Habitat - Indoor :: Trouble Setting Up Tank

[duhferret77]

I am removing my post....

Thanks for all the help. I will make sure to read more throughly through the site before I post again.

[CountryGirl68]

1. Do you mean 55 gallon tank? If so, then fill it up as much as you can without giving the turtle a means to climb out of the tank. (If you meant 5 gallons, you need to go bigger - at least 10 gallons per shell inch. How big is your turtle?) I keep my 30 gallon tank 3/4 full at the moment but once I get the bigger tank, I'm going to fill it up as much as possible and "close in" his basking area with chicken wire.

2. The heater should have enough wattage to warm a large amount of water. For a large tank (55 gallon), a 100w heater should work. Submersible heaters work well, just make sure that the heater is always underwater.

3. You can put rocks in the tank, just make sure they are larger than the turtle's head so he can't eat them.

4. You may need to try some "tough love" on the turtle. This means that you feed him only pellets and nothing else. Eventually, he will eat them. You can also soak the pellets in tuna fish juice.

[duhferret77]

Hi thanks for your response.


Thanks for all your help.

[Ferd]

dude, you need MUCH more than just five gallons of water. you need 10 gallons of water for each inch of shell. this means that jus five isnt enough for just one turtle! The water temp should be at least 75 degrees. What is your basking area? please dont tell me that is a bottle. or do you have somthing else? if it is then they need somthing that the can dry off completly on they also need a basking light to keep warm! to tempt them with pellets, you might need to dunk them in tuna juice or somthing smelly that will attract their attention. Im so sorry to crack down on you like this but turtles are VERY expensive to keep and require work. the questions you asked can be found on the main page as tabs. If you have any more questions, you should check those tabs. Before i say anything elso ill regret, ill end this quick:good luck!

[CountryGirl68]

You need a much larger tank than 10 gallons. Your tank should be at least 55 (fifty five) gallons because you have 2 turtles over 3 inches. They may seem small to you but if you give them a small space, they may turn aggressive towards each other which will mean visits to the vet. Vet visits cost much more than a large tank.

If you can, you should go larger now. You will eventually need at least a 140 gallon tank for both turtles.

[grey goose]

Hi thanks for your response.

Yes 5 gallon. they are small. Turtle 1 is 3 inches long and turtle 2 is about 4 1/2

I do have a ten gallon I will start to prepare it.

Thanks for all your help.

[CountryGirl68]

duhferret, you didn't need to delete your post. It's great that you are interested in finding out the information to better care for your turtles. Many of us here are still learning the rights and wrongs for our turtles' habitats and are happy to help others.

[missibsu]

Actually leaving your post would have helped other newbies. Glad you are doing your research though! And don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions, we're eager to help!