General Care Discussion :: lighting/heating sleeping/eating habbits

[monolithmaji]

i really appreciate every ones help. i know im asking alot of questions but i feel better getting answers from real people not just reading a site.

i understand you all love your animals and im sure every one has much more experience and knowledge i have gone through and read what the website has to say but its all so precise it sounds like if i don't do one thing right im gonna kill them. so i feel better taking directions from people who know what will work. i cant afford to give them the best right now all i want is a good enough set up that will last them long enough until i can.

yes its a 10 gallon tank i know its small but for right now i dont have to room for them to have a bigger habitat.

I got the 10 gallon tank from a friend who has raised several turtles and reptiles that lived long happy lives with out using a water heater (she has a friend who didn't monitor the water levels in the tank and they got to low and the heater heated up the water to much and killed them) so i don't want to get a water heater for such a small tank.

yes the light will heat the water ive covered up some of the glass with white paper which helps reflect the light and keep the water warmer

but heres what ive got going on. the outside of the water is usual between 85 and 92 or so degrees depending on the time of day while the water pretty much stays 80 or 78 degrees all day even at night when i left the light off for awhile to see if it would get to low it stayed above 75 degrees

at night im going to use one of the blacklights made for turtles at the petstore for heat

another question is i hear every one saying they can get RI infections is there any kinda food or vitamin that you can get that will help reduce the chances of this happening im sorry to say i dont know if i can affored vet care right now if it happend while were trying to get them situated.

also what would you suggest i do when im cleaning out the cage about every two weeks i do a full water change and rinse off everything. while i do this i set them in a old (clean) kitty litter box with sand and water but since every one is saying sever temp changes (going from water thats 80 to the water in the box thats 70) i dont want to stress them out.

any other suggestions something i might of missed also any signs i can look for to see wither or not there doing alright any weird behavior to look out for?

[SpotsMama]

On the overall guidance on the site, I know it must sound pretty difficult at first. I've been there too! We'll try to be practical and realistic in our suggestions as it's true there are all sorts of situations to take into consideration. Also, you can make changes and upgrades over time as you can and want to.

Most of the guidance on the site is designed to improve the turtle's odds of surviving and staying healthy. It's not that they will automatically die if there are deviations. Obviously, in the wild, they don't always have a certain temperature or get a certain diet. But then, the vast majority of turtles in the wild do not survive to a ripe old age.

It's just a fact that an aquatic turtle requires a pretty elaborate setup to give him/her a healthy life. More than almost any other pet. Once you get the setup down, though, then they are as easy or easier than most other pets. for example, now that I've got a good setup, my turtle is less trouble and expense than my dog or two cats.

On vet care, you need to be prepared to handle this. With luck, your turtle will never need a vet, but if he/she does, often there is no substitute - there are some things you simply cannot handle by yourself at home.

On the temperature, it sounds like you're in a very warm climate. Your water temps sound fine. If you can maintain it at that level without a heater, then more power to you. Just check it periodically to be sure it's holding in the same range around 78 degrees.

Is your turtle a little hatchling - around an inch or inch and a half long? If so then a 10 gallon tank is fine for now. As he/she grows, you'll find that there are significant benefits to a larger container. First of all, turtles love to swim and dive and are happier when they have some space. In the wild they live in ponds and lakes where they have thousands of gallons to swim around in. Secondly, the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep clean. This is really significant. If the tank is too small you may find yourself changing the water every other day just to keep it bearable. Within the past year I finally upgraded to a really large tank - 100 gallons - with a good filter and I can't believe how much easier it's made my life. Keeping the water clean is just not a big deal any more but it used to be a lot of work.

You can get a lot more space for your turtle at very little expense with a rubbermaid tub or plastic stock tank. There are some really nice examples of these type setups on here if you want to check them out.

Even if your turtle is only an inch long you'll need to change the water more than once every two weeks. Once a week may be ok if you've got some sort of filter to help. But if you've got more than one turtle or the turtle is bigger, you will need more frequent water changes. If the water starts looking crudy or smelling bad you for sure need to change it.

(Edit: I didn't realize I was on the second page of the post so didn't understand about the size and number of turtles when I first wrote this. The comments about one tiny turtle doesn't really apply here)

(Edit #2: On where to keep the turtles while you're cleaning the tank, I'd skip the sand and water in the litter box and instead put a soft towel on the bottom for them to hide in and another towel on top to make it dark so maybe they will go to sleep. Just make sure they can't climb out!)

To give a turtle the best chance of avoiding RI really just about everything needs to be right. The key is keeping the turtle's immune system functioning well. If the water's too cold, if the water isn't clean, if they are malnourished, if they are stressed - all of these things can weaken the immune system and make them suseptible to an RI.

I know you said you don't like to read the directions on the site but the section on nuitrition is pretty straightforward. Why don't you take a look at it again. It tells about the type of food and supplements your turtle should get at the various stages of his life:

http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

Some (but not all) of the signs of illness are: swollen eyes, breathing with the mouth open, lethargy, breathing with the mouth open, not pooping, swimming lopsided, difficulty submerging. But, just like with people, almost anything can go wrong. A healthy turtle is lively, has a healthy appetite, has good color, eyes are clear and not swollen (though turtles' eyes are naturally a bit popeyed looking), swims and dives with ease, and basks regularly. He/she will probably grow to around 3" or 4" in his/her first year.[/i]

[monolithmaji]

well thank you now i feel better. thank you every one that helped me out. yea i know now there doing better cause when we got them they were pale i didnt even think about it but now there color is really bright and detailed so i feel like there doing alright ..

just one last thing what would you say should be the hottest the out side should get (basking area) during the day the temp will usual flux a few degrees up (the highest ive noticed is 93 during the middle of the day).

and i got them a moonlight red night light to keep the temp up at night.
and i think that covers it for me for right now.