General Care Discussion :: Very new to this board and new to having turtles as a pet

[CrossKnight]

Hi!! I'm 18 just started college and I was very lucky to receive two baby Red Eared sliders four days ago. I have a water heater which keeps the water always at 75-78 degrees F. The tank is about 15 gallons which I'm not if its too big or too small cause I also have a spare 10 gallon tank, should I switch them to the 10 gallon tank? I'm not exactly sure how high the water should be but then can stand at the bottom and stick their head up above the water.
I just bought a ligt bulb from the pet store two days ago (can't believe it was $40), the package of the light bulb said "great for reptiles to bask, provides UVB and UVA, and simulates sun light, so I guess it was worth it?. The basking area is about 88-92 degress.
I have Hatchling aquatic turtle pellets which gives them protein and I also feed them Romaine Lettuce every other day which they eat really fast, right now I'm trying to feed them carrots but they are not eating it. Should I switch back to the pellets and Romain Lettuce?
They come up to bask often and swim around a lot but one of them has its eyes closed and its body parts except its head is in its shell a lot of the time and its underwater too. Could it drown? The same one seems to rub its face a lot too, is this normal?
Also any tips would be very helpful and I'm sorry this is so long.
Thanks for reading ^_^

[megcornell]

Welcome to the site, it should prove very helpful!
First off, keep the turtles in the 15 gallon tank and fill it up as much as you can without the turtles being able to escape over the sides, turtles need lots of water (~10 gallons per inch of shell) and they'll soon outgrow the 15 gallon tank so you may want to start pricing larger tanks.
I'm not sure exactly what kind of light bulb you've bought but you're correct in assuming that you need UVA and UVB, in a tank your size be careful that the light doesn't heat the water up too much.
It takes a while for turtles to start eating new foods sometimes so continue to add new fruits and veggies (see the sticky in the nutrition section for what is OK to feed) as variety is key to a healthy turtle diet.
The one turtle with his eyes closed may be irritated by too much water conditioner or the tap water if you didn't use conditioner, hatchlings are pretty sensitive... I'd keep an eye on him for changes in eating or behavior to make sure he isn't ill.
Good luck with your new turtles!

[CrossKnight]

Thanks, and the turtles don't drown if I fill water up really high??

[CrossKnight]

Oh, and another question. Will the turtles bite the chord for the water heater??
I'm a little worried about that cord.

[scripta_elegans]

I would fill the water up a few inches a day so they get used to it gradually. The water for your babies should be @ 78-80, so the upper end of temp where your water is at is perfect! They probably won't bite the cord for the water heater, but cuttlebone is a great supplement both for calcium and a chew toy. You can get it in the bird section at most pet stores. You peel off the hard backing and break it into little head size or smaller pieces, which the turtles chew on. They can have pellets and Romaine everyday. The pellets rule is give tutles under a year old the amount of pellets that would fill their head minus the neck daily. Over a year the same amount every other day. They can have carrots 2-3 times a week, and lots of other veggies too! There are excellent stickies in the feeding section of this forum advising the veggies to feed. Make sure that the light provides at least 5% UVB. Enjoy the forum! It is super helpful! Be sure to have a look at redearslider.com too! Great info!

[CrossKnight]

Thanks!! ^_^ I love this board!!

[dhunter]

I like to take my two RES out on Sunday's and exercise them. How long can they stay outside of the tank and out of the water?

[megcornell]

what do you mean by "exercise them?"

[Boogerbutt02]

I would not recommend that you take babies or turtles under four inches outside... they are fast and can get away easily... but if you feel comfortable taking them out and are not afraid of them "running" away, you can keep they out of water for about 3 hours... make sure they can get shade and that they don't over heat in the sun...

Some say that RES can be out of the water for up to 8 hours with out getting dehydrated... For a baby it should not be that long...

I take my Large female out two or three times aweek to get real sun and let her explore, but I am aways with her making sure she doesn't hurt herself or escape the yard...

good luck with your turtles....

And CrossKnight, Water is good.... good luck

[turtlegrl]

No the turtle will try but once he figures out he can't eat it he'll leave it alone. Turtle can drown but luckally there is a turtle first aid page on the net. Just goole turtle first aid and click around. The rule I was given when I first started keeping turtles was that you should at least have enough water as the turtle is wide. I don't know what kind of bulb you got but I have never paid that much for one. I don't know if you can find it, but the bulbs I use are made for turtles and only cost $8.00. They are in a white box with a tortoise and lizard on it. They've always worked for me. I would hate for you to have to spend $40.00 on a bulb ever time it burns out!!

[RiverChubbs]

I have heard about the bulb she got onlin and I also see it in petstores once in a while I think it is called repti-sun or that is one of them anyway....but just think you get what you pay for so she wont have to by a replacement fr a long time! Just save that receipt!! I onlypay $8 for mine also but I replace it every 3 months! crazy.