General Care Discussion :: Mutant Ninja Turtles?

[shannonbslb]

Hi all! I am new to this group but figure this may be the best place to get answers to all of my turtle questions! We have two red eared sliders that my MIL got for my two sons (4 and 2) without asking first and without us properly planning for them back in April 2014. They were both maybe 2 inches wide when we got them and we assume the are siblings but don't really know. They are doing well and they are fun to watch with their personalities. Here we are 8.5 months later and I feel like we still have a lot to learn. We have no idea what the sex of either of them is and not sure if its too earl to tell still or not. Also, the one turtle, I refer to as a mutant ninja turtle because I swear it grows bigger every week and the other one is a much smaller size. Curious if this is normal for some turtles?? Also, because the one is growing soooo fast, we need to upgrade them to a much bigger home but not sure what the best route to go is. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!

[Jeremiah]

Welcome!

Like people, some RES are slower-growing than others. There's nothing to worry about, as long as there's nothing else wrong with their shell, skin, behavior, etc. What is their diet and lighting like?

With all reptiles, RES especially, it's ideal to do the fewest amount of tank upgrades--otherwise, you'll be buying new enclosures and filters all the time! This is especially problematic, if your either of your turtles end up exhibiting aggressive or otherwise competitive behaviors with regard to the other one. That being said, you may want to get 2 separate enclosures now. Guess how I found out...

That being said, I would recommend purchasing a large (at least 55 gallon) aquarium (maybe 2, finances permitting) at Petco's dollar-per-gallon sale. If you're really a smart shopper, though, I heartily recommend Rubbermaid stock tanks. Lots (if not most, at this point) turtle enthusiasts use them--just be sure to somehow stop the drain plug from leaking. http://www.rubbermaidcommercial.com/rcp ... tock_tanks

Remember, Craigslist is your friend!

[steve]

I think you will need to reduce the amount of pellets/protein your turtle is getting. What's their diet like?

[shannonbslb]

They eat either the exo-terra juvenile aquatic turtle food or the reptomin sticks twice a day and the eat green leaf lettuce. I find a lot of conflicting information in regards to how much, how often and what is the best to feed them. The turtle food is probably about the size of the small ones head (amount).

[shannonbslb]

Also, after looking at them really well over the weekend I am pretty sure the smaller one is a male because the front claws are starting to get kind of long but I still am not sure about the bigger one. Obviously if the bigger one is a female than we should definitely separate them right??

[Jeremiah]

Yep, separation is probably inevitable. It's great you feed them lettuce--that can be offered every day. Other greens and vegetables like red bell pepper are popular, too.

Also, I think they only need pellets once a day--for the big pne, maybe even once every other day.

[shannonbslb]

Ok, thanks!