General Care Discussion :: Tank size/cleaning

[kikicool]

Hello, all. So, I think my Shmeegel needs a larger tank. I had written before--he just sits in one area. The pet store where I bought him had him in a large pond habitat. I suspect he feels gypped! Anyhoo, I have some questions, and hope you can help. When I bought him, I was told a 20 gallon tank was good for now. That's not true, I've learned here, and I am ready to get a larger tank.

1. I'd like to get another RES to keep him company. He lived with several others at the pet shop. Is this a good idea? I know males can be territorial...what about females?

2. What size tank should I get for two turtles? (or, if a bad idea, for one turtle?)

3. I have been doing complete water changes every week. Is this no good? I have also just been using hot water and scrubbing very hard at the tank. Some of your posts mentioned peroxide. Is that what I should use? How often should I be cleaning the tank? I wonder, if I do it too often, if I have contributed to his shyness--he's definitely still uncomfortable here.

4. When I clean his tank, I often run some warm water over him and just sort of touch him to remove any stuff from the old water off of him. I've heard they RES's like this--read it somewhere, maybe here? or in a book I bought. Um... I think he tried to bite me. Which I can't blame him for. But I would like to "bond" with him. Any better suggestions? Or, any input on whether they like a little "shower?"

Right now, my l'il guy is about... 4-5 inches across. But I want to get a tank wherein I won't need to buy another in a few years.

All and any advice appreciated. THANK YOU!

(by the by...ebay has quite a few tanks at good prices!)

[missibsu]

1. I wouldn't get another RES unless you are prepared to keep two complete set ups. It isn't just males that can be territorial. RES are actually solitary animals and there is no way of knowing if your current buddy will get along with another. When you have more than one cat or dog, the expenses are pretty much combined, but having two turtles almost doubles your cost completely. There is a 90 quarantine minimum that should be followed, just incase the new turtle is carrying any illnesses. You don't want to infect a healthy habitat that you already have. That means, for at least 3 months you are going to need an entire separate set up.

2. Depending on gender you may need more or less space. Males don't grow as large as the females. An adult female can grow to be 12 inches, and an adult male 9 inches. Keeping in mind that rule of thumb is 10 gallons per inch, you will need either approx. 90 gallon or 120 gallons depending on gender, and that is for one turtle. The larger you can go now, the more money you will save in the long run.

3. The larger the set up, and the better the filter, the less often you will have to clean. For example, I have 75 gallon tank with two turtles and an xp3 filter. It gets cleaned completely about once every month-2 months, depending on the water tests. I do a partial water change about every 2 weeks. When I clean the tank, I just use a scrub brush that I bought solely for the tank and an old tooth brush to clean the tighter places. Sometimes a simple papertowel to scrub the sides down. I also never completely empty the eater because I have feeder fish in my tank that I don't want to catch. I take it down to about 3 inches of water though. I don't use the python cleaning system, but I have heard nothing but great things about it. It's on my birthday wish list!

4. As for cleaning the turtle, I would use a soft cloth to wipe him down. A soft toothbrush is also ok. Do watch your fingers, the shell can be very sensitive and that is probably why he tried to bite you.

ebay does have great prices if you can find someone close to you, since they don't usually ship. You can also check out www.craigslist.com and www.freecycle.org.

[CountryGirl68]

To add to Missi's great post: From what everyone here says about their turtles, its obvious that they each have their own special personality. Some turtles are okay with being handled while others - no matter how long you have them - just won't "bond" with you in that way.

Missi, I hope you do get the Python for your birthday! It is the best invention for fish tanks, IMO. It works even better in turtle tanks than in fish tanks because there isn't any gravel you have to syphon.

[missibsu]

Well, I've already decided that if I don't get the python for my birthday, I'll buy it with the money I get. One way or another it will be mine! I'm so tired of lugging buckets to clean out the tank. Mind you, it's a 75 gallon tank, and the buckets hold about 2 gallons, you can do the math!

[SpotsMama]

Oh Missi, I'm keeping my fingers crossed you'll get your python (or the money equivalent)!

Can you run a hose in from outside to fill your tank? That's what we're doing. It's made a difference in the quality of life for us.

[missibsu]

I can run the python from outside or the kitchen sink. The benefit of the sink is that I can control the water temp. From outside it will just be extremely cold. My thought it that I can balance it out with a couple of buckets of warm water from inside. Right now I just want the darn thing...my bdays in November...end of the month grrrr.

[CountryGirl68]

BTW, Missi, I recently got a 50' python from Big Al's online. It was about $20 cheaper than at the petstores. Just thought I'd pass that along.

[missibsu]

Thanks for the tip...I'll pass it on to my mom!