General Care Discussion :: Taking in a RES

[TerrapinRich]

So my parents have a RES that they bought in Chinatown about a year - year and a half ago and have decided that they don't really want it anymore. So I'm going to take it with me from NY to MD in a few weeks and going to claim it as my own.

The turtle is about 4-5 inches and has only been fed the store bought processed turtle food and is living in a fairly small tank.

I've read most of the basic care on the main site, but still have many questions since I've never cared for a turtle before.

My most immediate concern is what is the best way to transport the turtle the 200 miles from NY to MD in the car?

Once I get him home, I have every intention of letting him live in a baby pool in the corner of my room, though if this is a bad idea, by all means let me know. I'm also curious as to what to use as a basking area in a baby pool? Water filters and heating lamp? Do I have to have the water temp. regulated? Should I place the pool in a spot where sunlight can get through 3-4 hours a day? Will these things be difficult to set up in a baby pool rather than a tank?

Also, since he's been fed processed food and is now about a year and a half old, I figured it's time to start feeding him some real food as well but really don't know what types of food to start him on.

I'm completely new to this and any help is most certainly appreciated. I'm sure I'll have a million more questions up until I take him in a few weeks, but just this general advice will do for now.

I greatly appreciate any help,
Rich

[mzkitty23]

Welcome to the site Rich! I will let some of the more experienced "turtle people" on the site address your questions (they are AWESOME), but i wanted to welcome you and let you know I'm glad your here and wanting to give the turts great care!! You will be amazed how awesome pets they are!

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Hi Rich, welcome.

I can tell you that probably the best food you can start him on, besides pellets, is green leaf lettuce & dandelion leaves. Romaine lettuce is also very good since it is high in calcium and most turtles seem to love it. After that you can check the main site Nutrition/Plant section for more options ( http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html ) as well as searching the forum. There is a thread where many people have posted what they feed their turtles. Have a look here:
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11684

I would suspect that regardless of the type of tank you use, you will need all the acutrements including a heater, filter, basking area, etc. but I will let someone more experienced answer your questions regarding a baby pool and traveling with a turtle, although you may want to review the info here regarding travel:
http://www.redearslider.com/transportation.html

[TerrapinRich]

Welcome to the site Rich! I will let some of the more experienced "turtle people" on the site address your questions (they are AWESOME), but i wanted to welcome you and let you know I'm glad your here and wanting to give the turts great care!! You will be amazed how awesome pets they are!

Yeah, I definitely look forward to having it.

Hi Rich, welcome.

I can tell you that probably the best food you can start him on, besides pellets, is green leaf lettuce & dandelion leaves. Romaine lettuce is also very good since it is high in calcium and most turtles seem to love it. After that you can check the main site Nutrition/Plant section for more options ( http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html ) as well as searching the forum. There is a thread where many people have posted what they feed their turtles. Have a look here:
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11684

I would suspect that regardless of the type of tank you use, you will need all the acutrements including a heater, filter, basking area, etc. but I will let someone more experienced answer your questions regarding a baby pool and traveling with a turtle, although you may want to review the info here regarding travel:
http://www.redearslider.com/transportation.html

My concern with starting to feed him lettuce is that he's been eating the pellets since he was brought home... will it be fine to just immediately start giving him lettuce as well? Also, I assume keep him still on the pellets as well.


The travel page was helpful.

I appreciate the thoughts, guys.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Yes. Start feeding him lettuce immediately.

Look at the Nutrition/Plant section using the link I posted to see the frequency for feeding veggies, fruits, etc. The items I listed can be fed on a daily basis.

[mat012]

He may not take to the veggies right away, but keep offering them. eventually you will find out what he likes and he will get used to eating them. Most do and they become very enthusiastic veggie eaters. Mine is on a collard green kick right now, but red lettuce is the favorite so far. He will snack a bit on blueberries and cucumber, but they are not his favorites. Steamed sweet potatoes are coming soon.

[TheComputerGremlin]

If possible, go with a tank or stock tank. A baby pool will simply take up too much room and you will risk a small crack causing a flood in your place. A nice aquarium will work out best and easiest for you. Look on Craigslist or the local ad papers to see if anyone is selling one for less.

[untsmurf]

I second TheComputerGremlin's comment. I would not suggest a baby pool for several reasons:
1- it'll take up a lot of room
2- doesn't provide protection from anything
3- easily breakable, like thecomputergremlin said
4- it's harder to set up things like filters, heaters, lamps, and thermometers
5- they're easier for turtles to climb out of due to the friction between their nails and the pool material


Definitely do NOT put it in front of the window, that can cause algae growth and rapid fluctuations in temperatures. Due to the size of the turtle, you will need AT LEAST a 40 gal breeder or 55 gal stock tank. But that is that absolute smallest, you should try and get a 90-125 that way you only have to pay for one tank (and all of the accessories of course).

You should start giving him greens ASAP, there is a feeding schedule on the nutrition site that explains how often to feed greens vs pellets. And what the best types are.

Personally, I wouldn't bring the turtle home with you until you have the habitat set up. There are too many things that could go wrong. You could find out you can't afford it, you could have issues with setting up the tank (temps, algae, new tank syndrome). And it isn't fair to the turtle to have to stress out from the move, then either not even get a new home, or get one that is constantly changing.

[TerrapinRich]

As odd as it may sound, it's actually easier for me to set up a baby pool in terms of space than a tank so while I'd much prefer the pool, I suppose I'll go with the tank if really necessary.

I'll certainly take your advice and have everything set up before heading to NY to get him though, and will start with lettuce as soon as he's in MD.

Again, I appreciate the advice so far. Thanks!

[Fuzzy Hamster]

Rich, just to be sure you understand, you don't have to go with a 'glass' tank. As untsmurf suggested, you can get a plastic 'stock tank' (google it for details) that may be similar in size and shape to your baby pool, but be far better suited to a turtle while still being able to accomodate heaters, filters, etc. I believe they are also cheaper than glass tanks. Rubbermaid seems to be the most common brand. They were apparently originally designed to provide drinking water to livestock (horses, etc) but now have many other uses.

[TerrapinRich]

Ahh, didn't even think of a non-glass tank. I'll certainly look into it. Thanks.

[untsmurf]

Rich, just to be sure you understand, you don't have to go with a 'glass' tank. As untsmurf suggested, you can get a plastic 'stock tank' (google it for details) that may be similar in size and shape to your baby pool, but be far better suited to a turtle while still being able to accomodate heaters, filters, etc. I believe they are also cheaper than glass tanks. Rubbermaid seems to be the most common brand. They were apparently originally designed to provide drinking water to livestock (horses, etc) but now have many other uses.

That's great!! I had a brain fart and completely forgot. Stock tanks and rubbermaids are great, very popular around here too so you'll be able to get lots of advice from first hand users.

[Fuzzy Hamster]

untsmurf, you mean I was crediting you for recommending something that you didn't even recommend?

D'oh!

[TerrapinRich]

I actually have a plastic storage container that's 44x20x6.5

I recognize it's not very high, but would a similar container with more height be suitable?

And what type of material would you recommend for building a basking area with?

[TerrapinRich]

Also, I apologize if I'm asking all these questions when you're probably thinking I can just go read the main page care guides, but I've read them. I'm just trying to reaffirm everything read there and get more insight from real owners.

Can anyone recommend any online sites for buying necessary components such as filter/lamp?