Habitat - Indoor :: HELP!!! IM NEW TO THIS..I HAVE A BABY RES

[Eastro]

Hi everyone,

I got a baby RES and I baught a little tank for him for now. I only had it for 4 days now... and itry to feed it but..it doesnt seem to eat what i give it. I feed it turltle pellets... but it dont eat. Is this bad, or does this mean he doesnt know its food? I also try to make his tank comfortable as possible, any suggestions???? I put pics so you guys can see where I have the water level..and where my turtles at. Any suggestions would be appricaited. Im not sure if i need to buy a filter for a baby RES...I dont want to put too much water....or if the water is too warm or cold.

[Shavannah]

Hi Eastro! Go to the homepage and read all the care instructions, and take notes, lots of them, lol! Also there are 'stickys' posted on the top of topics that give a lot of info.

[Shavannah]

You definitely need a heater, kept at around 80 degrees. His water needs to be filled up as much as possible without the possibility of him drowning. He also needs a basking dock that he can easily climb onto and get completely out of the water. He needs a UVA light and a AVB light. His basking temperature should be 10 degrees warmer than the water. Do some reading, and look at members' pictures of their setups to get an idea. Fix his tank as soon as you can before he becomes ill. Good luck!

[Shavannah]

You also need to get a filter, the water needs to be kept clean to avoid illness.

[missibsu]

Good advice mentioned above.

I would add that you need a larger tank. Rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch of shell length. The larger you can go now, the better. It will save on costly upgrades in the future. When full grown you are looking at a minimum of 90 gallons of water.

A decent filter is also needed. Filters are made for fish, and turtles are messier. A filter that is rated 3x's the size of your tank will help keep the water cleaner.

A heater will help keep your water temp consistant. I prefer the heaters that have a knob where you set the temp that you want. Some heaters only provide you with settings that read hi, med, low. They are harder to control.

Please be sure to read through the main site, and the forum. There is a lot of useful information here. It can be overwhelming at first, so just ask if you have any specific questions.

[CountryGirl68]

Definitely a bigger tank and more water. And I'd get rid of the gravel if I were you. Not only does it take up space in the tank, once the turtle grows, he'll end up eating the gravel and that can cause serious problems.

[Eastro]

Thanks everyone!!! For all your advice. I went out and got a 10 gallon tank, got a aqua plant for him to nibble on...and keep the water...nice. Put some rocks on the bottom..... and added a baskingdock for him....A filter also..and purified the water..he seems to enjoy it more now.

He stands next to the plant a lot....maybe he likes it????

But he hasnt ate nothing yet..should i give it more time?

I got a picture of the tank and a picture of him....near the plant.

What you think..... All i need now is a lamp....

[grey goose]

Thats a nice starter setup, much nicer than your first tank. I don't know what kind of plant that is, I'd put a fresh piece of romaine lettuce in everyday. As far as eating, he's probably still too scared, with his new tank and all. Just keep things quiet around the tank, and each day just drop a pellet in and walk away....I had the same situation with my "kids" it took them a few days to come around and start eating.

[Shavannah]

Is there any way you can check the water temp with a thermometer? Babies like it warm, I think around 80 degrees. If I'm wrong, someone please clarify. You can check other people's posts to see. Just type it in the search bar and some posts will come up that you can read. Or go to the homepage and read the care instructions. You've made a great start! Try to add a little more water at a time and keep moving the filter up as you go. RES turts love to swim! Just be sure he can't climb out. Also, the warm temp will help increase his activity and hunger. Hope this helps!

[cprcheetah]

2nd setup looks better than the 1st. Good starter tank. Make sure you check the temperature. Also as he gets bigger those pebbles/rocks are going to look awful yummy to him....most turtle owners have a bare bottom tank with maybe a few large river rocks on the bottom. As turtles can and do eat the pebbles and get impacted. Do you have a basking light?

[Eastro]

thats the only thing I need. A light. Maybe a 75 watt light bulb will do. And yes.... When he gets big..ill be sure to have a bare bottom...the temp is fine now..its around 75-80. But i will get a lamp for him....I dont want him to get too hot..... But warm enough. He really loves that aqua plant I put in. He moved away from it...twice..to swim around...but he still stays on top of it.... Is this normal?????

[grey goose]

Its OK. That plant is his "safe spot". Its a good sign that he's swimming around. Soon he'll be brave enough to start exploring.

[missibsu]

As you fill up the tank with water, he will probably use the plant for support. As he gets bigger it won't be an issue.

A 75 watt bulb isn't all that you need. You'll also need a UVB light. The UVB is essential to the health of your turtle. Until you are able to make that purchase, you can take him outside for basking in the sun. Just be sure to keep a close eye on him, he can easily get away. Also, make sure that there is some shade as an option.

You water temp shouldn't fluxuate so much between 75-80. A more steady temp with reduce the risk of getting a respritory infection. Right around 78 is good for a hatchling. Once he's a bit older you can reduce the temp to around 72-75.

[boruchj]

My RES is about the same sixe as yours appears in the picture. However, I have not been able to get a light-weight floating docak and have stacked slate over lg. gravel. The watre level is about the height of the carapace (sp), as it said on the website, but I need to fill it higher to establish the proper water hight for the heater's required water level.

My question to all is, is filling the 20 gal. about halfway (it's at 1/4 now) and stacking the slate going to be too high for the little guy.

Maybe it will encourage some serious swimming lessons though. I am just afraid of drowning. He currently does not bask (atleast not while we are home) and prefers leaning against the filter in the "deep end" and poking out once in a while.

I need to get this heater in asap, b/c he recently stopped eating. i am pretty sure it is due to the temp, but the tank was a little dirty last week. We did not know we had to clean the actual filter, and had just been changing the water 1x wk. Filters need to be cleaned right, or is there somehting wrong w/ ours?

I know that is a ton of info./questions, but we are so new to the RES.

Thanks!!!!!

[turtlesrock77]

You don't need to worry about drowning. Just fill it up as far as you can without allowing escape. The slate isn't a great idea, because it could fall and injure your turtle or he may get caught in it. You can order floating docks online if the pet stores in your area don't carry them, or you can build your own. You can search for pictures of basking docks on here. They are shy about basking. Do you have a UVB light and a heat light?