General Care Discussion

I guess I should preface this by saying that I want to take care of this turtle, and do a good job. But I have no idea what to do for it. I bought a little turtle in Chinatown, Chicago, USA yesterday for $10 and took it to the pet store to find out what kind of turtle it was. (Keep in mind that I had assumed, somewhat stupidly, that it was some sort of miniature turtle or something. I mean, I got it in a gift shop in Chinatown. In a little tiny plastic tank with a built in island with plastic palm tree and about half an inch of water, with no heating fixture or filtration system.) As it turns out, I have a baby red eared slider. I have no idea what to do with one of these and absolutely nothing to keep it in besides this obnoxious little tank. I've looked around on the internet and checked the care sheet PetCo gave me, and he appears (shockingly) to be healthy. He's active, he doesn't have any sores on his skin or cracks in his shell, he eats and poops. So, even though I made a ridiculously bad and impulsive decision, I've decided that this poor animal shouldn't suffer just because some humans (like me and the shop owners) are morons and I would like to keep him properly, or find a really really good home for him if it turns out I can't financially commit to keeping him (I'm a college student). If anyone has any advice, I would really appreciate it... (Also, I live in Chicago, so if anyone knows a rescue organization or something I would be open to giving him to someone who could take good care of him.)

Thanks.

Since he's small, you could always go to a petstore and get like a 10-15 gallon tank for $25 or so. You could also get a turtle dock put him in there. small filters aren't costly-$25- and it'd work fine. If you plan on keeping him till adult, then you will need to upgrade everything as he grows. just as a baby, you dont have to get carried away. Also you'd need a heat source, you could just use a little lamp with a normal lightbulb for heat, and UV light when you can afford to go that far with him.

I'm not an experienced owner either... but, you can try craigslist, Some ppl are very nice. I bought a 45 gallon tank recently, it came with 2 filters, a few decorations, a dock, etc... for 60$, its not the cheapest tho, you can get some very good deal for a decent aquarium on craigslist. So, maybe the first thing you should do is find the best auqarium price/size. so you can keep your turtle in the same aquarium as long as possible. instead of wasting 25-30$ on an aquarium that will last a few months. because turtle will start growing slowly and a few months later they will have a growth boost, and become a lot bigger. And for maintenance, you have to buy a good filter, if you are low on money, you can buy the filters that has waterfalls, i dunno how to call them, but for a pretty decent filter like this one http://www.amazon.com/Penguin-Power-Fil ... 120&sr=8-5 is only 30$ and can go up to 350 GPH, its not the best, but maybe put 2? but for now 1 will be plenty. compared to canister filters, their price are a lot less, for the same power a canister can be around 100$. but the big drawback for these filters are maybe, the waterfall makes sounds, but you can raise the water level. but at the same time it oxygenates the aquarium if you have fishes or anything. You will also need a way to make a basking area. for starters, you can buy a floating dock, or build your own, because, even tho turtles love water, they still like to bathe under the sun. that means you have to simulate sunlight. in this case you will need a UVA/UVB light, you can find bargains on the internet, or a pet shop, but their price are like 3X internet's (such as ebay amazon). AND a heater!

So all in all, you need :
- an aquarium (as big as possible to save $$ in the longterm)
- A big and and good filter (as strong as possible again/price, but becareful if its too strong and your aquarium too small it might be troublesome)
- a basking area (bought or home made)
- A UV light bulb
- Water heater
- maybe a normal light bulb (for heating)
- FOOD!

I dunno if im missing anything, if I do please correct me!!!

http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care.html

Here is the basic care for RES. They can get quite huge. If you aren't able to afford everything you need or think you can afford him in the long run, now when he's a cute little baby would be the time to find him a home. Just please educate his new owners if you choose to go that route, so they don't wind up in the same situation. Good Luck and thank you for caring enough to look up his needs.

Before buying tanks, see if you can get plastic storage containers. They don't look as nice as aquariums, but they provide more space for your turtles and you can put them anywhere.

General Care Discussion :: I have a baby Red Ear Slider and no idea what to do...

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