General Care Discussion :: Giving RES Space To Swim

[Jagz64]

Hi There

I just wanted to know if it would be best to take the bog wood out
allowing my RES [Terry] to have more space to swim.

Pictures:

[AV]

if you take the bog wood out, where will he bask???

[Jessica313]

does he even have a basking area?? its hard to tell, but from the pic it doewnt look like he can get all the way out of the water...
do you have proper lighting ? a filter? a heater?
also, how many gallons is your tank? it looks really really small to me...
the rule is supposed to be 10 gallons for every inch of his shell

if you want to give him more swimming room, fill the water level up higher and get a floating dock

[Jagz64]

I'm pretty new to quite a lot of this.

@AV: He uses the bog wood for basking but i'm looking to build him a dock

I can't buy docks or anythink else for terapins due to most of the stores
only marketed towards cold/tropical and marine fish in my area.

@jessica313: yes he does have lighting, filter and heater.

I use a lamp for his lighting and heater i currently cleaning. The picture that i
took above was a quick snap shot.

The tank is a 10 gal which had been used for tropical fish untill this RES was
give to me. My mate had him when he was small but couldn't take care of him
so i took him in.

I'm trying my best to provide what i can give him.

I have searched for local stores and centre around london to give him
a better home but that just seems to be not happening.

If any one knows of any place around london please could you let me know.

The 10gal rule i never knew so i will have to invest or build somethink
bigger for him.

Thanks.

[missibsu]

You're also going to want to remove the gravel. Your turtle can and probably will eat it. It runs a risk of impaction and could lead to serious surgery for your turtle.

It would be expensive, but could you order the dock from online and have it shipped? Also, if you are serious about having the dock built, there are some great examples of homemade ones in the photo gallery.

[Jagz64]

Thanks

I will try and order the dock online if not then i will build my self.

I have never seen him eat the gravel but he does enjoy digging small
holes but i will take out the gravel A.S.A.P

I'm currently looking for a good internal filter and a bigger tank.

I was thinking of getting a Fluval1 or Fluval2 Internal filter.

As for the tank i'm not currently sure which tank size to get for him.

I'm planning to put him in my pond in the summers and bring him in
when the winter hits.

[missibsu]

Rule of thumb for tank size is 10 gallons per inch. But, take in consideration that your turtle is going to grow. The bigger you can go now, the more you will save in the long term.

Instead of gravel, you can use some river rock. I have some smaller pieces and my turtles can still push them around and play with them, but they can't eat them.

[Jagz64]

Sorry about the n00b question but do i go by his carapace or from head-2-tale
when buying him a new tank?

How big do RES's grow when they become adults as i would like to invest in a
tank that will suite him when he becomes an adult.

How many times do i feed my RES once a day and how much do i give him. I
currently feed him 2 times a day and don't give him to much.

Thanks

[missibsu]

Measuring should be the straight length of the shell only. Buying a tank that is a permanent set up is a good idea. It will save you money to buy as big as you can the first time.

As for feeding, check the feeding and nutrition section. There are sticky's on what to feed and what not to feed. Most importantly, don't over feed. Turtles like to beg. They should be fed pellets once a day the amount that fits in the head if it were hollow. That amount gets cut back to once every other day for RES over 6months - year. Make sure there are a variety of veggies offered as well.

[Spookster]

A male RES will grow to be between 7-9 inches and a female will grow to be 10-12 inches. When they get to be an adult you will want a minimum of around a 90-100 gallon tank. You can also in the meantime go with a more ecomical temporary solution while the RES grows in the next year or two. Instead of getting a glass aquarium which most people get you can get a large rubbermaid type container. Just get the rest of the proper equipment as well such as a decent filter, basking light, UVB light, heater, thermometer, basking area, etc. There are photos/examples of using rubbermaid containers in the forums somehwere as well.

[Jagz64]

Thank you for the great information and i'm learning more every
day with this site and the community.

Looks like i will have to find a preformed 90 gallon tank. I don't fell safe with
glass e.g [cracks, lime scale and hard 2 clean].

A new or second hand preformed pond will be much cheaper
and will do a job great.



Thanks for the help guys.

[Spookster]

That will make a great home for your turtle. I imagine though it will take a bit of work to create a structure to hold it up in your house.

If I had the room for it that's what I would go with.

[marisa]

Looks nice, but I'd be concerned about the depth---the deeper part looks rather small; that shelf is meant for plants and to give more swimming room, you're going to have to cover it, which won't be very deep, and the turtle being able to escape when it grows larger. How many gallons is it? You might look into a stock tank, which would be deeper overall, and self supporting when filled with water.

[Jagz64]

lolz... The picutre was just an example.

I do building so support wise is not an issue for me and that i'm looking around for
a Square Box type performed pond.