rather than up and down (depth) of water. Some people on here use stock tanks purchased at tractor supply type stores. These are cheaper than glass aquariums and hold up well since they are made to hold water, but you lose the ability to see your turtle from the side view if you prefer that. Other temporary options are larger Rubbermaid/sterlite type storage bins from stores like Wal-mart. You can purchase a larger container (i.e. 40 gallons) for under $20, but it isn't made to hold water and will eventually need to be replaced if it gets cracks.

Research your options and what will work for you. Places like classifieds in your newspaper and sites like craigslist are nice for finding used tanks at cheaper prices.

[momof8]

Sonyj....when you say photo gallery I'm only seeing pics of turtles, not the habitats. Am I looking in the wrong place?

[sonyj]

Look in the Photo Gallery section of the forum:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=14

You will just have to scroll through the posts, some may not apply to what you are searching for. But there are a lot of pics here if you have time to scan through them.

[momof8]

Thanks I found it. Do they make a heat lamp for tanks that is a little more attractive & doesn't look like it will fall into the water? What I'm seeing is the kind we used to use to keep chicks warm. I have 2 curious cats if you know what I mean.

[sonyj]

Here's the link to the pics I have on the gallery: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2173

I use a lamp that has the three bendable arms. Others use many different things, clamp style holders being the most popular. With having cats you may have to check into using a screen over the tank, but remember that screen,glass etc filters out the UVB rays so if you do go with a screen be sure that the hole openings are at least 1/2 inch. But what's the most important is that you have both type of bulbs that your turtle will need, a UVB bulb and a heat bulb, positioned over the basking area.

[momof8]

Where did you buy that lamp set-up? It looks the most sensible, like it can't be knocked in by accident.

[doomsdaybob]

Mom,
Check out my thread concerning hoods, the one Janaero found for me looked nice but a little out of the budget for now. The saltwater aquarium folks have some nice light setups but they can get expensive fast and require different bulbs then the fish use. The Petsmart setup you mentioned in a 20 gal long tank but because the end plate is cut for the filter you can never fill it more than half full. I just upgraded from one. I never had any problems w/it but my turtle was definately lacking swimming space as she got larger. I've got the tank, filter, cover, and white metal stand avail in NE Florida if anyone wants to make an offer.

[sonyj]

Where did you buy that lamp set-up? It looks the most sensible, like it can't be knocked in by accident.

I found that one either at Wal-mart or Target. It's been a while so I forget exactly which store. Places like that would probably carry something similar, or I've seen some on websites as well made for lighting reptile enclosers and such.

[mikedpirone]

momof8, i have the exact setup your talking about. its pretty nice for hatchlings but once they break the 3 inch mark they are going to need a new tank. take a look at the pics of my tank here http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3037 . i'm very happy with it but im going to need to be getting a larger one soon.

[cam722]

momof8, i have the exact setup your talking about. its pretty nice for hatchlings but once they break the 3 inch mark they are going to need a new tank. take a look at the pics of my tank here http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3037 . i'm very happy with it but im going to need to be getting a larger one soon.

Actually a regular 20 gallon tank is adequate for 2 hatchlings, anything over that it's too small. So I'd suggest you start with a larger tank to keep done the costs of upgrading. Those turtle tanks don't allow you to fill the tank up which makes them even worse for an aquatic turtle because they don't get the benefit of the full 20 gallons or even close to it.