General Care Discussion :: they should be dead :( i need some help...ima hero to em

[still no turtle]

i just got the turles about 15 minutes ago and the owner hasn't cleaned the tank for like a year!! !! its a foul smelling green liquid with bits of poop + dead looking lettuce + some little food thinggy and other stuff ....the tank is pretty good size, no filter, no heater, no basking spot

I CAN'T IMAGINE HOW THEY CAN BE ALIVE RIGHT NOW??

i need some help and answers to the following questions:

1) how shallow should the water be?? ( at the moment it is like 3cm)
2) wat can i use as a basketing spot until i get one from the store? ( ATM there is no basking spot)
3) can i use stones from the garden for my setup or is this bad idea?

i would Appreciate ur advise or answer or anything just please help me.....i don't want them dead while they r in my care. they look ok.. no health issues ...i hope. i will probably put up some pitures soon so that the experts can point out any health issues.

[CountryGirl68]

1. You should put as much water as possible without allowing the turtles a means of escape.

2. Since this is a temporary solution: be creative. Get a plastic container or bowl and (after rinsing well in hot water) put it upside down in the tank, making sure that it is above water and the turtles can climb up on it.

3. I believe there was another post here about stones and rocks which you cannot use in the tank (don't remember where; you can do a search). Depending on the rocks and stones you have in your garden, as long as you wash them well with a bleach solution and rinse them with hot/very warm water, you can probably use them in the tank.

Hopefully you can get a filter, heater, UVA/UVB and heat light, and basking dock soon. Good luck.

[still no turtle]

thanks a million countrygirl68 i did get some rocks for a basking spot and i piled them up but, no matter wat i do they will not basket....
the tanks water is very low as i said before and i can't do anything until i dischlorinate the water i have... i named my turles by the way....

ToBi and SaPhire r there names...i also ran out (in the rain) and got a thermometre....and i found out that the guy was feeding them 3 times a day!!!

bad owner...bad bad owner....very lazy very senseless...

2 more questions:
4) will the chemistry of the water be a health hazard ...going from green guck to fresh water is a big change...will it have bad effects??
5) why are my fish staying on the dark side of the tank??

[grey goose]

First things first, get them out of the filthy water and clean the tank. If you have a container to put them in with enough lukewarm water to cover their shells do so. A heating pad underneath could'nt hurt, to keep them warm. Then give the tank a good cleaning. Not with detergents, but with peroxide or 1/3 bleach solution. If you use bleach, RINSE VERY WELL!
Post the dimensions of the tank. (lengthxwidthxhight). Then we will know what we are dealing with as far as equipment goes. THEN you'll have to get your wallet out.
I'll preface my next statement by saying nobody said keeping RES was easy.....or cheap.
Turtles kept in the conditions you describe usually (unless by some miracle) have a universe of health issues. Shell and skin problems, eye and ear infections, parasitic problems, even internal organ failure (stomatosis or renal failure comes to mind) not to mention RI. First chance you get, take them to a good vet and get them checked out.....I don't mean to discourage you, you've done the right thing by saving those poor turtles, but you may have to brace yourself to deal with the aftermath of the previous owners "care".
Once you get the tank clean, put enough water in it for them to swim freely, then find a couple non-porous rocks, clean well, and make a temporary basking platform. Safely rig up desk lamp or clamp lamp or such to heat it to about 90f. They are going to be so happy just to swim around in clean water they will probably ignore the basking area anyway....Post back with the tank size.

[still no turtle]

the tank is aprox 40x20x20 and i am going to the pet store 2moro to get them a bunch of new things. i will probably post a picture of the green stuff and then of the new clean tank. one thing that scares me is dat....
they always go to the dark side, one in each corner, go half-way into there shells and stay there for long. this is seriously scaring me! can this be a health issue or is it normal??

[still no turtle]

o yes! and they never, ever bask....y is this ??

[grey goose]

When you say dark side, you mean unlit side? It's probably nothing, they are probably a little scared with all the changes going on around them. You did change out the dirty water, right?

[CountryGirl68]

Yes, it's normal for them to stay in the water in a new environment. They are just getting used to the changes. And no, going from dirty water to clean water will not hurt them; it will help them.

But you will need to get a bigger tank, filter, heater, thermometer, UVA/UVB and heat light, and a basking area. You really don't need anything else in the tank. They prefer tanks with little or no decorations - just lots of swimming space.

[still no turtle]

thanks for da tips, da turtles are doing great but is it natural for them to play all night and bask in da morning? do they sleep or only bask? yea got a million questions but bare wit me please. the little one pushs the big one alot but i sure its just play.

[grey goose]

Hop large/old are your turts? Judging by your dimensions, it sounds like a 55 gal. long, is there a center brace?

[missibsu]

To tell correct size of your tank, you can multiply the length times the width, times the hideth and then divide that number by 231. It will tell how many gallons your tank is.

[industrial_girl_2000]

With any turtle, keeping them clean is very very very important. They should not be in smelly, cloudy, foul water. Prevention is the BEST medicine. Once a turtle gets sick, it is very hard to make them well again. So do them a favor and keep them as CLEAN as possible! Remove any uneaten food from their living container or feed them in a separate pan of water. Make sure you have a good running filter to clean the water and change the filter regularly (I change mine once/week). I also add something called "waste degrader" (ask for it at the pet store) to the water to help clean the feces/waste once a week.

And when I change the water in my turtle's tank, I use tap water. The chlorine evaporates within a few hours, and they do have stuff at the pet store to help the chlorine evaporate faster.

And definitely read all the good tips on turtle environments/feeding on this website. The owners of the site did a great job of already typing everything up & making it available!

Glad the turtles got you as a new owner! It sounds like you care about their health. Good luck!