Habitat - Indoor :: i think my turtles gonna die

[biteme66669]

i dont want to ask the same questions, so sorry if this has already been answered. I have a res, her name is louis. I was given this turtle as a gift like... almost a year ago. Until recently did i find out that louis had to be in a bigger tank with a better filter, better lighting, and a place to get out of the water. Now I also didnt know any of this becuase i just founf out it was a res....Im not a bad owner just a very misguided one. Either way im tring to make it up to louis by getting her a 20 gal tank wich is much bigger then her tiny ten gallon. Also I bought her about $100 worth of new stuff; Filter, light, frozen food crap, night light, screen cover. Probably something else. She seems to be not that happy now that I have moved her I am really afraid that she is going to die now becuase she is going to be more stresse3d out. My other concern is that when i take her out of the tank she breathes out of her mouth. I just need a lot of help in trying to help louis the best i can so that she is happy and she doesnt die. Please help me!

[GouzlanTheAmerican]

I think you need to give her some time to adjust to her surroundings first. I wouldnt handle her for about a week or so until she adjusts to the new changes. I think the breathing your talking about is just her "hissing" at you. she is doing this because she wants to be left alone.

[jenaero]

does she only do that when you pick her up? If she's just hissing at you then it's not a health problem. Signs of RI (respiratory infection) are lopsided swimming, breathing thru the mouth, bubbles from the nose/mouth, puffy eyes. If she has any of these symptoms, get her to the vet. If not, just give her time to adjust to her new home.

[marisa]

She's probably thinks she died and went to turtle heaven with such a big change. Seriously, she probably just needs time to adjust (turtles don't deal well with change). You did good to improve her habitat.

Is she healthy overall? When I pick up my RES and if he's not in the mood to be picked up, his mouth will open for a while as he breathes, like he's thinking of striking out. I think it's a defensive maneuver and instinctive. When you put her down, does the mouth close?

If you pick up your turtle and she makes a hissing sound while she quickly retreats into her shell, that's the sound of air being forced out of her lungs to make room for her head.

[biteme66669]

ok, so i understand now that she is just hissing. I have also developed a couple other questions in the last day... The light that i have for her is a new UVB and UVA bulb its like 2 in 1 and i didnt know if that is ok becuase it doesnt feel like her basking area is hot at all. My other question is how do you all clean your tanks? and how often? my turtles tank gets dirty like every 3 days but there is no way i can clean it ever 3 days, I am not strong enough to bring it to the bathtub and wash it out all the time. I have a brand new filter, as i may have mentioned, but it seems to be doing nothing. I just wanted some input on that, thanks for getting back to me and all the advice is helping!

[marisa]

The UVB/UVA light--what brand is it? Did you check the temp with a thermometer to be sure? If the UVB/UVA light is a flourescent, it won't emit enough heat by itself, and your turtle needs a separate heat lamp (you can use a regular lightbulb for this). A basking area temp of high 80s-90F would be good. The only kind of combination light that will give off UVB and UVA rays and heat is a mercury vapor light. They're more expensive, though, and they're not recommended for a 20-gallon tank (too much heat). Again, what brand of bulb is the one you got?

How big is Louis? If you have to clean the tank so often, the filter you bought probably is too small for the tank and can't do an efficient job. (As a guide, a filter should be rated for 3X the size of the tank. If you got a filter that says it's for a 20-gallon tank, it's not powerful enough. Filters were made for fish, and turtles are way messier.) You could keep the tank cleaner by feeding your turtle in a separate container. Also, not having gravel in the tank (don't know if you do) would help debris from getting trapped and dirtying the water. What is the filter that you're using?

To make cleaning easier, you use a siphon or a device called a Python, which will suck the water out and refill the tank after it's been cleaned.

[biteme66669]

ok! lol I am using a Repti Sun 5.0 UVB Tropical light. It says that it has 5% UVB output and 30% UVA output.....not sure what the other 65% is but the lady at the pet store told me this was all i needed. here is the link for it.
http://www.zoomed.com/html/compacts.php
What kind of thermometer would i use to check the tempature? My boyfriend is insistant that the heat the turtle is getting is "not like regular heat and you can't feel it" yet hes a dumbass so... Im relying on everyones advice here.

Louis is 5 1/2 inches. I know i should have a 55 gallon or so but i just learned that after i bought the 20 gallon so i am in the process of trying to find a 55 gallon. The filter i am using is a 400 Cascade internal filter. And yes it is for a 20 gallon tank it says also that it is 110 G.P.H. (which i dont know what that means but..)

So thats all my equipment really... umm as far as the other light for heat goes what wattage buld would i use? Also where would i find the Python? and is it messy at all or complicated. Becuase there is no way i can lift a 55 gallon tank if i get one.

Once again thank you for all your advice and help i dont think you know how much you are helping me! Thank you all.

[marisa]

Regarding your boyfriend's comment that the heat the turtle is getting "is not like regular heat and you can't feel it,"... heat is heat. You can check the basking area temp with a regular thermometer. Just put it on the basking area under the light where your turtle would be basking (or put a rock the size of your turtle there and put the thermometer on that) and leave it there for about 15 minutes or so. Then take a look at what the temp is.

