General Care Discussion :: OK, here I go...

[Dragonlady]

Hello everyone,

I have had my 2 res since saturday. I got them from a friend that is leaving town for a while and then moving. The current set-up came with them. So, their habitat hasn't changed just the home and people. I have read a lot from this forum in the last 24 hrs and learned a lot.

Here is my 5 day novel:
I got them home saturday and refilled there tank water. (complete refill)Their pellet food said to give as much as they could eat in 20 minutes,that seemed like a lot so I put a little bit in. My friend gave them gold fish occasionlly and said they would eventually eat them. I was leaving town that evening and wouldn't be home until the next evening. I wasn't sure about the amount of pellets and their feeding schedule so, I took my kids to the pet store and got a few feeder goldfish. I figured it would be fun for my girls to watch the fish in the tank for a while and if they got hungry they would have something to eat.
Well, I got home Sunday evening and all the goldfish were gone. The male's shell appeared lighter and the next morning (monday) I noticed he had white filmy stuff coming off his skin. I figured it was some kind of shedding but wasn't sure. So, that is when I went online to learn more and found this site. I also haven't seen him bask on the platform, (the female has.) I haven't seen him eat much either, I'm guessing he is a bit more shy than the female. Then tonight after all the lights were off I walked up to the tank to see if was eating any of the lettuce or cuttlebone I put in, (the female ate with us watching) and I saw him at the bottom of the tank, I couldn't see his head and he had is left back leg straight out and right front leg straight out and head tucked in. I wasn't sure what he as doing down there and if he was OK. The female bumped into him and he went on swimming. Question 1-Is that wierd?
I talked to my friend today about the shedding and he said it was normal he sheds all the time. He said he got them when they were about the size of a half dollar and it was about 5 months ago. He kept there water temp at 85 degrees. (which I have now learned is too high) I dropped it down to 82 yesterday and then 80 today. I didn't want to shock them and drop the temp too fast. He fed them turtle pellets, lettuce, and occasionally feeder fish. ( and cuttlebone) I tried tomatoes yesterday but they didn't go for it. I will introduce more veggies/fruits.

My 7 yr old daughter named the male Turbo and my 4yr old named the female Pyrtle. I measured them and Turbo is 3.75 in and Pyrtle is 4.5 in.
I had to relinquish the urge to want to control the naming

Question 2-Is that a normal growth rate, if they are really only 6 months old?
Question 3-Did the high temp accelerate their growth? (or maybe they are older than he remembers?)

I wanted to change their habitat and give them less water and more basking area, but sisn't want to do it right away.(let them settle in) The current set-up is how they have lived for the past 5 months. Question 4- Reading through forums I learned more water is better, right? I think the tank is 35 gallons which I now now is too small for them. So, I need to work on creating a bigger habitat for them.
Is that enough for everyone. Sorry to dump so much my first post. I'm just being a really concerned momma. I'm hoping he is just getting used to it here, the female seems ok.
Please take a look at these pictures of Turbo and Pyrtle and their current tank. I look forward to all the helpful advice.
http://s91.photobucket.com/albums/k299/ ... dy/Turtles

THANK YOU for making it to the end of my post!

[Shavannah]

