General Care Discussion :: New RES owner

[Ispakles]

Hi, I'm a new RES owner. A few days ago, my little sister just brought home a baby RES that's about 3-4cm big. Her teacher gave it to her. It's really cute but also quite fragile and delicate. I have yet to buy pellets for it to eat which I read that should be the main part of its diet but I'm feeding it with boiled carrot slices, all kinds of vege and tomatoes and it seems to be eating well. I'm gonna buy the pellets tomorrow.

I don't have any light bulb for basking but I wonder if I can just put it near the window with part of the tank shaded and the other part open to allow sunlight to shine through? How much water do I have to put in the tank? For now, I'm putting very little water as I'm afraid it would drown if I put too much. The water level now does not cover its shell at all. Do baby RES know how to swim?

Do RES sleep alot? Mine seems to be sleeping quite a bit today. I guess it is tired after I let it out to crawl around on the floor a few hours ago.

[SpotsMama]

Greetings and welcome to the forum!

Your turtle's probably tired because he's hungry. It's good that you're getting pellets tomorrow. He needs more to his diet than just vegetables. If you can find it, get a good brand of pellet. In the nuitrition section on this site there's a discussion of good brands of pellets. There are also recommendations on the quantity.

There's quite a bit of setup required to keep a healthy turtle. Why don't you read up on the basics first, then come back and ask specific questions.

Here's a link to get you started. After you've read through a section, go back and click on the next topic at the top of the page until you looked at all the relevant sections:

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

Good luck!

[RunninWideOpen]

Welcome to the forum. I agree with Spotsmama, read up on the main site before the forum. The main site is JAM PACKED with informatiion about keeping a healthy RES.

Just a few jump start notes, don't be afraid to add some more water. RES are aquatic turtles and love to swim. You can add water slowly over a few days to allow him to adjust. Fake plants make good resting spots when he gets tired. Keep the water temp around 78-80F, temp is very important.

Also, negative on the window. Direct sunlght causes harmful spikes in the water temp, and UVB cannot go through glass at all, so it won't help the turtle.

Also, hatchling RES need more protein in their diet. worms, crickets, etc. live, pesticide free insects.

Well those are just some points to jump start ya. There is a lot of information to know to keep a healthy turtle, but once you get the basics down it's not all that hard.

Good luck! Congrads on your new turtle!

[Tenodera]

Well putting it near a window is bad since glass filters UVB rays and your tank could overheat quickly in such a low amount of water. Don't worry about it not being able to swim. Turtles are reptiles and are born with an instinct to swim.

Although if it has been kept in shallow water all its life you should gradually introduce water and raise the water level slowly to help it build its swimming muscles.

[Ispakles]

Thanks for replying. I have read through the main site. Is it ok for me to open the window at certain times of the day to allow sunlight to come in for my turtle to bask? He seems to be enjoying it lazing with his limbs all stretch out on the rock. My parents won't let me buy a lighting lamp because of the cost and electrical cost.

I just bought some turtle food sticks. The pet shop has only 1 brand of food pellet which comes in a really large size. The other brands are all sold out. I wanted to buy something small to give it a try so I bought the food sticks instead. He seems to like them.

[RunninWideOpen]

I wouldn't suggest the window but if opening the window is the only way to get it UVB, then I guess. UVB is a MUST for turtles.

I can understad your parents concern about the electric bill. I've honesltly not seen any rise in my electric bill with adding 3 full setups with lights, heaters and filters. It may have raised about $3, but I don't know. $3 is a pretty norma fluxuation for me.

Those lights are very important to the well being of your turtle.

[marisa]

If there's a cool breeze coming through the window, I wouldn't keep your baby in front of it. You don't say where you are, but it would be better, if the weather is warm and sunny, to take your turtle outside for some direct sunlight on a regular basis to meet his UVB needs at least for the summer. UVB lights, btw, are low wattage for the amount they give off, and if you have an autumn and winter where you are, your turtle should have one during those months. Your turtle will also need a heat light (can be a regular lightbulb), and since he's so small, one with a lower wattage should be enough to bring the basking area to 88-90F.

It's really good that he's got such an appetite. If the sticks are too big for him, break them into smaller pieces. When you go back for more pellets (and hopefully the store is better stocked), look to see if they sell a pellet called Reptomin Baby (for small turtles). If not, regular Reptomin broken into smaller pieces is good.

If your turtle continues to seem sleepy or inactive, check the water temp (good to do anyway)---if it's too cool, he's become inactive and will lose his appetite. The water should be about 78F (basking area 88-90F), and at some point he may need a submersible water heater to keep it at a constant temp.

Their ability to swim is instinctive. Start with a level he's comfortable with and slowly increase it.

Welcome to the forum.

[megcornell]

Even if you cannot buy a UVB light right now, it's very cheap to buy a clamp light from a store like home depot and you can use a regular house bulb to provide the heat your turtle needs to bask. That's better than nothing to start with. Just make sure you don't use too strong of a bulb because that will make it too warm.

[Tenodera]

and for UVB you could take your turtle outside on sunny days for 2-3 hours.

[Ispakles]

Thanks for all the help. I live in Singapore it is sunny and hot all year round here. I'll consider getting a regular clamp bulb though. I'm starting to add more water into the tank and I notice that he is starting to submerge his head under the water and move his limbs like he's swimming.

The food sticks are actually really small and they don't look like sticks at all! They're only about 0.5cm long. Anyway, he seems to like that so much that he doesn't eat much of the greens I give him anymore!

One thing funny I noticed: There is a small bump on the right side of his neck and I wonder what it is. Should I be worried about it? I took a few photos of it:

[Tenodera]

Oh my god.

whats the matter with his shell?
Does it smell weird? It could be shell rot....

Your turtle is beginning to develop an abcess. It will grow and is very painful for your turtle. You'll have to take him to a herp vet to get it lanced.

Best wishes to you and your turtle,

Kevin

[kmichael55]

I think it looks kind of like paint, maybe the classroom it came from they had painted it and it's chipping off??

[SpotsMama]

The lump on the side of his head looks like an abcess. They're not that uncommon in turtles. A vet will have to deal with it. The vet would lance the abcess and clean it out then give you instructions on how to care for your turtle after the procedure.

An abcess is quite curable if it's treated early on. Until then, though, it will just continue to grow, and it causes quite a bit of pain for the turtle.

Until you can get him to a vet, keep him very clean and avoid stress. To avoid stress, pick him up only when you have to. This will allow him to conserve his energy until his abcess is taken care of.

By the way, it's really good news that your turtle has an appetite. When a turtle is very sick he'll stop eating.

The dark color on his shell does look like some sort of coating. Does it come off easily?

[Ispakles]

You guys sure that it's an abcess? I'm looking for a vet near my house. How much does it cost to get it lanced? Can I do it myself?

I picked my turtle to have a closer look at the shell. No, he doesn't smell but his shell is quite soft and some of the dark green stuff seems to come off when I scratch it a little. Anyway, he stays on the rock above water all the time and only goes into the water to eat. Is this normal?

[steve]

It looks like paint to me too. I'm not sure if it is an abcess, there has clearly been problems regarding its care, but it would be good for a qualified vet to examine him. I would not attempt lancing it yourself.

The shell of a hatchling should be slightly pliable and should harden up with a good diet, proper lighting and basking.