General Care Discussion :: New with Lots of Questions!

[agngg]

Hi Everyone! I introduced myself earlier after lurking for a while.

I have two RES babies, I don't really know how old they are. Any guess is appreciated, I don't know how to tell. I'm new to turtles in general but have been reading up a whole lot the past few months.

We received them as a gift from a crazy but loving uncle.

Here's the short story...

My brother in law came to visit one day, with 2 RES for my daughter.
He bought 10! He has 8 and gave us 2 because I wouldn't take anymore.

Luckily, I have a 75 gallon tank that desperately needed fish, some of our older fish had been passing on this past year after a very long time so we were in a period of changing up the tank anyway.

I kept them in a hamper with water and rock and other hiding area for them because they were very small when he gave them to us. I changed the water everyday and they got several hours of direct sunlight from an open window in my bathroom. They ate once a day only a couple pellets each and occasional shaved zucchini which they took to very quickly.

They basked a lot and seemed very happy. They are very used to me and they stick their heads up and don't bother to dive in the water when I walk in. But when my hubby crosses through the doorway, they hide! I think that's very cool! lol

I don't let my daughter touch them but I will hold them for her to look at and they stick their necks out and look at her. They are very outgoing. One is a little more skittish but both are pretty good with us around them.

I got them the first week of Feb and had them in the hamper situation until last weekend.

I had to take some fish out of my tank so I had my BIL who gave us the RES take them on for me. I cleaned the heck out of our tank. Took out all the gravel and left it bare bottom.

All I have in there is a Fluval 405 filter, air pump (bubbles), and a Stealth shatterproof heater. I also have a medium turtle dock and two decorations, for now, from the fish tank. I also have two cuttlebones floating in there. Once the turtles grow, I'll remove the ship and log and add sand.

I don't have a ubv lamp yet and this is one of my questions. I'm pretty broke and am lucky to have had what I had and used "Bill Me Later" for some things I didn't have. lol So I have to put off getting a heat lamp for a couple weeks.
But...the tank has the normal lighting and the water level is currently kind of high because I need to extend the filter hose so I can lower it a little more, which I plan to do pretty soon. The light is on all day and the turtle dock gets warm and they sit on it and stretch out on it. I also put them in their old hamper home a couple hours a day in the sun so I can feed them so my tank stays cleaner. This way they're also able to bask in the sun in the safety of my patio on nice days, I garden so I take them out with me when I can in their hamper. I also have a grate that fits on top because I'm scared of birds!

Is a UBV or heat lamp necessary or am I providing an adequate basking area? I don't have a thermometer to measure the outer temps but my water is at 78 degrees. Also, should I raise the water temp?

Another thing is my water hardness...its in the very hard area, is this ok? Everything else is fine and I also use aquarium salt.

So does everything seem ok? My water level is high right now, but they surf on the cuttlebones and have the dock and they also hang on the magnetic cleaner/thermometer thing and the filter, etc.

I have 2 mollys and 3 platys...I used to have 4 platys but one was bit in the belly and dead at the bottom of the tank. I LOVE NO GRAVEL! So we removed it. That was their first attempt at live feed. Should I add some minnows or guppies? The current fish are close to the turtles size, the one they got was the smallest of the bunch.

Another thing that's on my mind right now is in regards to behavior. One of them keeps freaking me out because he wedges himself between the glass and the turtle dock and kind of hangs there with his eyes closed and limp. I'm assuming he's sleeping because I've gone in and nudged the dock and he looks around all irritated and goes back to what he was doing. So is he just hanging out while he can? I know I have to watch to make sure they don't get stuck but do they always try to wedge themselves everywhere?

Wow...I think this is long enough for now and I'll be adding some pics soon to show you what I'm talking about.

Thanks for reading if you're still here! hehe

I appreciate any and all suggestions to help make my little babies thrive! Both my husband and I are very excited and dedicated to keeping them well. My daughter is two and a half so I think it's neat that she can literally grow up with them and maybe take them to her own home some day!

