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Hey there this shouldn't be too hard i just adopted an adult red and was wondering how to tell how old he is, he's about 8". I've never had a turtle before , have had plenty of other pets though. Are they always such clumsy eaters ?, he seems slow when i first brought him home he climbed under his light right away and stayed for half a day. He hadnt basked for quite awhile, now i just fed him some pellets and lettuce and hes having trouble rounding the food up. He was neglected by the previous owner for some time judging from his tank and filthy shell and his legs are a bit skinny looking, as far as i can tell anyways. I just want him to eat lots and be healthy he's quite friend but wont eat out of my hand. he perks up alot when you go near his tank. Also how long should the lights be kept on ?

It is sometimes hard to tell age. I feel that turtles get better at eating as they get used to their food longer. He was probably just scared when he was in his new tank. Make sure you dont overfeed him. I know, they are so cute to watch eat, and they will always beg. I keep my lights on about 9-10 hours a day. Make sure you have a UVB light. I didnt have one for a while, before I found that the needed one, and it made all the difference in the world with their happiness. Good luck!

If his nails are quite long, it's a male. He's probably just nervous, getting used to new surroundings and a new person looking at him. UVB light time should simulate natural lighting hours- Caphits 9-10 hours is good. Do you know what the previous owner fed your turt? Maybe it's not used to the food you're offering. I'm sure he/she'll come around.

It is impossible to tell what age a turtle is from their size. There are many factors that determine size, including nutrition and genetics.

Yes, turtles are very messy eaters. That's why it's recommended you have a filter that is rated for 3x gph the size of your tank.

When I first got Frankie, she basked almost non-stop for the first couple weeks, and I had to bribe her with pellets to get her to come down! If he hasn't had a basking area before, he's probably loving it.

Don't overfeed him. Overfeeding can lead to serious shell and health issues, and is just as bad as being underfed. Make sure you only feed him the amount of pellets that would fit in his head every second day. You can give him lots of veggies though (check out the nutrition section of the website and the feeding forum for veggies that are good to feed res).

The lights can be kept on roughly 12 hours a day. Some people mimic the natural light, and have the lights on a bit less in the winter and a bit more in the summer. It's easiest to get a timer to put the lights on, so you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn them on or off.

thanks everyone for the advice i'm going to get him a uvb light on the weekend he's not had one for who knows how long i dont think another week would kill him . I turned off his filter when i fed him this morning and he was able to eat alot easier ( surprise ) One more question , how far from his basking spot should his light be ? i don t want to cook him.

Your basking temperature should be around 89-91. I think its pretty hard to cook a turtle with basking lights. If it gets to hot, it will just jump into the water. But still dont crank it up. Turning off the filter is a good idea. At least until he gets better at "hunting." About the UVB light: You can probably get better prices online than in any pet store.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752555
is where i got mine.

or you can save a few dollars, and get from somewhere else:

http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=12513