General Care Discussion :: Brand new RES owner w/ Questions

[Caelestis]

My cousins recently got back from a vacation in Florida and bought some RES hatchlings about 1.25 in big. I don't know if they got it sold to them illegally because I just read the 4 in rule online and don't know if it applies to Florida. Anyway though, it's here and I'm getting attached to it. I put it in a 7-10 tank (estimating here) where my salamander used to live in. I put some concrete i carved in shape in there, but he doesn't bask and isn't active as much. He eats though, and I see excrement in there.

I don't have a UV light for him or a water heater, but I put him outside in the sun, and check his water frequently to make sure it's not to hot/cold. I'm going to the pet store to get him a bigger tank in my room and a light, heater, ect. I'm to scared to put him in the 150 gal tank with the big fish (don't know what species) that are about 4 inches long.

I feed him some zoo-med pellets for hatchlings but that's about the only thing he eats. He refuses to eat the dandelion leaves* that I hear are good and tasty for them on here, apples or any other fruit. I try to leave it alone for some privacy too. Can anyone help me? My dad told him to feed him some bread (he says to feed everything bread) but I haven't seen anything about bread here.

P.S. I don't know what to name him/her just yet, can anyone who is good at naming things help me =( Also, is petco or petsmart preferred?

*Picked them out of my yard, no herbicide/pesticides. They are the ones with yellow flowers and white seed heads that kids love to blow on right? I hope they are, that way I have a free source of food for him =D as long as some lettuce I will have to buy.

I hope he's okay, I want him to eat the veggies but he won't so I was thinking about leaving it there in for him and not giving him anything else, but he won't bite and I don't want him to starve.

[Safdar]

First of its is Illegal in Florida, They just Passed the Law

They take a while to adjust

He wont bask if you dont have a light to provide the heat

You should get a water heater, Because the water for hacthlings should be 78-80 degrees for them to be active.

No dont feed him bread!

You have to get all the set-up right, Basking, UVB bulb, Tank size

Then check if he is still having those symtoms

[kmichael55]

You need both a UVB light and a heat lamp (can be regular household bulb) over the basking area.
Do not put the tank outside in the sun...it will overheat, he is in an enclosed container and cannot escape if the water gets too hot. You need a thermometer to check the temperature about 78-80 for a hatchling.
I would not put him in with other fish, he will eat them, unless you want to buy small feeder fish for him, which you don't mind getting eaten.
As a hatchling, he will mainly eat pellets and other protein...as he gets older he will start eating his veggies, but it is good that you are offering it to him now, he will eventually eat it.
Definitely do not feed him bread.
It is good that you are leaving him alone for a privacy...he needs to get adjusted to his new environment and you don't want to stress him out too much. Do not handle him too much either.
I like Petsmart, the Petco is farther away... either are good places to buy supplies, but DO NOT listen to pet store advice, it is almost always wrong. Some Petsmarts allow you to print out an item page from their website, and they will price match to their website...it is usually cheaper online.

[Caelestis]

thanks, I'm just putting him in the sun as a temporary solution, and checking the water constantly with a thermometer. As soon as I go to petsmart I will get my turtle a good place to live. I don't know if I should get a 55 gal rubbermaid storage bin for now until he gets bigger then I might put him into the 150 gal tank. theres only 3 fish in there and 2 are goldfish. We used to have a lot more goldfish, but always preferred to eat each other over the food. Either that, or they starved to death because the others were hogging food. I love my turtle though, and I must've been reading an outdated site on Florida turtle laws.

[RunninWideOpen]

Welcome to the forum!

A great place to start would be the main site, www.redearslider.com . They've got just about all the info you need to know to get started.

Your turtle is definitely a hatchling at 1.25in, and could grow to be 12" long. I would definetely suggest the 55gallon rubbermaid as a temporary solution. There are actually some people using them on here as more permanent solutions.

The water heater is very important. Turtles are cold blooded and rely on the temperature of their environment. It should be 78-80 for a hatchling, and VERY consistent. It would be better to just wait till you can get the basking lights than put the tank in the sun.

I've never used the zoo-med pellets, but I've heard their good. I use Reptomin Baby pellets. He'll also enjoy lots of live foods, like worms and snails. Hatchlings require more protein, he'll start eating veggies later on.

Check the feeding section of the main site for foods that are good for him and foods that are big NO NO's. It's been a big help to me.

Also, to warn you, many people who are sold these baby RES like that end up having them die on them because they were sick when they bought them. Turtle's require pretty solid and specific care and conditions, but hatchlings are much more so. The places that sell them don't keep them in good conditions. He'll need time to adjust to his new home before he acts "normal". But if you notice him being excessively lethargic, not eating, etc.... I would get him to a herp vet and have him checked out.

I'm glad you got this little guy and found this site! Turtle's are so cool and rewarding to take care of it. They develop personallities and get to know you over time (years....).

Good luck!

[Caelestis]

Thanks! I already read over the main site, how else would I have got here? Your information was reassuring though. I won't put him in the sun anymore, but I thought I should because some site said it was healthy for him, but shallow water in a tank probably gets hot too fast. The zoo-med pellets smell like they should be tasty to him, and look great w/ low protein and what not. I actually fed it an earthworm that was in the garden I don't know if I shouldn't have done that, but I put it in there, he stared at it for a while while it was wrigging around, I went away came back and the whole worm was gone. I'm guessing he ate it? I didn't think he could eat the whole thing. (1" 1/2 in worm) Also, I thought water hyacinth was a pest and a problem in Africa and other places I never knew they were nutritional.

[Safdar]

no, you should take him out in the sun on the grass and stuff, let his walk around in your yard

But always supervise

[SpotsMama]

Be very careful of the temporary tank he's in. If your salamander was living in it then it probably wasn't designed to hold water (a terrarium versus an aquarium) and may burst or leak if there's any significant water in it. Also, any object made of concrete will be very heavy and also they tend to be sharp and could break the glass.

Good luck to you! It seems overwhelming at first but you'll get the hang of it and once you get all your equipment in place then taking care of your turtle will not be hard at all - it will be fun! turtles are surprisingly loveable.

[Caelestis]

Taking care of my turtle is fun and challenging, I love it. I don't know what kind of rock I picked up, but it is soft, and I chipped away at it with a chisel so that it was soft with no hard corners. I had to give in to his food strike, he didn't even take a seconf glance at the vegetables I put in, so I gave him some pellets.

[RunninWideOpen]

No, he won't be too interested in veggies till he gets bigger, but keep offering them to him so he gets familiar with them. My youngest RES actually started goin after veggies at 2", which was earlier than I expected.

Make sure not to overfeed. These turtles beg worst than any dog I've ever had, lol. They make you feel guilty for not giving them food, but overfeeding can be quite harmful to them.

Spotsmama is right, it would be great for the lil guy to get some sunlight outside of the tank, but you have to watch him SUPER carefully, literally DON't take your eyes off of him. These turtle's are very fast on ground when they want to be, and they're excellent diggers and climbers as well. Him being so small, he'd be easy to lose.

[steve]

The sun is great for them, but they need partial shade, space and supervision. Putting them in a container with or without water is a recipe for disaster.

[untsmurf]

And make sure to look around before you take him outside to find the places he could run to, hide in, or see if anything could hurt him, like animals and stuff. But until you get him his on UVB bulb, he definitely needs some time outside everyday.

[marisa]

For food, try rotating with some live things, like a cut-up earthworm and some small crickets. Get some anachris (aquatic plant) and put some in the tank for him to nibble on.