General Care Discussion :: Questions from a new RES owner..

[Phx99]

We just got 2 RES - 2 males that had been living in too-small of a tank in a pet store. We moved them to a huge tank, and now we notice some things that we know nothing about. Any advice would be good!

1 - can they "forget" how to swim? The tank these 2 were in was a 10 gallon, and they could hardly move in it. We moved them to an 80 gallon (I think it's bigger, but I'm not sure yet). They entered the water, and sat there for the longest time without swimming. When they did start to swim, it was really awkward, using only 1 flipper or not coming up for air a lot. Is this possible?

2 - How often do they usually come up for air?

3 - Can the water be too deep for them in a tank? The largest RES can stand up to get air, but the other one has to float to the top to get air.

4 - Do they like hiding places? I put a platform in the tank with a hole in it, and they seem to really like it in there, but I'm concerned (especially with the swimming issue I put above) that they are going to get stuck.


This is a great site...I found a lot of really great info I didn't know about. The pet store owner said all they need is water, and pellets, but I'm finding out that info is not true. I have read everywhere they aren't social too much, but these 2 come when they hear my voice, even after feeding them. There can be pellets floating in the water, not eaten, and they still come over to see me when I talk to them. One seems to like (or at least tolerate) his head getting rubbed as well.

[Phx99]

I should also add....sometimes (not always) when they are at the top of the water, you can hear them breathing. Is it usually so loud, or is it something we should be concerned about?

[Spike 7.62]

You're not sure if the 80 gallon tank is bigger than the 10 gallon tank? If I misread that, please correct me.

First, let me ask, have you read the entire main site? (Redearslider.com) ? Those pages will tell you absolutely everything you need to know, from heating to light to food to water quality, everything. Read it and re read it, I've had turtles for many moons, but I still re read the main site and discover things I missed before, I can't stress it enough.

As for your concerns.. if your turtles are RES, they will know how to swim unless they are injured. How big are they exactly? Post some pictures of their shells, limbs and heads. They will come up for air when they need to, but it is possible for them to get stuxk in rock formations. Especially if they are accustomed to swimming through it, and then one day are too big. They may sleep under water, this is normal.

The breathing noise, I'm not sure. If you have turtles you should have a reptile vet to call when you are concerned about health issues.

Good luck and keep us updated.

- Spike

[Phx99]

ah, the irony...

I will have to take pictures tonight. I probably didn't phrase things well....we just got an 80 gal. tank, so it's much bigger than the old tank. I read through this site a lot, and learned a lot about RES.

The irony - we just got the 2 males, and now was given a female - the pet shop is closing, and she is the last animal left, so we can't leave her alone, in a closed shop with no electricity.

I will take pictures of the set up, with the turtles in it, and any options or advice you can give would be great. We are in the process of making a new basking area now, so it should be done in the next couple of days.

[happycamper]

2 males and a female in the same tank will probably cause problems eventually...

[SINI5T3R]

2 males and a female in the same tank will probably cause problems eventually...

Never had problems with it myself and breeding ant really a problem when Females lay eggs no matter with a male or without a male. In any case you can throw the eggs out if you dont want to be bothered with incubation or trying to find babys homes. But as far as males and females together, they do great just like a male and a male or a female and a female. I have males and females together and i have never had any problems. Just make sure to provide enough room so they can have there own space.

[happycamper]

Really? I thought an 80 gallon tank was suitable for maybe one female RES. Seems like 3 is kinda pushing it to me!

[SINI5T3R]

Really? I thought an 80 gallon tank was suitable for maybe one female RES. Seems like 3 is kinda pushing it to me!

Iv had three in a 55 gal and they did good. Moved them to a 20$ 600 gal Pool in my back yard from wal mart...a FULL grown female would nee something bigger then a 80 gal but it would still work out for her

[happycamper]

[quote="SINI5T3R"][quote="happycamper"]Really? I thought an 80 gallon tank was suitable for maybe one female RES. Seems like 3 is kinda pushing it to me![/quote]


Iv had three in a 55 gal and they did good. Moved them to a 20$ 600 gal Pool in my back yard from wal mart...a FULL grown female would nee something bigger then a 80 gal but it would still work out for her[/quote]

600 gallon pool from walmart for 20 dollars?? that's insane!

So, if a full grown female would need something bigger then an 80 gallon, how could a female and 2 males share an 80 gallon? I am not following the logic here. His female will eventually be full grown... right?

If they were doing well, why did you upgrade them?

[SINI5T3R]

The more Room the better and you cant beat 20$ for a huge outdoor pool for them lol. and two males and 1 female CAN do great in a 80 gal but if your really wanting to follow the 10gal per inch rule then you would not want to keep them in there for too long but it ant like they are going to just die over if you do but there would be a possibility of fighting, just depends on the turtle..know what I mean? Bigger is ALWAYS better in the turtle world as they thrive in bigger area's. and for the pool, I mainly switched them over because I did not have UV lights at the time and I live in arizona which is reallly hot and sunny so they love basking all day in there pool gettin all that natural sun.

Also, RES take YEARS and YEARS to grow. i have had mine for over a year now and got them as hatchlings and they are still super small lol

[steve]

1) It could take awhile for them to adjust, you can always incrementally raise the water levels in their tank.

2) It depends... if they're sleeping, they can be down for an hour or so (probably longer) and when they are active, they'll won't be under for more than a few minutes.

3) Deeper is better. If it were not deep enough and they could not flip over properly, it would be a serious issue. Areas where they can hang on and rest are a good idea.

4) I think they do like to have a hiding spot, but it should never be an area where they might get trapped. There should never be an area like that.

Hearing them breath should not be an issue unless it's constant or is a wheezing sound.