General Care Discussion :: Just acquired a 5 year old Red Ear slider turtle

[cprcheetah]

Okay, I need some quick help! I was at Petco today doing adoptions for the Vet clinic I work at and some people brought in their 5 year old Red-eared Slider Turtle that they had 'outgrown'. They brought in his 20 gallon tank, heater, light, floating dock, food, everything. So I volunteered to take him home. I have never had a turtle before. Need some help! How do I set up his tank? Right now he has 2 filters, and a heater in them, the floating dock...what else do I need? The instructions I got from petco says something about substrate, so far I am not seeing anywhere they need substrate. Do I fill his tank all the way full with water? He seems quit freaked out which is understandable. He also had a sulfur dip today as one of the workers said he was 'slimy'. I think he also needs a bigger tank but we will work on that. Do I just put water in his tank only? Also about feeding, I had an 5 foot iguana and we fed her all sorts of stuff kale, spinach etc....can the turtle have fresh veggies? They said they have just been feeding him Turtle Food in the jar. What about Vitamin/Mineral supplements? Is there anywhere online or a book that just has 'general' basic, quick, easy to understand instructions on how to take care of this guy? He's quite big and my hand barely covers his entire shell. Will measure him later. His name is Zeke. Anyways any help would be greatly appreciated.

Heather Thompson [/img]

[sonyj]

OK... take a deep breath... let it out slowly... I know this is all so new and confusing for you and the turtle so I'll try to keep it simple here and give you some great links to read up on.

So first off, how big is the turtle (SCL= the length of the shell from front to back not including curve)? This will let you know how large of a tank you will need. I can already guess more than 20 gallons if it is a five year old turtle. The recommended minimum size is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. Mature turtles will eventually need between 90-120 gallons, so keep this in mind and go as large as you can now.

You will want to fill the tank with water that is the correct temp for the turtle (72-75F) and if it is tap water, use a water conditioner that removes the chlorine from the water. Chlorine can cause irritated eyes.

The water should be as high as you can fill it without allowing room for him to escape. They are great swimmers and love all the water they can get. You will also need a basking area (preferably above the water not to take up swimming space). The basking temp should be at least ten degrees higher than the water temp to encourage him to bask.

Yes, you need to feed it a variety of veggies daily along with the staple turtle pellet every other day. The pellets given every other day should only be the amount that would fit inside his head if it were hollow. Here's two lists to read: What NOT to feed and What to feed.

He does not need substrate in the tank especially any rocks smaller than his head. He can eat these and become impacted. Many owners will put a few river rocks that are larger than their turtles heads in simply to have something for the turtle to push around on the bottom, but not cover the bottom of the tank completely.

Filters should be rated at least 3x's the tank size you have, since turtles are much messier than fish.

Also, needed is a heat light and a UVB light directly over the basking area. The heat bulb can be a regular household bulb at whatever wattage will heat to the correct temps. The UVB bulb should say that it emits between 7-10% UVB rays for him to maintain a healthy shell and bones.

Read the basic care section (and other areas of the main site) that can be found by following the links at the top of the page. Also, throughout the forum there are "stickies" for quick reference under each section.

If you have any specific questions please ask after you've read some. It's a big responsibility raising a healthy, happy turtle but it can be very rewarding. They are great pets.

[missibsu]

Happy Reading...I think Sonja covered it all!

[cprcheetah]

Well we measured Zeke and he is 7" SCL. So he will need at least 75 Gallons? correct? I can tell he is very cramped in his quarters right now. He seems to be doing good though. He LOVES carrots. I gave him a few shredds and he gobbled them right up. I am going to get him some Romaine and other stuff today. One of his filters is not working so will have to go get him one. He seems to be shedding a TON of skin, and so far hasn't basked under his light.

[sonyj]

I looked at the pics you posted of Zeke in your other posts but can't tell by them whether he's a boy or girl. I couldn't get a good look at the nails or tail. Do you know if he's a boy or girl yet? Extremely long front nails and long thick tail indicates a boy while short nails and a short tail indicates a girl. If it's a boy you may end up not needing much more than a 75 gallon tank in the long run (boys will reach between 7-9 inches at full growth) but if it's a girl they can get between 10-12 inches and need a 120 gallons. Knowing which to go with now will save you some money later if there needs to be an upgrade. Just something to keep in mind...

[cprcheetah]

He is definately a boy. His front nails are extremely long. And he has a long thick tail.

[marisa]

A very handsome fella.

[sonyj]

Oh yes, definitley a very handsome boy you have there.