General Care Discussion :: Many questions

[Royal-Pain]

Ok
Where do i start?, my friends birthday was yesterday so we got her a baby RES from the pet store, we went back to the store later in the day to get him/her some food, we got these round brown things which are pretty hard? thats ok its in a clear bag so we dont know which brand it is, i was fine with the food until we asked the attendant what sex it was (we didnt kno it had to be about 6" before you find out) the boy told us some rubbish about it being a girl because its tail went to the left when it went inside its shell we threw that out because when we came home his tail went to the right (we're hoping its a boy) secondly, we bought one of these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images ... &s=kitchen

is it ok to keep him in that? because im reading up here and you guys suggesting these huge tanks and all, where do i get these UVB lights, is it a DEFINATE NECESSITY to get the light, is the lagoon thing really ok though because those tank things can cost anywhere from 20 to 50 grand..yes as in thousand, i live in jamaica by the way things are EXTREMELY expensive

oh, can i feed spliff (thats his name) worms now? or just stick with the pellets, speaking of which, we were told to feed him once a day, im thinking, is that right? i mean can i trust the store people after they told me it was a girl because its tail went to the left
oh, she wants another turtle should i go buy her another one or get me one ok really? should i give her another turtle or is she alright with one?
oh and the woman said tap water, the boy said we were to leave the water in another container for days b4 we put it in the lagoon to get rid of the chlorine can we use distilled water or go with the boys idea?

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum.

The lagoon you bought is known as a death bowl. Please read http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/deathbowls.htm for why they're called that and why your little guy needs better container/tank.

What you really need to do is start reading the info on this site and learn what your turtle needs to live a long and happy life. Don't even think about another turtle until you know how to take care of the one you have (they don't need friends btw).

[SpotsMama]

Hi Royal,

You'd better hold off on getting another RES. Wait until you find out for sure what it takes to maintain a RES. RES aren't social creatures - they live quite happily alone and don't need companions. In fact, if there is more than one RES in a tank they'll frequently fight and hurt each other.

RES when they are small are rather delicate. If they are not maintained in a good habitat they get sick and die. There are basics - sufficient clean water, space, warmth, lighting, good diet - that are requirements for a RES to survive. I'm afraid that the lagoon is not going to be adequate by quite a bit.

There are alternative to an expensive aquarium set-up that are still sufficient to maintain a RES. The basic container is a big rubber tub (in the US they are made by Rubbermaid) or what we call a stock tank (a large plastic tub). People on here who are watching their budgets have gotten creative and put together great setups based on the tubs for next to nothing.

First, go to the main section and read read read. Then browse around expecially in the Indoor Habitat section and the Photo section and look for examples of habitats that people have setup using the rubber tubs.

Good luck!

[Royal-Pain]

i found the forums through the main page after reading for 2 hours, where should she keep spliff then if the lagoon is a death bowl? now we have him in this...im guessing its some sort of plastic container, i dont have a pic, he came in it do i get these uvb lights at hardware stores?

[SpotsMama]

Here's an example of a pretty good setup with a rubbermaid tub. I don't know exactly what the equivalent would be in Jamaica but I'm sure there is something close.

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... rubbermaid

[Rickiew04]

Hello, Royal-Pain!!! I'm relatively new to the forum too. I once owned an RES when I was a child but it died from inadequate food, light/basking area, water temp and quality, small tank size...etc. I recently decided to get another and do it right this time. I found this forum and my eyes were opened as to what these turtles require as a pet. This is the place you want to be if you want to take care of your RES properly. The people on this forum are EXTREMELY helpful, and have an answer to practically every question. The first thing you have to do is lose the idea that the pet stores will give you that these turtles are almost care free and don't require much of an investment.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Royal-pain, SO glad you could join us on the forum! There is so much helpful information here (and nice people too!). Take the time to read & ask many questions! We'll all be happy to help you get started.

Just remember that turtles are considered "exotic" pets because they need a special environment to be healthy. It might seem "silly" to buy all these things for such a "small" turtle, but honestly, the better the environment the turtle has, the better chance of you having a HAPPY & HEALTHY pet for MANY, MANY years!! The best "health insurance" you can get for your new pet is a good environment with proper lighting, clean/warm water, and proper nutrition. Turtles that don't have the right environment suffer & get sick which requires lots of VET visits (and that can get expensive after a while). The best *medicine* for turtles is PREVENTION!!!! I have had my adult RES for 17 yrs & can prove it (and even I learned a lot from this forum after all those years of turtle-keeping and promptly improved my turtle's life/setup as well!)!

Welcome!