General Care Discussion :: New to Turtles... A few questions :)

[Cim*Forever]

Hey guys!

Im new to turtle owning, and I have a few questions about my little guy. I would sure appreciate your thoughts
He is a RES turtle, and is quite small, I dont know how old he is.

I just got him today, and have him set up in his tank. I have a 50 W Halogen heat light, and a 50 W UVB light shining on a 10 gallon tank, along with filter and floating basking dock.
The pet store that I bought him from didn't have the right kind of water heater, so I have to wait to go into the city to get a water heater. That will probably be later this week.

My question is: Should I keep the heat light on over night until I can find a water heater? (This is what they do in the pet store)

Also, my turtle seems a bit stressed, I imagine it would be the transportation to my place and the fact he is in a whole new tank. I have a corner of his tank covered with fake plant leaves so he has a safe place. I also have a larger rock(I have smaller rocks covering the bottom of the tank) in the leaf covered corner so he can sit on the rock and still be in the water but be able to keep his head out.

As of now he has half buried himself under the larger rock and doesn't seem inclined to come out. Is this okay? Or should I remove the rock?

Im just worried I may be doing this all wrong. Will my turtle be okay?

Thank you for your time!

[emma]

Sounds like you are doing a great job so far.
Make sure that the rock isnt crushing him or anything and that it will not move around. My turtles like to hide under rocks too when they get scared, so that it OK that your turtle is doing that.
I would suggest that you raise the water level as high as it can go, if you haven't already. That way your turtle will have lots of swimming room.
I think it would be OK to leave the lights off at night. That way it will be like in the wild and your turtle will have some time to sleep.
Other people probably have some other suggestions too.

[Cim*Forever]

Oh thank you for the reply!

The water level is about 5 inches. At the pet store is was probably one or two inches. Should I move the water hight up gradually, or all at once? I also think it will take longer for the water to warm up if I do this all at once. Is a lower water temperature okay until I get the tank set up perfect?

Thanks

[emma]

I would move it up gradually. Maybe 1 inch every couple of days so your turtle has time to adjust to the water hight.

[megcornell]

Welcome to the site. Read around on the main pages about turtle health and care. That way you can figure out what else you need (if anything) and get it when you buy the heater. There's a lot of good info floating around and feel free to ask questions along the way

You should buy the heater ASAP. The longer the water temps are low and/or unstable, the better the chances that your turtle will develop a serious RI.
At night cover the tank with a blanket or towel to help keep the heat in.

As for the water level, raise it a few inches and see if the turtle appears comfortable. If he does, then you can add more. If not, then a gradual addition will be a good way to acclimate him. Water temps change more drastically when there is less water because it doesn't hold the heat as well. Water has a high specific heat so it takes a lot of energy to change the temperature of a large body of water but a little bit of water will change temps more quickly.

Also, if that large rock can move at all- I'd remove it. It could shift and pin your turtle under the water, drowning him. With large things like that it's often better to be safe than sorry.

[mikee]

Forever – I will take a while for the little one to calm down and get used to his surroundings. Try to get into a routine as to when you feed him. He can then associate you with his food source. I have had them not eat for a week. If you are leaving food in the tank for him and you can not be around, try and keep a look out for his poop. - You will need a couple of thermometers to keep an eye on the temperature of the water. A constant temp of 78 is where you need to be. I have mentioned this in other post, -- Try and keep him at a constant temperature as they cool off really easily when they are that small. New pet turtle owners have a habit of taking him out and looking at him and putting him back in. That means cool, hot, cool, hot, etc. That is not good for the little guy. Good Luck! There is a lot of good help here.

[jasmiester]

Rocks..my turtle likes to hide under the internal filter when he's scared