General Care Discussion :: What should I do?

[Clo_n_Spade]

I am new to the forum and turtles in general. I recently became the mommy of two red eared sliders. Here is their story -

The two were bought by my friend at a stand in Chinatown while he was on vacation. He bought them because they looked cute and did not know anything about turtle care and never bothered to find out. They are over 5 years old and have been living in a small turtle tank from PetCo and getting fed reptile sticks from PetCo. They do get fed any variety of foods, and they do not have a heat lamp of any sort.

They were dropped off at my house with only their tank, faucet water in their tank, and their reptile sticks. According to my friend, that is all they have needed and used for the past 5 years. I know that is neglect and have NO idea how they lived that long.

I wish that I could go buy a heat lamp and get them a bigger tank and a basking rock, but I am snowed in and cannot leave the house. Cloven, the smaller turtle, is not eating well. He will snap up a reptile stick, gnaw on it, and then spit most of it back out. Last week when they first arrived he was eating fine.

They are very good turtles, and Cloven is my favorite. He will take up a reptile stick if I hold it in my hand and make sure not to bite me. Both of them do not snap at fingers and are fine with being held.

So my questions -
What can I do in my current situation? I really want to keep them and give them a better life.
What are the normal behavior patterns of a red eared slider? Are they affectionate pets or just satisfied with being left alone without human contact?
How do I know if they are in okay health and not in need of a vet immediately? How do I know if they are not ill?

Thank you and I am so sorry for all these questions - I'm a bit frantic right now...

[robind]

You've definitely come to the right place! The first thing I'd ask for, because I know other people are going to want to see it, is a picture of their setup.

How big is their container (in gallons)? For 7.5" of turtle you should have at least a 75 gallon tank.

RES are really tough creatures, so I can't say I'm shocked they survived.
There's a lot of good info on the articles in this site, I would recommend you start here: http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_info.html

If you're snowed in and can't leave, you can still improvise a few things. I'd say the most important thing is for them to have a heat lamp and a basking area, and you can make something good enough for now using an incandescent bulb. In the future you'll need a proper bulb.

I find that my turtle doesn't like to be held, but some do. You just have to find out if your turtle does, I suppose.

Also note that most people don't keep two turtles together usually, as they have problems with aggression. I know I did when I had two. I'm sure other people will add more things, hope this helps for now.

[Clo_n_Spade]

I will try to get some pictures taken and uploaded as soon as I can.

Currently, they are in a rubber tub that is circular and 12 inches in diameter and filled with water 2 inches high. Each turtle has a similar tub to themselves, but right now they are in the same one. I had not been sure whether or not to separate them, but I have noticed that Cloven has snapped once at Spade's neck.

We are currently overturning our garage in an effort to find a big tank or tub of sorts. Would a rubbermaid bin do for now? Also, this is going to be the stupidest question you've ever heard, but is it possible for them to drown. (I'm kind of laughing as I type this, because I know how absurd that sounds. A turtle drowning itself. But I'm bordering on paranoid right now).

They are very small and I wasn't sure if they were the right size for a 5-6 year old turtle. Their last owner told me to feed them 8 Wardley reptile sticks a day, and they still seemed hungry but I am not sure what to give them. I am going to try an occasional bit of apple and some carrots to see how they like it.

Thank you so much for your help, I am going to do the best I can and then once the snow melts I'll go and buy supplies (which might not be for a few days, unfortunately).

[BullDog]

For temporary, a large rubbermaid storage bin will be perfect! (the bigger, the better). Fill the bin up with as much water as you can, without them being able to escape (turtles are notorious escape artists). Provide them with a basking area where they can get completely out of the water and dry off top and bottom. As Robind mentioned, a regular incandescent bulb will be fine for heat (on the list when you can get out of the house is a UVB bulb). You don't need special heat bulbs from the pet store.

If they've been in their separate bowls for all their lives, then keep them separate. You've already seen one snap at the other, and they can seriously injure each other.

RES in general are perfectly happy to be on their own, with limited human contact. You won't get affection from them like you might from a cat or a dog. That being said, there are RES that do seem to enjoy human contact, and will follow their owner around. I would say for now, they'll be pretty shy for a while, especially since they'll have a big habitat change. Let them get adjusted for a while, and once they're settled, you can see how they react to being out of the tank.

