General Care Discussion :: Couple of questions

[TuckTanTuck]

Ok, so I have read a lot about RES on this sight, and I LOVE it! I have 3 questions )

First, Do my RES, one who is 3 years old and two who are 3 months old, do they need to have the tank lights on all night or is it okay for them to sleep in the dark?

Second, in reading I have come across alot of abbreviations that I have figured out yet or words I dont understand, like what is a map turtle?

Thirdly, How much and how often should my baby turtles, Tucker and Tanner, eat?

[mike hill]

TT-Tuck -- First -- You should match the current day light hours. Set your timer to about 6 to 8 hours per day.
Second -- A map turtle is a slider that has a carapace that has little lines on it that resembles a map.
Third -- When your turtles are below 2-½ to 3 inches you should start feeding them every other day. The usual amount of a heads worth will do fine. M.

[TuckTanTuck]

Awesome, thanks for the information!! I was concerned really concerned about the babies eating. I thought they would need to eat more often since they were so little and when they do eat, they eat well!! And from what I have read, they eat the best when they are warm enough, etc so the thermometer in their tank says 75 degrees but to my touch the water feels so cold. But I guess they are okay since they eat well and they do bask. Is there anything special the babies should be eating besides pellets? And also, should I be giving them some kind of calcium supplements?

[theartbook35]

Well, I feed my turtles daily, and they've never had problems with weight gain, but I guess that depends on their activity level, and their overall diet. I only give them proteins once a week, and the rest of the diet is staple pellets and veggies. Every other day is fine too, just be prepared to see a lot of begging...

[TheComputerGremlin]

Even as babies, if you can get them to eat veggies, it's great to start early on. Pellets should be a head-sized amount daily until they reach 4" in shell length. Also, for calcium, you want to give them cuttlebone, which is found in the bird section of the pet store. You want to remove the hard backing first. Check out the sticky on the topic for help.

[marisa]

TuckTanTuck, an average of 12 hours on and 12 hours off for the lights is good, you could follow the seasons and shorten the time some during the winter months and length it during the summer months. Turtles are active during daylight hours and need to sleep (like we do).

A map turtle is not a slider, but can co-habitate with them if conditions are right. You might so a search on maps if you're really interested in them.

How long have you had your RES? How fast are they growing? For pellets, the general guideline is to offer a conservative head-sized amount daily up to a year. But you would adjust this depending on other foods you're offering. Try to vary the diet for balance and so they get used to eating different foods.

[mike hill]

TT-Tuck Following is a small portion ot an overview of the difference between the slider and the map turtle: by David P. Kirkpatric. ----
"Map"turtles follow the general body plan of the more common sliders and painted turtles. However, unlike those turtles, most Map turtles have a well-defined keel running down the middle of the carapace. In a number of species this keel also has rather large knobs or spines jutting upward or backward. This feature is responsible for the Map turtles' other common name: Sawback turtles. The marginal scutes at the rear of the carapace also project backwards in most Map turtles, giving the back of the turtle a decidedly serrated appearance. Some species have a very large head and jaws, designed to allow the turtle to crush mollusks and snails. And finally, of course, the most noticeable difference is the reason that Map turtles are so named - the distinctive thin lines covering the skin and scutes of the turtle, making it appear as if it were a contour or road map. These fine reticulations lend an air of beauty and elegance to the Map turtle that is hard to equal. m.

[joeybsmooth]

The lights should come off . They need to sleep and help with algae

This is a map turtle .

[mike hill]

Joe-smoo -- Thanks, We made a short trip unnecessarily long. HA

[TuckTanTuck]

wow, thanks everyone for the advice and input!! My baby turtles are doing well, eating well and looking good!!!

Now I need to figure out how to post pictures of them in this discussion!!

[TuckTanTuck]

okay so I figured out how to post a picture...I hope it works!!!



The bigger one is Tucker and the smaller one is Tanner!!

And this one is Tuck!!!

[Kallistos]

haha they're so cute when they're young! I'd figure out another way to tell the difference between the two just in case Tanner has an earlier growth spurt. Although in the grander scheme of things it doesn't matter.