I looked at your link, and I'm assuming you have the Reptisun 5.0 tube (doesn't say it's tropical, though) and that's OK for a UVB light. I don't think it gives off enough heat, though (as checking the temp with a thermometer will tell you), so to increase the temp., you could just clamp a regular lightbulb over the basking area (get a clamp lamp with a dome). Don't just go by wattage, use whatever will keep the basking area about 88-90F (water temp should be about 76-78F, and you can get an aquarium theromoeter to check the temp); you can adjust the basking area temp by either using a different wattage bulb or moving the bulb closer or further away from the basking area depending on if it's too warm or not warm enough. Ideally, you want to have the UVB light as close to the basking area as possible (or part of it over it). Barriers like glass, plexiglass, screens, even water to some extent will filter out UVB rays and your turtle won't benefit. Try to have the UVB light no more than 12 inches from your turtle.

If you upgrade, try to go bigger than 55 gallons--Louis is 5.5 inches now, but when he grows, that 55 gallons will need to be upgraded as well. And if you go bigger now, you won't have to do it so soon.

I've never used a Cascade filter, but it doesn't sound like it's even big enough for the 20 gallon tank you have now (and if its internal, it's wasting space in the tank). A filter rated for a 60 gallon tank (or at the very least a 40 gallon tank) would keep the water much cleaner. But if you go for a 55+ gallon tank, get a canister filter like the Filstar XP3, Fluval 404, etc. (There are posts on these filters and others if you look.)
G.P.H. means gallons per hour, so if yours says 110, it pumps 110 gallons per hours. (Just to contrast, the XP3 pumps something like 375 gallons per hour.)

You can buy a Python at petstores, but more cheaply at Walmart (the 25 ft. long one, anyway). They're easy to use, and you don't have to lift the tank. Hope this has helped as well..

[biteme66669]

ok so my turtle seems much more lively she is swimming aorund and basking in the warmth. I also went out yesterday and got a submersable heater and i think thats also why she may be really really happy. She is eating really well now. Couple more small questions. My turtle seems to love the reptile sticks and anything else i have tried to feed her she snubs. Mostly i have tried lettuce... well romaine lettuce and this frozen chunks of food stuff that the pet store lady told me she fed her turtles. Is it bad if she just eats the reptile sticks should i be giving her anything else? Maybe throw some small fish in there?

Also as far as thermometers go I know what kind to get her for the water temp but for the rock (basking area) I saw a digital thermometer in the pet section at walmart and i think someone said that thats what i would use to test the temp of the rock. Is that right?

Also do some turtles naturally just hiss at you when you pick them up? I mean i know that turtles aren't really the type of animal that you are supposed to take out and play ball with but when i take her out just to hold her she still hisses at me and i just didnt know if that was something that some turtles do.

I want to thank everyone becuase i love seeing my turtle so happy and i know that i could not have done it without anyones advice. So thanks again!

[marisa]

If you want to spend the money on a digital thermometer, it's up to you. A regular thermometer would work fine as suggested, though.

Read some of the posts on the Feeding and Nutrition forum for other things to feed your turtle. A diet that has variety is best. As she grows, plant matter will become more important to her, so it's good to introduce plants early and keep offering. You might try some aquatic plants (from petstores or garden shops that sell supplies for aquatic gardens) like anachris, water hyacinth, etc. Most turtles like them.

Some turtles do make a hissing sound when they're picked up. If your turtle is quickly retracting her head into her shell when she does this, the hissing sound is the air escaping from her lungs to make room for her head.

[Res1]

I have a similar problem, except my turtle is about 1 inch and a year old.

I had bought a pair a year ago, but the female {pooh} ended up growing up to 3.75 inches. She then started nipping at spidey, so i gave her up to a pet store after watching in horror how she grabbed spideys leg and dragged him in the water.
He was a little stunned and wouldnt go in the water for a week. this occurred about 2 months ago. After that week of closely watching him..he went back to his social self. Hes very warm and doesnt seem to be scared of me, he slides when other people approach him though. He does these little cute things which reflect his trust in me. He was perfectly fine upto 2 weeks ago.
He has suddenly gone into a heavy sleep. He sleeps in the water or on the basking spot with every appendage extended completely out of his shell . Ususally when he was sleeping I could wake him up in a snap. Now it takes several minutes....even if im holding him. He does eat, and is still his playful self. I really miss him swimming into my hand voluntarily. I have done some research and the only reason that kept coming up is turpor. This is my first res can someone please offer their valuable advice?

[Pi]

Hi RES1,

I'm afraid I'm new to turtles myself, so I can't really help. But I bet if you started a new topic for your question it would be much more visible than at the end of a thread, because it might get overlooked here. That way you could get your questions answered sooner.

Pi

[Res1]

Hi RES1,

I'm afraid I'm new to turtles myself, so I can't really help. But I bet if you started a new topic for your question it would be much more visible than at the end of a thread, because it might get overlooked here. That way you could get your questions answered sooner.

Pi

thank you

[marisa]

I answered your other post.