General Care Discussion :: New RES Owner

[jessdickie25]

Hello! I am getting ready to bring a RES into my home. This turtle was found in a yard and has been in captivity for about 8 or 9 months. He is incredibly loving and used to children. I'm just looking for basic care info. Since he was in the wild he did not have a filter or any drops put in his water. Is this something I should start doing? Or not do because it could put him into shock. I'm also looking for recommendations on tank size and food. Any info would help!

[azazeal]

well i don't want to be rude ore mean, but you should start reading up about res on the internet, because there is a lot of info and things you need to know, much more than any thread can tell you. owning a turtle is hard work but is very rewarding. good luck with your new pet.

[happycamper]

Are you turning a wild turtle into a pet? Cause that's a no-no...

Very large aquariums are a must, so make sure you are ready to dedicate a lot of space and money to your turtle. To get my turtle an adequate environment I ended up spending about 1300 dollars.

There is so much learning to do, I would start by reading all of redearedslider.com. It is a very helpful source, and covers all the basic information.

Take notes, then come back to the forum to clarify anything that confuses you. You can search the forum too, chances are most questions you will need answered have already been addressed.

[missibsu]

The way I understood the turtle has been in captivity for near a year at this point. Most are not a fan of bring a turtle out of the wild and making them a pet, however, it's been done. For information on making a great indoor set up, visit the stickies at the top of the indoor set up section of the forum. Tank size will be based on the size of the turtle, and it's better to plan ahead and recognize that your turtle is going to grow. Make sure that you have adaquate basking area, and nesting area as well if it is a female. Lighting is important for good shell health.

Like I said, plan ahead. The bigger the tank you can buy now, the better. In the long run, it will be cheaper to buy a larger tank than several smaller ones. Make sure to invest in a really good filter as well. Opinions vary on what people like, I use Rena Filstar and love it. A filter rated for bigger than what your actual tank size is will help to keep your tank clean. Turtles can be very messy.

[SINI5T3R]

Are you sure it was wild? are there large ponds or streams near your house? it could just be a escapee from a Pond from someones back yard on your block or something? Also, if you want to get a great tank that is huge and good for a RES you can do so on www.craigslist.com. A good tank for a baby turtle would usually be like 55-60 gal tank. they usually have a rule of 10 gallons per inch of turtle Shell. You can prob get something like 100 gal on craigslist pretty cheap. just go to the site, go to the pets section, and you will find something for sure.

Drops are not needed as they are pretty good when it comes to water conditons. Usually drops remove chlorine which is usually for fish. Turtles are way better about it and you can throw them in a tank usually when ever. After I fill mine up from a complete clean, I let it set for like 2 hours just to give it some time to settle a little and then the turtles can go right in. If you decide to put fish in the tank make sure to not spend too much cash cuz usually they eat anything they can catch.