General Care Discussion :: New to Turtles!

[Davu]

Hello everyone! Obviously I am new here and new to RES's. A little background on me and the fam. I am mainly a reptile/snake guy myself. Currently have 2 Boas, 1 Ball Python, 2 Leopard Geckos and a Bearded dragon. I have about 4 years experience with snakes and lizards and am looking forward to learning about RES.
So our story and how we came to adopt our first RES. My girl friends nephew had this litle guy which we beleive to be about 3 years old. The nephew didnt want to take care it no more so he said here you go he is yours. I dont think there was one requirment of keeping a RES being practiced. The nephew is real young and the family members knew nothing of basic care. Keep in mind the approximate age of this little guy is 3 years. No heat, no UVA/UVB, a very very small amount of water in his tank, not enough to swim in, diet consisted of hot dogs and fish flakes, the occasional meal worm. The size of the RES around is about that of a YO-YO.
He is however a very active little critter and very alert. We are in the process of getting his tank set up and should have it completed tomorrow. We got him some water to swim in and noticed a whitish film coming off his neck and the back of his shell. If anyone could give me some advice on what that is or could be that would be great.
Another question that I have is the fact that this lil guy has survived this long what in your opinions does his future look like? Will he, once provided with proper diet and surroundings be able to grow to a somewhat healthy size or has his size been stunted by all the years of miscare?
Any and all opions and adivce is much appreciated.

Thanks for reading and I hope this will be a fun and informative place to hang out!

M

[megcornell]

Hello and welcome!
What a hardy turtle to have survived! I'm sure he'll love finally being in a healthy set up, how nice of you to take him in.
What you see coming off his neck is most likely normal shedding. It should look like little white wisps that you only see in the water, when the turtle is dry and basking the shedding shouldn't be noticeable.
At his age the turtle should be at least twice the size he currently is. He should have grown 3-4 inches his first year and roughly an inch every year after. Because he's so far behind I think he'll stay on the small side, but with proper nutrition he will grow, just not as large.
Take a look around the site-- there's wonderful info on feeding and set ups and turtle care in general, and ask questions along the way. Enjoy your new little guy

[octpusgirl8]

Hi and welcome! OCngratulations on your new addition to you reptile collection, RES are a fun little animals. It sounds like your little guy had a pretty rough start in life (hot dogs?!?) but i'm glad that you're looking to improve things for him. Theres tons of good info on turtle care on the main site, www.redearslider.com, as well as on other trusted sites like www.austinsturtlepage.com. I'm sure you'll have no trouble setting him up with all the essentials.
About the filmy stuff, it could be shedding skin, or it could be a fungus. If you could post a picture of it we might be able to tell. A bad habitat can contribute to excessive skin shedding, as well as fungus growth. About his future prospects, he may not get as big as he would otherwise, but he'll still be happy and healthy. I got my turtle from a similar situation, though not quite as bad, and he seems ot have topped out at 5" SCL, a bit smaller than normal. It's great that he seems active and responsive, he should lead a very happy long life with you!

[mikee]

Dave – If you haven’t been to the pet store yet, I have some suggestions. From what you said the turtle is about 2-1/2 inches. If that is the case it is suggested that you have 10 gallons per inch of turtle, which would put you at about a 29 or 30 gallon tank. You will need good lighting, uva uvb with proper heating. About 50 watt water heater set at 78 degrees would be good. There should be an area to bask so the critter can dry off and get the light rays he needs to metabolize his food. Your filter should exchange your water at least 5 times per hour. I suggest a canister filter pump that is much easier to keep clean when the time comes. Since the diet has been less than adequate I suggest Reptomin pellets with addition of a calcium block. I freeze small feeder fish and feed them one a week along with the pellets. If he has not been getting the proper light his shell is probably deficient and may have some deformity. If you get him back on track, that should not be a problem. -- Good Luck!! There is plenty of help here.

[Davu]

Thats all great news and great advice!! Thank you all! I have looked around the site and so far love it! To be honest with everyone an aquatic turtle was the last thing I wanted in the house just because of the high up keep that it takes to keep the water clean etc. Since bringing the little guy home and reading about Sliders I am really excited to get hime a proper set up and get him healthy!! Thanks for all the great advice and I will try and get some pics up soon.

M

P.S. mikee, its Davu not dave. My real name is Mike! lol Davu is the name of my first rep, the ball python, It means the begining in a tribe over in Africa!! So far I have not been able to admit to one of the animals being the end! lol
Damn reptiles.

[FLhaven4strays]

[quote=" diet consisted of hot dogs and fish flakes[/quote]



Welcome - cool tribe you have there, LOL!

[grey goose]

Once you get everything set up and your new turt starts to respond, it's really a great feeling knowing that you saved him! Good luck and if you have any Q's at all, just ask.......