General Care Discussion :: 2 new red stripe turtles.

[holmeed]

Wife got me 2 red strip turtles, boy and girl. Young ones 4 inches long....

We have a pond about 100-150 gallons but the water would be too cold I would imagine. I live in SE Ky. 40 degrees last night.. I would also have to enclose it, that would be a pain...

If they HAVE to have warm water how do they live after they wake up after hibernation? Isn't the water cold after their slumber?? For all spring/fall in the wild? cold water?

So I have been keeping them in a toy pool in the day with rocks etc..In the sun. Giving em turtle food, tad poles, strawberrys, grapes so far..

Keeping them in 70 gallon cattle tub at night....have 150 watt bulb on when days when its too cold.. its not UV I don't imagine, just heat bulb.

I have done lots of research...change water etc...

This is short term though.....I don't know what to do with them.

Was thinking of buying a turtle tub I saw at Lowes think its only 30 gallons.

Can't afford to buy a $500 100 gallon aquarium..

So I might just keep what I'm doing I guess... Outside when nice in pool, inside when too cold in oval tub and at night. I have 2 toy kid pools maybe I can put them in each so they both can have more room ?

So this my question.. I need a filter system and water heater .

Not a pricy set up.....remember its a oval cattle tub not a square aquarium so can I just put this in it at night to heat water? Its only 1/3 full of water but they can go under water at least.

Would this work for a heater in this cattle tub?
http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/rep ... er-heater/

I'm home all day so I can clean the tub every couple days or so ...I dont know how I would hook a filter system to a oval tub anyway..
Is their filters I can just "drop in' the tub?

Thanks for any help as I really want to make these turtles have a good life...

[rsour24]

that heater only works for 30 gallons. ud need a bigger heater. i have that exact one and one for my 65 gallon tank. craigslist is a great place to look for used ponds/aquariums really cheap. for 100$ u can prob find someone with a 120 gallon tank with all the accessories. sometimes u can even find even better deals than that. and as for a drop in filter. u can get a pond pump and put it inside a filter box and just "drop it in." ive set up many in my 18 year long life and they all seem to work great as long as u have a good enough pump and arent afraid to clean or it. (or lazy like some ppl i build ponds for)

hope i helped

[holmeed]

"that heater only works for 30 gallons. "

Thanks for the help

Its a 70 gallon tub but its only 1/4 full, so less than 20 gallons in it.
Though I was going to go half way up and put rocks in one end so they can get out of water... so it will hold about 30 gallons of water at one time..

If I get a bigger heater if its to big for what I need I can turn it down the temp?

[rsour24]

u cant just turn down the temp. ull need to get a thermometer and test it out. 30 gallons is not even enough for ur small turtle tho. ur small turtle should have 40 gallons. u should probably keep them in at least 100 gallons. plus if u go with a filter box it does take up some space

[holmeed]

Thats where they will be at night. I take them in the day in large kid pool if its warm enough..


I'll have to somehow put them in our pond then. Find a heater for a 100-150 gallon pond and enclose. a 100 gallon aquarium is unfesable.

[rsour24]

how warm does it get in ur area? cause you might just be able to keep ur turtles in ur pond. just with a basking area and no method of escape

[holmeed]

We just moved here. We are south, Ky/Tenn border. If the water has to be 75 it will be awhile..

IT gets cold just 40 last night, but in another month or so....

we have koi and plants in the pond they will probably eat...

lots of tadpoles in there now..