Hi! Wow, that was a lot, lol! Love the pics, the turts are gorgeous!
I'm going to start off with a few observations and suggestions.
I think Pyrtle may be a yellow bellied slider. I looked up some pictures of them, and she fits the bill. Others will reply with more knowledge on that. The care is basically the same as red ears. I also think Turbo may be female, not male. At 3 1/2", it's not completely clear, but I have a male 5", and at 3" he had noticeably long claws and a thick long tail, of course now, it's undeniable lol.
Turtle's of your sizes should be given pellets every other or every 3 days, enough that would fit in their head if it were hollow, each. Lettuce (not iceburg), dandelion greens should be offered daily. Fruits only a very occasional treat. Goldfish are fatty, so not recommended. Rosy red minnows are more nutritious, but also only offer occasionally. There's info on nutrition in the basic care page http://www.redearslider.com, scroll down, there's a lot of answers to your other questions in each topic. Also, read the 'stickys' under Feeding and Nutrition in the forum for suggested foods, and what not to feed. Cuttlebone daily, as you've been doing.
Water temp for their size should be around 75-78 degrees. Lower it gradually, as you've been doing. You need to get a basking light in addition to the tube light (is the tube a UVB?). A regular household bulb is fine for the basking light (heat), use with a clip on lamp. Bask temp should be around 10 degrees warmer than the water. When you get a bigger tank, have 2 bask areas or one very large one, so both can fit on it together and not bully each other for it.
Gravel-remove it. They will eat it and can become impacted, causing serious problems. Use river rock, bigger than their heads, it's smooth and easier to clean. You just need to scatter some on the bottom, not cover it completely (easier cleaning).
Question 1: each turtle has different personalities and behaviours. You'll learn theirs as you go.
#2: Normal growth rate is 2-3" first year, around 1-2" each year after that (I'm pretty sure). So, your turts are either older than thought, or slightly overfed (Pyrtle has some chub on the back legs in the side view pics). Easily corrected with proper diet changes.
#3:high temp increases appetite, so it's possible they begged and were given too much food causing faster growth and the 'chub'.
#4:yes, more water is better, and the tank, although deep, is not near long enough. You said you realize they need a bigger tank, so that's good. 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length for each turtle. Plan ahead now to save on repeated costly upgrades. Ultimately, they will grow to between 9" and 12" each, depending on gender. And if I'm right about both being female, in a few years, they'll need a 240 gallon tank, living together. You could do 120 each if you separate them. Stock tanks are much cheaper.
They will also need a dry nesting area, if female, soon. Not sure when, do some research on that, or someone else may respond with that info.
I hope this helps you out. This is all info I learned when I joined a few months ago. And I just keep learning more and more, lol. Keep us updated, and if you have any other questions, just ask! We're here to help!
And if anyone needs to correct my info, please do. But I hope I got it right!

[CountryGirl68]

I just want to add to what Shavannah said. When you upgrade the turtle tank, be sure that the tank is LONG and not tall. The tank you currently have is tall which doesn't give them the swimming room they need.

I agree with Shavannah - both turtles might be females. The info she gave about tank size, basking and nesting areas is correct. Although keeping females together isn't as risky as keeping males together, keep in mind that with limited space, they may become aggresive with each other.

Good luck with your new girls!!

[Dragonlady]

Thank you!

I was going by what my friend said about the sexes, I had no idea how to tell. Thanks for clearing that up for me. My daughters will be excited to know they are both girls. They had a hard time deciding who was going to get the boy turtle. Though, I wonder now if Sophia(the 7yr old) will want to change Turbo's name now that it's a girl. I wondered about the type of turtle Pyrtle was because she didn't have the red, and I noticed the different coloring on her belly.

I thought it odd that he had them in a tall aquarium tank, so I planned on changing that anyway. I'm trying to figure out how to do an outside natural habitat for them, but I live in Santa Cruz, CA where it gets cold in the evenings. So, I don't know how to make it work. Maybe have a heat lamp on at night? Any suggestions?

Lighting-There is a UVA on one side and a UVB on the other, so they have both types of light. Do they need another basking light too?

So, overall they both look ok to you... color and shells? (besides Pyrtle's chub )

Thanks
_________________________

Angela

2 RES - Turbo and Pyrtle
1 cat- Timone
1 wolf/husky- Luna

[SpotsMama]

One more thing, even if both of your turts are female, they will be laying eggs soon and will need a place to nest. I suppose they are like chickens in this respect. They don't need a male to lay eggs but without the male the eggs will be infertile. There have been some other posts on here about nesting habitats - I'd recommend that you do a search to get some info.

I love your pictures - both of your turtles are just beautiful!

[Dragonlady]

Thank you.
I will definately look into the nesting situation.
I'm so glad they look good, I was a little worried the last coupe days with everything I've been reading and learning.

I told my daughter that Turbo is a girl and she had a worried look on her face. Her reply, (saw it coming) " Her name can't be Turbo if she is a girl"
So, now she is thinking of a new name, we'll see what happens .
_______________

Angela

[marisa]

The heat/basking light and the UVB light should be next to each other (as much as possible) over the basking area for your turtles to benefit. UVB light should be about 6-8 inches from the basking turtle. Heat light should be a distance that will warm the basking area to 88-90F.

[Dragonlady]

Thanks, the lights are side by side above there floating dock.
I don't need another light too.... right?

[steve]

Does your UVA bulb provide heat? If it does, you're set.

[scripta_elegans]

They both look healthy and cute! I second the 2 girl theory, but she could be Turba. The "a" makes it feminine, and it still means fast!

[SpotsMama]

Script, you're pretty clever.