General Care Discussion :: New owner of two RES ( long post so please bear with me)

[stray_647]

Hi everyone

This is the first time I've posted although I've visied the site numerous times for advice and the posts were very helpful.

Anyway, I bough two baby sliders in Newyork, chinatown. Go ahead and blame me for that but they were helpless in that little plastic container. They looked fine at the time and I had them set up in a 25 gallon aquarium with a fluval 205. The turts are about 2.5 inches each. I will be moving them up to a 65 gallon aquarium with a new filter by the end of this year. The water temperature is at 82F and I use a 100 watt bulb for basking. They are fed on a steady diet of mealworms, nutrafin pellets and dried shrimp, with occasional turkey ham. I have been exposing them to veges as much as I can.

My concerns are currently with two things:-

1) The water in my tank is almost full with just enough space so that the turts cannot climb out. Water in my tank remains absolutely clear but I have noiced these bubbles in the water that are sticky and never seem to pop even if I tried to pop them. There is also a cloudy layer on the surface of the water kind of like oil on water. I don't know what this could be. I have water conditioner that I use. I was thinking that maybe it is the ph or maybe some bacteria in the water. The water seems to bother the turts as I see them scratching their eyes once in a while.

2) what kind of antibiotics can I use to avoid an illness in the turtles besides sulfa. Is there anything I can buy to avoid invasive parasites like giardia or trichomonas.

Thanks for the replies guys and sorry for the story book question

[missibsu]

What kind of water conditioner are you using? What does it treat in the water? As a guess, I would say that maybe the slim is coming from one of two places...too much conditioner, or the oils on the meat that you are feeding. Those meats are a no-no. Raw meats are not safe, and processed meats have too much crap added too them. Not a healthy option. Visit the feeding and nutrition section and check out the sticky that says what to feed. You need to start introducing leafy greens as soon as possible.

Antiobiotics should only be prescribed by a vet when the turtles have been taken for a visit. You do not want to use the sulfa dip unless directed to do so by a herp vet, because you turtle can build an immunity to it. For what reason do you have a concern about parasites?

Your water temp is a bit high. It shouldn't be any higher than 78F for hatchlings. 82 is a good temp to raise to if your turtles are sick. A temp that is too high will lead to excessive growth and eating.

You didn't mention a UVB bulb, do you have one? It is necessary for proper growth. If you don't have one, you should at least be taking your turtle outside for a few hours of direct sunlight a day. This means constant supervision and a shady place to go to if they wish.

[stray_647]

I do have a full spectrum reptisun tubelight. Both basking and Uv light are open for 10 hours a day. I use Zoo Med ReptiSafe Instant Terrarium Water Conditioners. I have been adding green leafy veges as much as possibe, they absolutely refuse them.

The reason I ask about parasites and bacteria is because I would like to use somthing for prevention

[missibsu]

Given a proper set up and diet, there shouldn't be a need for prevention.

As for the veggies, try mixing them with some tuna juice or some canned cat food. The smell with help attract them. Hopefully that helps!

[sonyj]

Also, with hold their pellets (and any treats) until they begin to eat the greens/veggies. These are much more important in an overall diet than the monthly treats like live prey, worms or dried shrimp are. Don't worry, when they are hungry enough they will eat the veggies if it's the only thing they have. Once they realize that it's food, you can resume the pellets daily and the other treats monthly.

[stray_647]

Thanks guys for the replies. Do you guys think that I might have to monitor the ph in the water. Also I suppose nobody really knows where the sticky bubbles in the water come from?

[steve]

Does the cloudy water appear after a water change? It could be your tank starting to cycle and it should settle down by itself. Is the water surface agitated by the filter? If not, then you will get an oily buildup, especially if you feed in the tank instead of a separate container.

The best way to prevent illnesses is to have a healthy, varied diet and proper living conditions. Though there are thing out of your control sometimes but most are preventable. Early diagnosis and treatment is another thing to consider.