General Care Discussion :: Basic habitat question

[the_mushroom]

Hello.

I rescued my two red ear sliders about 2 months ago and the're fairly small (about 2.5 inches shell length) and right now i keep them in a tub with fairly enough space and water for them to swim around (and i'm fairly sure they enjoy it, or at least they're not uncomfortable) I feed them in the same tub and now they've become friendly enough to eat pellets out of my fingers..

I change the water in the tub every day, i've also added several pebbles with one big rock for them to come sit and bask on (and the turtles do make use of it, one of them is so rowdy that he sleeps on it like a pig while louise comes up when she feels nobody's around)

Anyway, i've checked out some tank setups for them but there are some questions in my head still.

Questions:

1. When the turtles poop in the tub, i can just easily change the water. But if they go in the tank, how will i possibly clean it? because cleanign a whole tank is labourous and time consuming. Does the water filter take care of the poop? or do i have to feed them separately and put them into the tank only after they poop (because they're very unpredictable that way, i've tried)

2. I live in a typical tropical climate (India) so i don't think i need a heating setup because the water's the right temprature and there is enough sunlight for them to bask (if you've ever experienced an Indian summer, you'll know what i'm talking about) Just wanted to know your comments about this..

3. For the tank, i plan to get an air filter, a water filter and also make a basking area. Do you feel this is inadequate? (i've not decided on the tank size but i'm going to make sure it's big enough for them to freak out

4. Here's a list of all that i feed them, can you tell me if i should add anything more to the list..

* Lettuce leaves
* Coriander (they seem to love it)
* Cabbage leaves
* Carrots (louise might nibble on it but napoleon stays far far away)
* Tomatoes (every once in a while)
* Boiled chicken (boy, do they love their chicken!)
* Fish (and fish eggs) < the chicken and the fish are given once a week or so as a treat.

I've read the nutrition lists, But just from reading this..do you think i'm missing out on any major food category?

___

I'm sorry for all the questions, but the turtles are like my babies and i just want to make sure i'm not an ignorant parent.

Thankyou for reading!
- the Mushroom

[industrial_girl_2000]

Great questions, and just by asking them that makes you a very CARING parent. It's not ignorant at all!

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8

Check out the feeding/nutrition forum....at the top, there is a link to information on feeding & "what NOT to feed" your red ear slider. Print them out. I have them stuck to my fridge and they are very helpful lists!

Indian summers won't necessarily need a heater for day or night. Nighttime, the temps go down and that is normal in the wild also. I would suggest a thermometer so you can make sure that the water temps are good.

Water filters do a good job with keeping the water clean as long as you do regular water changes (many people do partial water changes once/week or once every 2 weeks, but it depends on the tank setup....you will see as you go along what is best for your turtle). Since I have an adult turtle, I do complete water changes once/month & filter changes once/week. I also use a "Waste degrader" enzyme solution that breaks down the poop into soluble food for the beneficial bacteria in the tank. Yes, every turtle tank has bacteria just like people do. It doesn't mean it is going to make your turtle sick....many of these bacteria are great at eating the waste & keeping the water balanced/clean in the tank. There's a lot more info on bacteria, but I won't go into all of that here.....you can learn that as you go along.

Suffice it to say, if you have a filter with charcoal/ammonia mix filter media (this stuff looks like little black rocks with little white rocks mixed in), the water will stay clean & will not smell at all. Directions for adding the charcoal to the filter should be with the filter that you buy. Read thru some of the threads on this board about "equipment review" to see what other people have chosen as filters & how they work.

There is a ton of info on this board! Enjoy the reading!

[SpotsMama]

I agree with everything Industrial girl said. One additional thing that would help with nuitrition is to add a cuttlebone for calcium. They need lots of calcium for their shell and bones. It also helps keep their "beaks" trim. I assume you can get cuttlebone at the pet store (bird section) in India like you can here.

Pellets weren't on your list but you mentioned them in your first paragraph so I assume they are also getting pellets.

If you have a good quality filter and use a waste degrader like Industrial girl mentioned then maintaining water quality shouldn't be too burdensome. Do you have a good syphon to help with water changes?

Some people put ghost shrimp in their tanks to help with the cleanup. The turtles will eat the shrimp but until they are eaten the shrimp will help clean up the poop. One other tip - you can scoop the poop out with a net, or you can suction stuff off the bottom with a turkey baster.

[the_mushroom]

thanks for the quick replies..i couldn't post before because my e-mail got hacked (SO annoying)

Well, i have to confess that i assumed i wouldn't get cuttlebone here but now that you mentioned the birds section..i'll probably locate it.

i will look into the filters available over here, it is really possible to get almost everything if you look hard enough in my city (Bombay)
And i don't use a syphon right now, i just change the water every day (yes, it's tiring but i don't really mind it so much) but i guess it will be better to get filters..i wish i could get my hands upon the enzyme industrial girl was talking about.

I was also seriously considering getting a tub instead of a tank. Isn't it a little more like their natural habitat? i mean with the glass, i think louise might just get freaked out being able to see me all the time and never bask at all

[marisa]

I use stock tanks, especially for larger turtles. I think they're more natural as well (my personal opinion), they're less able to break, are cheaper and easier to clean.

[the_mushroom]

My thoughts exactly, i mean it's not exactly normal for a turtle to be able to see people walking around and peering in right next to them while the're swimming, i assume that would just freak them out (but, i'm sure they would get used to it too) so it all boils down to personal opinion...

I'm going to see if i can get my hands on a stock tank, i don't really have much money so i can put some more money into the water filter and make a larger basking area where the turtles can just come out of the water and walk around (say about 4x2 feet)

Thanks!:mrgreen: