General Care Discussion :: Happy yet worried! :(

[kerby]

Hello I am curently typing this from my wii on the wii pointer (becaulse i do not have my computer this week) so pleas forgive my gramar and spelling erros.
So...... I am a proud owner of a babby cooter turtle named kurby.

About kurby:
1. He is a babby 1.5 inch cooter
2. Very active ( will not stay on my lap as I try to explain this)
3. does not want to eat letuss
4. does not want to baske ( with my current tankset up(will explain lator))

5.Is very inerested in anything you do!

My knowing on turtles and about me:
1.Im 15 and only have known kurby for about 3months
2. got him/her from a well trusted seller in my city so I know I got him helthy
3. The man made it seem eazy to take care of a turtle " Just it in the tank you got with it till it gets bigger with the gravle it comes with change the water once a week and give some pellets(wich he did give me the good kind as i know of [reptomini babby] and he will live for ever!"
5. I know that i need a bigger tank [20 gall im aming for now till he gets bigger]
6. I know there should be no gravle so i put river rocks
7. i know that he needs lamps
8. studied every thing on this site
8. i only have a few questions

is it normal for him to be sleeping under the water?
based on size how old could he be based on size?
and how do i get him to eat his greens?
how do i get him to bask?
i dont have proper lamps yet only a make shift heating lamp for his d3 stuff is buy a window enought to do for now?
how can i entertaint him?
Tank set up
small tank that he came with
river rocks at bottem
small pump mixing water
make shift basking area with desk lamp that puts out desent heat
and since tanking is so small i clean water ever other day
and he/she will not eat outside tank

besides my ? do you have any avice tips or tricks?
thank you kurby and me

ps will post pics and vids lator

[steve]

Hi, welcome to the site! How long did it take you to type this out?

To answer your questions... yes they sleep underwater. They'll surface every once in awhile to breath, even when sleeping. His size/age sound about right. Try veggie clips/aquatic plants, but they are usually not into veggies this young. You will have to get a UVB lamp and basking lamp. Keeping a tank near a window will not help since the screen and windows block UVB. It can actually be bad since the tank will heat and cool quickly. He does not need entertainment.

Keep his water a good 78F and work on a bigger tank, then start picking up supplies appropriate for the new setup.

[kerby]

thank you, lmao it took me like an hour and a half (witch would only take me like 5 mins on the computer)
so is there a way i can get him to bask [somtimes i take kurby outside for like 30 mins a day so he can warmup and get his d3] is that ok?

[steve]

Taking him outside is fine, but needs to be done carefully. Do you have an enclosure for him? Maybe a large cardboard box? Or do you just watch him from a short distance?

[kerby]

sorry if i don't know to much as you can tell im new to this but i put him in a shoebox. how long should he be out there?
and is 4 reptomin baby floating food sticks to much for him?

[steve]

Since he is a hatchling, you need to do this carefully. The box will do for now as long as it doesn't get too hot and you can provide constant supervision. I would try to find something larger than a shoebox so he can move around a bit.

[kerby]

ok i do provide a shade spot.
is it normal for kurbys belly to be soft?

[steve]

Their shell will be slightly pliable but should harden up in a few months.

[kerby]

Ok thank you for all your help!