Check out the health section of the main site for info on sickness (http://www.redearslider.com/sick_turtle.html).
But the big signs of sickness are wheezing, mucus from the mouth or nose, lethargy, and not eating.

For how they are eating, turtles are very messy eaters, so it may look like the one is spitting out most of the pellet, but it could be he's just eating like a regular messy turtle.
At their size, you should feed them a head-sized amount of pellets every second day. Also, offer veggies. Fruit should be a rare treat. Check out the feeding forum stickies for what to feed and what not to feed.
Turtles are notorious beggars, so don't give in and feed them more (since over feeding can lead to serious health problems).

Yes, turtles can drown. But it only happens when they get stuck under something, or are seriously injured. Otherwise, they know when to come up for air (most RES also sleep under water).

Before you get your supplies, make sure you go over the main site (www.redearslider.com) and forum, and ask any questions you have. There's nothing worse than running out, buying $100s of stuff to keep your turtles happy and healthy, only to find out it's not what you really need!
In general, pet store employees know nothing about turtles.

Some common pitfalls to avoid: "Turtle Tanks", "Terrariums", "Turtle Filters", (Ok, really anything that has "turtle" in the title ) and "full spectrum" light bulbs.

Good luck!

[robind]

At the size your turtles are at, they can handle pretty much any amount of water you'll be able to throw at them, so don't worry about them drowning in it. On average an adult RES will need about 100 gallons of water.

As far as feeding, there's a really great recipe that all the turtles seemed to love stickied in the feeding subforum: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17486

[marisa]

If you're going to use a Rubbermaid container (and not a Rubbermaid stock tank), support the sides if you put enough water in it that they start to bow out.

[bigG]

My two RES don't mind the human touch and are quite happy living together. My female is especially receptive and will come towards me. She allows me to pet her on top of the head. When hungry they will follow my finger or the container of food. I usually only feed them in the outdoor tank and let them walk around afterwards. They will both stay on the patio and she will walk right back into the house when the door is open. In fact, the younger male has also learned to enter the house.

[Clo_n_Spade]

Thanks a bunch, we're cleaning out a nice, big Rubbermaid bin right now and going to try to let them stick together, since that is how they had lived before. No more cases of snapping or aggression. Cloven allows me to touch his head and front feet without pulling them in, while Spade does not.

But I've found a funny thing - I let Cloven out to explore my room, and he snuck underneath my rolling chair and started scratching his shell. Spade did the same thing when I let her out. I tried scratching their shells myself and they seem to push themselves up and swing around. Are all turtles like that, is it because they're just starting to finish shedding, or what?

Another question (sorry) - how should I make a basking spot in the Rubbermaid bin so they can easily get on top of it to bask?

Right now they follow my finger or the reptile stick to feed, and also respond when they hear the food in the container shake.

As to the whole notorious beggar thing, I'll admit I was guilty of giving them more food because they would eat up everything and then look up for more! I'll restrain from doing that now!

Well, surprisingly enough, considering their previous living condition, they are not showing in signs of sickness. Cloven wasn't eating so great, but I fed them a few hours ago and he ate everything no problem. Thanks for the help, everyone!

[robind]

I, like many other people on this forum, made my basking area out of fluorescent light diffuser panels, aka 'egg crate'. It's basically 1/2" grid of plastic that can be easily cut to shape, and then using zip ties and hot glue you can add a ramp extending into the water as well as walls to prevent escape. I know you're snowed in, but most hardware stores carry egg crate.

[bradmeisel]

With respect to the turtles showing signs of aggression, I was faced with the same problem. I would recommend you separate them. I used a piece of egg crate (that white plastic that goes over a 4 foot flourescent fixture).

I wrote a post on to separate or not. I hope it helps. I posted the link.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19691

[bigG]

I guess I am lucky and have two compatible RES. They take turns on the floating dock and bask alone. They sometimes huddle together on the "rock" like two peas in a pod. They swim around together, usually the male following the female, and without any aggression.