redearslider.com

I purchased my first RES for my daughter for her birthday(May 2007) and then a few months later she went back a bought 1 more. They are Laura and Allisa. I bought them from a flea market in Mobile, AL. I was told they would not get any bigger and that the very small plastic container I purchased from them would be all I would need. She had all of the RES in a 10 gallon tank. So I did decided to purchase a 10 gallon tank. I was not told about a heater, filter, light...not nothing. Now they have been acting fine. My oldest one ..when I come into the room runs to the side of the tank and wants to be feed. The other one never leaves the doc. I honestly done think it eats. I dont know whats keeping it alive. Here it has been almost a year and I feel like I have really been doing this all wrong. I did just install a filter. I have looked for a light but do not know what I am looking for. I almost bought a regular tank cover with the light, but dont think that will work. I honestly dont know what to do. I live in a small house and this tank is on my bar in the kitchen. They havent really changed in size since I purchased them. I really need some advise!!!! I feel like they should have given more info when I purchased them.

you were definitely given poor advice. i don`t know why some people mislead their customers SO badly.

turtles need approximately 10 gallons of water per inch of shell (length). a one year old turtle should be about 4 inches long i believe. that`s how long mine is anyways. they will get to be larger than 7 inches when full grown.

there is lots of great information on this (and other) sites to help you figure things out.

what you NEED is:

a bigger tank (for two sliders probably at least a 75 gallon)
a heater
a filter (preferably one that is rated to filter 3-5 times the size of your tank)
a light that gives off heat (a regular bulb will do)
a UVB light

also keep in mind that 2 RES in one tank can at any time become aggressive and harm each other. there are lots of stories on here that have sad and disturbing outcomes.

also i`m not sure what you`ve been feeding them but RES should be fed pellets every other day (no more than would fit inside their hear) and veggies like green and red leaf lettuce every day. feeder fish or other protein should be a treat.

The one that is staying on the dock sounds like he's sick....and may require the attention of a herp vet.
Two healthy turtles will grow fast and will require a much larger tank than 10 gallons.....

For information on basic care go here:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care.html

Habitat is here:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_habitat.html

Lighting and Basking:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_lighting_basking.html

Basic turtle health is here:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_health.html

Raising turtles, like any other pet, is a long term commitment. Starting out may seem daunting (and expensive), but once you get into it, its very rewarding and even fun (and educational) for the kids.
Many keepers on this forum have been involved with raising turtles for many years and can help with any questions you may have.
Good luck.

Do I need a regular light bulb and a UVB light. and how do I display these?

On the UVB, it depends..... If you are using the "tube" type fluorescent, you'll need an 18" fluorescent fixture. You can get them cheap at home depot.
A better solution would be to get a "Compact" type fluorescent bulb and place it in a clamp lamp. You'll need a 5.0 UVB (NOT 10.0 or 2.0) and position it a minimum of 12" from the basking area. You can get one here:
http://www.petguys.com/-097612340050.html

You can buy a clamp lamp at the pet store, but they are probably cheaper at the hardware store, like Home Depot or Lowes.

For the UVA (heat) lamp, a regular 60 watt incandescent light bulb will do, also mounted in a clamp lamp, positioned so it will warm the basking area to about 90F.

What is a herp vet. I live in a rural area. Is there pictures somewhere on how my lighting should look?

A herp vet is a vet specialized in treating reptiles, including turtles. There is a post with links to finding herp vets (hopefully near you) near the top of the Urgent Care forum as well as in the site info.

You need to redo their set-up starting with a bigger tank. Do some reading on what they need.

As for the lighting for the tank they're in now, get two clamp lamps, position them next to each other over the basking area. One should have a heat lamp in it (can be a regular lightbulb) and the other should have the UVB light in it (if you're using a compact flourescent UVB light). If you're using a tube UVB light, have as much of it as possible over the basking area. Basking area temp should be 88-90F, use a wattage that will get the temp in that range (and check it with a thermometer).