On March 24th my fiancé and I purchased some hatchlings, before we found out it was illegal to sell hatchlings. We bought a turtle reptile kit from Walmart, that included a light, basking area, tank, etc. We placed the tank in our bedroom. Our bedroom with air conditioning on, is about 70F to 75F and to help cool the room we have a fan on the entire time someone is sleeping in the room. (Side note: we have different shifts so I sleep during the day and he sleeps during the night) Therefore the fan is on most of the time. To combat the coolness of the room we purchased a water heater to keep the water temperature up. However, it is only keeping the water 71F to 78F based on our external thermometer. We bought a heater that was meant for a 2 to 5 gal fish tank, and our tank is a 10 gal tank, with about 2 to 3 gal of water in it. Should we purchase a better/bigger heater?
Second question is, when we bought the kit, we also purchased a book which explained a lot about our red eared sliders. We set up the basking light and assumed it needed to be on 24 hours a day. Because of this assumption we have lost 2 bulbs in a month. One was a regular light bulb which exploded and we immediately removed the turtles and thoroughly cleaned their tank and all items in their tank, the other was a day light bulb meant for a basking bulb purchased at a pet store. What kind of bulb would be best to make sure they get their heat and their necessary UV absorption? How long would be best to leave the light on?
Third question is, When we remove them from the tank to clean the tank, we feel their shells are not hard as a rock. They are kind of soft. Not malleable soft, but able to push in a little soft, though we take care not to push in too far for fear we might hurt the turtles. They are still very active and swim constantly. Do we need to give them some calcium supplements?
Fourth question is, one turtle, Beavis, is noticeably larger than the other turtle, B2 (if anybody watches adult swim then you know the partner in crime of beavis). I know that both turtles eat, however, I have noticed that Beavis eats more than the other turtle, often eating the other portion while B2 is chewing. Should I be concerned about the size difference? I have tried feeding them in a different container, one we use to house them while cleaning, but they wont eat and I am worried that I am freaking them out by moving them so much. What should I do?
Fifth question is, Beavis' shell has turned a paler shade of green. I thought maybe he was shedding, but now I am not so sure. What should I do? Should I be worried about the color?
We feed them twice a day. Sometimes we put small apple bites in their tank (at the advice of the pet store clerk), most times we use turtle pellets and the dried krill. Is this appropriate or wrong?
Any help or advice you can give was would be tremendously helpful. We want our turtles to be happy and live a long healthy life and we understand that we have to make sure we give them the proper care to ensure their health.
Thank You,
Amanda Stevens
