General Care Discussion :: Dorm setup, new at this

[Telmob]

first of all, hi!

i'm new but have been researching on RES for quite a bit now and so i'm growing quite impatient of owning one my self

im in university right now, but i think when i go back home for thanks giving ill be buying all the necessities to set-up my first RES tank in my dormatory

But its a bit of a drive and i would hate to forget anything, so maybe if you guys could help me out so i get a full list, that would be great

So far ill be bringing up
- 10-20g tank, or how ever big i can get one for my room
- 1 Baby res turtle
- water conditioner
- Floating basking area
- UVB bulb and stand
- turtle pellets (only 25% of diet)
- frozen bloodworms
- feeder guppies and ghost shrimp to get eaten when wanted and to help clean up excess
- aqua clear filter
- possibly a powerhead? might be too much for a baby?
- submerged heater


i'm sure im forgetting many things, but no worries, thats why im posting

oh, and i would also like to mention that once i am out of residence, or if the turtle out grows the tank early on, back home i have both a 35 gallon tank or a 90 gallon tank for him/her (hopefully him) to have fun in until a permanent home is chosen


Thanks for the future help!

[chrisinva]

For a baby, pellets should be more than 25% of their diet

[Daniel3507]

looks like you still need a bulb that gives off heat. and chris is right, pellets should be the staple in the diet

[geekyturtle]

Make sure you're allowed to have a turtle in the dorm first. A lot of dorms don't allow reptiles, or turtles, due to the threat of salmonella.

Also think about what you're going to do with it when school is over and you have to move it somewhere else for the winter, summer, during vacations, etc. It might be too much to handle while you're still in school.

You will need a larger tank within 6 months to a year, so think about that too.

[Telmob]

yah, i've thought about all that, like i said, come december he'll move into a 90gallon probably

and as for the pellets, or just feeding in general, how often do i feed him and what? i know when there younger it should consist more of protein, and then later on, more vegetation

and thanks for the help so far!

[geekyturtle]

Hah, sorry I missed that at the end of your post!

When mine were small the only pellets they would eat were the reptomin baby pellets. I'd give them each 3 a day (they're half the size of the normal pellets, which were too big). I was feeding mine dried krill for a while before I found this site and they grew too fast. I guess you could give them the worms as a snack once a week or something.

Get a water test kit so you can test the water. I bought one that does a bunch of tests at once, which apparently isn't all that accurate, but it's good enough. When you add water, use cold water and let the heater heat it. Hot water tends to include more metals and stuff because of the water heater in the house/dorm/apt.

This UVB bulb was recommended to me over the ReptiSun ones because it had better reviews, and is cheaper (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... 5#prodTab1).

[Daniel3507]

http://www.redearslider.com/pellets.html
that will probably answer all your pellet feeding questions. rule of thumb is feed however many pellets would fit in their head if it were hollow. when they are under 4 inches feed everyday. once they are 4 inches or more feed every other day

[Telmob]

alright cool, i already have a few water test kits haha, i had 3-4 tanks of fish but had to break them all down when i went to dorms

my poor piranha were sold away

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Well,I feed mine Tetra ReptoMin Sticks.Tetra also makes a bottle of turtles food that has:Mini Reptomin Sticks,Baby Srimp,and Mini Krill.I haven't tried it yet,but I've seen it in Petsmart & WalMart.You could probably get a better price at WalMart.

[steve]

Just get the regular ReptoMin. Shrimp/Krill are treats that you really don't need to use.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Oh.....I just thought it would make a better diet.Guess not.....

[untsmurf]

Those two items are very high in protein and can cause them to grow too quickly. You can offer them as a snack, once every 3-4 weeks, but they should not be part of the everyday diet.

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Well,have you found out if your turtle is allowed in your dorm?If you haven't,you really need to.

[SpotsMama]

Thermometer, syphon and bucket (for water changes), water quality test kit (very nice but not absolutely essential). Heat light bulb (as previously mentioned). Plastic plant with leaves that reach to the surface for little turtle resting and hiding spot. Fish net for scooping out "stuff".

[Telmob]

there not aloud in dorms, but i have a nice hiding spot

and even if they find it, its only a 50$ fine and a notice letter,

so i'd just bring him back home earlier then thought, its all good

i have a sister who would take good care of him