General Care Discussion :: 1 year and only 2"?

[sweety10189110]

I took in a YBS that we named Squirtle. He/she is only about 2" in shell length. The previous homes was a plastic terrarium that he/she had been living in for about the past year. My friend picked up this turtle from a pond when she was in Louisiana visiting family last June or July. I'm guessing he/she was a hatch-ling at the time? Anywho we took her in a few weeks ago and set her up in a 20 gallon breeder tank (half full of water) with the TetraFauna Vivarium (which is her basking spot), UVB and basking lights. Nice set up but the Vivarium is a total waste of money since I'm upgrading to a 40 gallon tank this weekend. She is not too big on her pellets (Reptomin) but eats leafy lettuce, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, krill and shrimp with no problem on a daily basis. Well the greens on a daily basis. The krill and shrimp maybe every couple of days. She is very active with swimming and chasing the 4 Rosy Minnow I have in her tank. She also seems to bask regularly through out the day.

I'm concerned about her size. Will she start to grow a bit more now that we have her in a bigger tank? Also since we have had her I haven't seen her poo at all. I'm assuming she is eating her poo? Any information that can be offered will be greatly appreciated!!!!!

I'll try to post a pic later tonight with her full set up right now.

[slider_keeper]

Your turtle is roughly a year old and 2". Thats not such a bad thing. Too often in captivity turtles grow up too fast (feeding too many pellets). As long as he/she is active, eating and basking then I wouldn't worry abit. My turtle was 2 yrs. old and barely 3". He turned out to be a male. Males are much smaller than females and I think off of experience, they grow slower than females, especially if fed correctly. In the wild they grow at a much slower rate than in captivity. When they get over fed pellets and thats all that is in their diet their shell begins to have pyramiding. A slider's (of all kinds) should be smooth. When you look at the turtle from a side view, the shell should look like a smooth airplane wing (curved on the top and flat on the bottom). Tank size does not keep a turtle from growing. Malnutrition is the cuase of that! Also, the lack on proper lighting can cause a turtle to not grow properly. The tank doesn't stop a turtle from growing properly, that is the by product of improper care of the turtle. I don't think your turtle is having that problem tho, he/she wouldn't be so active nor eating. Good to hear your turtle likes veggies, alot of people ask how they can get their's to eat veggies. Pics are always welcome;) I wouldn't worry so much about your turtles size, as long as he/she is eating, active and basking, these are the things to pay more attention to at a young age. If the shell looks good and relatively smooth then you should be fine. I do recommend a bigger and better filter in the very near future. The bigger you go at first, the less you have to upgrade later, saving you money in the long run;)

[sweety10189110]

Thanks for the reply Slider_Keeper . I picked up a Fluval U4 off of Amazon for $50.00 for the new tank I'm setting up this weekend. I'm thinking with how small this turtle is the U4 should be good enough for now. When we are ready to upgrade the tank again I'll pick up a canister filter or towards the end of the year if I can find any on sale. As far as his/her shell it is pretty smooth. I must be doing something right . I've only had dogs and cats my whole life so this turtle thing is pretty new to me .

[slider_keeper]

Sounds good just keep in mind that even tho your turtle is growing slowly now, the pace will pick up. Toku (my rio) is 2 1/2 yrs. old. When he was 2 he was barely 3 in., now he is 4 in. and growing. Infact, I reduced his diet once I noticed the growth spur. I feed three pellets once every other day and alternate between two brands (Reptomin & Omega One). The rest of the time he gets greens and a baby sliced carrot once a week. With this he is still growing at a steady rate. I only tell you this to give you a idea of what to expect with proper care. Your turtle will start to pick up the growth pace and you will be upgrading agian within the next year. I recommend in the next few months, save up and get a big canister filter, i.e. the FX5. This will keep you from ever having to buy another filter. Good to hear about the shell, sounds good. When they are small their shells are slightly bumpy but after shedding over the first few years, the shell will begin to smooth out nicely. If you keep researching all the different aspect of slider care, you will find a wealth of knowledge about these turtles and other reptiles as well. Please post pics when you get a chance, this helps all of use give you a idea of how your doing. This can be very helpful in keeping a turtle successfully and with good care he/she will be with you for about half your lifetime. Where you from in Vegas? My wife goes to UNLV.

[sweety10189110]

I kinda figured once I got a good food routine set with the Squirt he/she would pick up and grow. Given I've only had him/her for a few weeks I don't think that is enough time to see much of a growth difference? As far as filters go the plan is to get a FX5 towards the end of the year or after taxes next year and the next tank upgrade depending on how fast this little gone grows will most likely be a 90 gallon and will hopefully last a good awhile. I've attached a couple pics from the last 2 weeks. They are not the greatest pics but I'll try and get some this weekend while I'm setting up the new tank. When I got the turtle the poor thing had been without water in its shoebox of a tank for at least a week I'm guessing and its shell was terribly dry and very flaky. Now it seems to be in good shape.

As far as Vegas goes born and raised. Grew up on the west and east sides of town (divorced parents) and currently living in the north end of town lol. UNLV is an excellent college, what is she studying?

[slider_keeper]

Nice looking turtle. If your turtle is a male, a 90 gallon will be big enough to hold your turtle for the rest of his/ her life.

Thats cool the North side has grown so much over the years! She is a med undergrad working on her last year of her Bio Chem bachelor degree right now. The campus has a few good skate spots;)

[sweety10189110]

I'm praying Squirt is he! The Boyfriend was not thrilled when he learned we could need up to a 120 gallon tank later on down the road if we have a female LOL. There is a good chance we will be moving out of Vegas in the next 5 years or so and I could only imagine having to move a tank that big must be a real PITA!!!!!!!!

I haven't skate boarded since middle school but I could see how UNLV would be good for that. Kudos to your wife on school. Bio Chem sounds like way too much fun for me LOL.

[slider_keeper]

I hear that I have had to move a big mohagany tank stand for a 300 gal. tank when I moved out here last year. It was a challenge even with a dolly. When I get the tank it will be a blast to drain then break down the setup then move the tank and the stand! Thats gonna be alot of sand to move too

[sweety10189110]

Oh my. I don't envy you at all LOL.