[Sir Max]

WOW that was alot of reading.

wedging into small places is very normal

there was a thread about it a few weeks ago

about 15~ members admited to have witnessed their RES's trying to wedge in small places



I dont think you should worry about live feedings yet..if they are that small

i wouldnt even attempt a live feeding until a year old..(for my own turtle)

minnows and guppies are fine though..maybe if a minnow and or guppie dies


your RES may munch on the dead body a bit

UVB and heat lamp is a must..the heat generally atracts them to the basking area

and the you can read up on uvb on the main website

Perfect move taking them outside. nothing is better then sunlight

the lights/heat lamp should be on 12 hours a day..generally when the sun is outside

the sun is on inside if you get my drift

make sure you have a heater at night when the lights are turned off to assure it doesnt get too cold


err i think i got it all ;x


AND WELCOME TO THE SIITEE YAYYY

[coreyvht]

yeah uvb is an absolute must o and the higher the water the better

[steve]

Not really possible to tell the age, how big are they?

The setup sounds great, but a UVB and heat bulb are essential. You can use regular incandescent light bulbs for heat (which I think you are). If you have to put off getting a UVB bulb, I would make sure their pellets are from a reputable brand and contains vitamin d3. Taking them outside is a great idea, but how big is the hamper? Do they have access to areas of sunlight and shade? It would certainly be wise to get a thermometer to measure the outside temps.

For the water, 78 is fine and hard water usually doesn't create a health issue, though you might have to make some adjustments if it is severe. I think you can also skip the aquarium salt.

As for sticking into small spaces -- do make sure the turtle cannot get stuck because they can down. Some can even get stuck by their filters, so make sure it's not too strong for your turtles and that it's properly covered.

[agngg]

Thanks for your replies! I intended on posting pics that night but the computer had other ideas. I've had them for about 3 months and they've grown already. I need to measure them correctly. I don't think I measured right before.

Here's one of both of them:


They've become so comfortable the past few days and are now exploring the bottom of their tank. They're still small enough to fit everywhere but believe me I check them like 20 times a day! They really do provide hours of enjoyment! lol

Here's their tankl They love hiding out in the red plants that are floating on top.


Here's a closer one...


They have that bright light on top that just provides warmth and they do bask and stretch their legs out for periods of time. But the uvb light is on my list for this weekend! Thanks!

[agngg]

This was a couple months ago in their hamper. It's pretty big for them and they can go under water completely and they hide under the little pedestal decoration and bask on top of the rock.

[steve]

Looks nice, but as I said before please make sure they can't get stuck anywhere and the filter is too strong to trap them -- I get over worried about hatchlings.

[coreyvht]

yeah those 2 remind me of my hatch-lings i got them in like January and im preety sure they where born in December because when i got them they had that baby shell texture /softness /bumpy lol so i think ther 5 months

[marria*]

Awe. They are cute, and I love your tank with all the plants in it do you plan on getting another one named lenny lol or is it linny. My turtles name is tuck to, my sister who is also 2 and a half picked I out from that show.

[turtle man]

aquarium salt??? and as far as your uvb light, although it is a must, if you cant afford it you should take them for walks every day, and you might want to put your aquarium if you could next to the window, good luck!!

[steve]

No... don't put an aquarium near a window.

[Sir Max]

Actually when i purchased my RES at the store

the salesman said if you put the tank near a window you dont need a UVB bulb

and i believed him buti still got a uvb



P.S your turtles are so cuute they are so small haha

they almost look like statues ;O

[turtle man]

No... don't put an aquarium near a window.

just wondering, why not??

[seano997]

Having an aquarium near a window will result in rather large buildups of algae. There is also the possibility of the sun overheating the water in the tank which would not be safe for the turtle.

[turtle man]

ok, change that, put it NEAR a window , by the way what makes the sun different than a regular heat bulb?what makes the sun coming through the window an algae maker?