General Care Discussion :: i have no idea where to begin

[solaris]

hi my name is mike and im way over my head here.

about 3 weeks ago, i was dropping off a desk to a man i work with and he had two red eared sliders sitting in a plastic bag (one is about two inches, and the other is a inch and a half). he was going to flush them down the toilet so i rescued them. i currently have them in a 10 gallon tank, and i have a 150 gallon i am in the process of resealing. i have a basking light, uvb light, water filter, ect., But i have NO idea what to do. i have never owned a turtle before and i dont know anyone who does. to make matters worse, the largest has gone a dark greenish/gold color with very light, almost pinkish patches on his shell (i am color blind so the color might be off) and i dont know if hes sick or if this is natural.

i have absolutly no idea where to begin or what to do, and i hope somone can help me.

thanks

[Safdar]

Calm down Dude

First of all, quickly finish the good start you have on your tank

Read this to get you some background info http://redearslider.com/index_basic_info.html

Can you put a picture up of his shell dry

[solaris]

ha sorry i got off a twelve hour shift and found him like that. i called three diferent pet shops and got three completly diferent answers.

my camera drivers are not working but once i got him out of the water and he dried the scutes are smaller, dark colored and the gaps between are much lighter.

[RunninWideOpen]

Howdy, congrads on being a turtle owner!

First of all, never go to a pet store to get advice. They don't know anything about caring for turtles, but unfortunately they'll make stuff up to sound like they do. The only one I've ever been to that knows anything is a specialized reptile store.

Read up on redearslider.com, it's PACKED with info, just about everything you ever need to know.

As far as the patchiness on the shell, it could be shell rot or some other infection, or it may not. The pictures will help once you're able to do that. You could get some hibiclense from the drug store and dilute in some water. Use a tooth brush to scrub the shells, let it set for a few minutes, then rinse it off very good. Don't let your turtles swim around in it though.

Some important jump start info, water temp needs to be mid-70's....78-80 would probably be better for yours right now since they are younger and could be ill.

What kind of condition do they appear to be in?

[solaris]

great thanks for the info. im on vacation the rest of the week so il have the pics up tomorrow at the latest. they were very slugish for the first week i had them but they seem very healthy and active. they bask regularly, and when theyre in the water they seem quite active. i have been keeping their temperture around 80 by using a preset water heater.

[untsmurf]

Sounds like you're doing a great job!

They were probably stressed at first because they were living in a plastic bag and I'm sure that guy that was going to flush them wasn't too preoccupied about their comfort. Now that you've got them in a tank with the right temps and things, they should become more active.

[solaris]

i cant seem to get a very good picture but from what im reading off the site what i see matches scute shedding, the description completly matchs what i see.

[untsmurf]

Then you should be alright. Shedding is normal. Just make sure they have somewhere they can get completely out of the water to bask.

[Tenodera]

You say they have red patches on their shell?

Does it sound like this?
http://www.redearslider.com/shell_conditions.html

[solaris]

ya see now i see the light areas around the scutes as a greyish pink, however i am red/pink/purple and bright green/yellow deficient. often times im able to work past it, but some color mixes throw me completly off. im going to have my sister come over tomorrow and check his color for me

yah hes got a floating island that i have under the basking light. soud i leave the light on over night for him or will he be fine?

[untsmurf]

No. He needs a day/night cycle. Just put the lights on a timer. Mine are 12 on, 12 off.

[steve]

hey mike, here's a page with a list of some basic but necessary items: http://redearslider.com/startup.html

Your co-worker sounds like a real piece of...

[TXGUY]

HI MIKE WELCOME TO THE GROUP, you will find a lot of info in this web, you'll be very pleased and safe with all the info available in this web site, and with you r caring attitude for those babies turtles they'll be living a better life

you're doing A GREAT JOB

[marisa]

Props to you for rescuing them! It sounds like you're going a good job for being thrown into the world of turtlekeeping.

[pumpkinsherbet]

sorry if i seem a little frantic but:

he had two red eared sliders sitting in a plastic bag (one is about two inches, and the other is a inch and a half). he was going to flush them down the toilet so i rescued them.

WHAT?!?!?!