General Care Discussion :: General Questions about RES *newbie*

[golsama]

I'm very new to owning turtles or being owned by turtles, rather. I've been doing tons of research and can't get enough of watching Taser in his/her tank. Taser's shell is a little less than 1.5" I've been switching between calling Taser a she or a he. I do have a couple questions about RES.

At what size can you tell the gender? What age?
Is it ok to let Taser wander around a room that has been "turtle-proofed" once she's bigger and more adjusted?
How long can she stay out of the water?
I've read about taking RES outside, should I keep her in something or is it ok to let her walk in the grass?

Of course, I am handling her as little as possible since I only got her on Saturday. I'm quite anxious over if I'm doing things right and I want to double check that I won't do anything to cause her harm. I love watching her dive and eat... its just too cute!

[BullDog]

Gender - He/She will need to be about 4" before you can tell gender. Age doesn't have much to do with it.

You can try letting her wander around, but it would be best on hard surfaces that you can clean easily. Some turtles enjoy relieving themselves on shag carpet. Plus you have the salmonella contamination to consider.
Furthermore, you'll want to watch your turtle's reaction. If she stays hidden in her shell for a long time, she's probably not enjoying it too much, and you should put her back in her tank and perhaps try again. And of course, never leave her alone.

The question about how long they can stay out of water has been asked before. It's not an easy one to answer.
A couple hours should be fine, as long as the temperature isn't too hot or too cold.

You can let her go outside on the grass (when she's a bit older, of course), but WATCH HER LIKE A HAWK! Until you've seen it, you have no idea how fast those little guys can run!
Don't even run inside for a drink, or in even turn your head!

If she's already eating, then that's a great sign! She defiantly feels comfortable in her new home

[mikee]

In itself, taking a turtle out of the tank is ok. There is one thing that new owners overlook and that is the temperature change. If you take him out of a tank at 78 degrees to a 70 degrees wet, it chills off pretty quick. New owners have a habit of taking it out, then back in, then out and back again. Evaporating water on the outside of the shell is cold on a turtle. Doing this creates a condition just right for RI. Lowering the temperature slowly would de ideal.

[hdaisog]

Another issue with grass is the fertilizer or pesticides you may use. Unless you know for sure what is used on the grass I would be careful.

[Nettle]

I wouldn't take my turtles out and let them roam inside or out until they're around 4 inches. They can get into so many places when they're that small and you could lose them in grass and bushes easily.