General Care Discussion :: New Member with a serious dilemma!

[Phead128]

Hello! This is very urgent because I have purchased many baby RES (~7- 8 ) from Chinatown, but only 1 survives to this day. He or she is about five years old, and is bigger than my palm.

He is still living in a plastic box! I need to upgrade him quickly because I recently discovered this website and realized what a horrible environment this turtle has been living in for so many years. I did not know how to raise him/her up because the ppl in Chinatown never told us what to do when they grow larger!!

For five years, I upgraded him once to a bigger plastic box, but I haven't installed any filters, NO BASKING AREA, no lighting, and the water has been only 3 inchs!

Now that I read all the articles from the website, I am going to spend hundreds to upgrade so he can live comfortably! I purchase 30 gallons for starter, Fluval 304, plenty of gravel, fake plants, and I need to find good light bulbs, basking area, and etc..

[sonyj]

It is good that you are being a responsible owner and upgrading to provide a healthy environment for your turtle. The one thing I'd suggest is going as large as you can with the tank or habitat now; it will save you a lot of cost in the future. If you can't afford a larger tank, there are other alternatives that work just as well. Large Rubbermaid containers work good for temporary setups - You can find them up to 40-50 gallons for around $20 at certain stores. Also, stock tanks from tractor supply stores are a great alternative. They are made to hold water and will last a long while. You can purchase a 100 gallon for around $70 here - Tractor Supply Co.

Not to dwell on the negative side but just to give a warning, since your turtle has been living in less than desirable circumstances for a while, it would be wise to take him to a certified herp vet if any sign of illness/shell disease is seen. Living conditions attribute to their health state but may not show up for quite a while. If you can catch an illness at it's first symptom, your RES will have a much better chance of recovery.

Be sure to provide a nice basking area that he can get out easily on and get completely dry. Over the basking area you will need both a heat bulb (can be a regular household bulb and a UVB bulb that emits at least 7-10% UVB rays). A good filter along with a couple of thermometers to keep a check on basking and water temps and a submersible heater is also a necessity.

After completing his new home, we'd love to see pics of it. If you have any specific questions just ask.

[Jessica313]

hey phead, i am also from boston =)

im glad that you wanna give your turtle a better home, it makes me happy

take a look around the site, its VERYYY helpful...not just the forums but the whole site
it will really tell you everything you need to know this is an awesome site

i suggest that you dont use any gravel though, some turtles can try to eat it which can cause very serious problems, and it just makes more of a mess..

any questions feel free to ask!

.... just out of curiosity, where in chinatown did you get your turtle? and did they have babies there?
i know its illeagal.... but i really want one

[DanielRES1180]

Well, it's good you realized that your habitat was not the best and you are striving to change, some people are more stubborn than a bottlecap that won't give .

Yeah, I'd say you chuck the gravel because it'll do more harm than good. And be sure to be tuned to the forum for any helpful hints and topics

[reptilegrrl]

Welcome to the site. I think it's great that you want to make yur turtle's life better. This site is a great resource- look through the care articles and you will find lots of useful info.

[KellyP]

Wow it's amazing that he survived 5 years in those conditions. Glad you realized what was wrong before it was too late. I bet he's really happy in that new tank. What's his shell look like? Have you checked it for shell rot? All those years without a light, he probably has some shell problems that need to be checked out.