General Care Discussion :: just got a res

[smstewart]

hi i just got a red eared slider yesterday and i was just wondering how their behavor is in the first couple of days? all mine does is sit in his water under his basking area he never climbs up on the rock platform or even tries and he hasnt eaten anything yet is that normal?

[VeipaCray]

Yeah that seems perfectly normal for the first few days. Remember your turtle has just been uprooted and placed into a new unfamiliar home. Once the turtle feels a bit comfortable with the new surroundings he/she should begin to explore and start eating.

1. Keep offering food daily even if it doesn't eat.
2. Try to give the turtle a little privacy if you can.
3. Keep a watchful eye on it.

It sounds like you're doing the right things and welcome to the forum!

Do you have a thermometer and the proper lighting for the basking area?

[smstewart]

yes i have a thermometer in the water and one in the basking area and i have a 50 watt heat lamp in the basking area i keep it on during the day and turn it off at night, i was just worried because he seems to just sit there and not eat or do anything ive never had an aquatic turtle all ive had before was dogs and a hamster

[VeipaCray]

Do you have a UVB bulb for the basking area? You need two bulbs for a turtle... http://www.redearslider.com/index_lighting_basking.html

[smstewart]

yes i bought a reptile starters kit and it came with it

[VeipaCray]

give it another day or so and see if the behavior changes any... probably just needs some time to acclimate to the new surroundings...

[smstewart]

i just upgraded my red eared sliders tank from a ten gallon to a 20 gallon and was wondering what would be the best way to get the water to the temp i need/ and what is the correct temp for the water? do i need to get a night time UV bulb also?

[metal-otaku]

how old/ big is your res? 75-80f is the temp depending on the age is where in the range. with a tank that small, check the temp with just the lamp. it might be there already. in which case a 20gallon fish tank heater is all you would need and if it has a built in thermostat it'll be shut off all day and only come on at night to keep the temp even.

[smstewart]

my res is about 4 1/2 inches maybe 5 inches

[smstewart]

oh and his neck looks like its shedding what do i do about that?

[happycamper]

20 gallons is still pretty tiny for a turtle that size. You might want to consider building an above tank basking area so you can give him the most swimming room possible. Keep an eye on craigslist and try to score a good sized tank, 75+ gallons. Shedding is normal, though if it's excessive you may be having water quality/temp problems.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Sounds like your off to a great start. The 20 gallon is a bit small but should be fine for now until to can get a good deal on a bigger aquarium. Also it's normal for their skin to shed every once of a while. Sometimes if the water temp is too high your turtle will shed more then usual.