Habitat - Indoor :: brand new baby.. PINT we call him

[jbelcher08]

Hi all, im new to all this turtle stuff, (i have an iguana and a bearded dragon) but i had a question, since my wife decide to go out and buy this turtle without getting any background information. Right now, PINT is about the size of a 50 cent pc, to $1 pc. My question is, should the tank be completely filled with water and filter and all that good stuff? or should i wait until he gets bigger. My wife said we needed to wait becuase she was told by the petstore guy he could drown. I told her, hes a turtle, i think he should know when to come up for air. Anyway, i have it filled with about 3/4-1" of water. Is that enough for now? or should i fill it up more? Thanks Jason

[Smoofish268]

Welcome to the forum! Pint is a very cute name for your turtle.

A filter is definitely recommended from the start unless you want to be doing partial water changes every day to keep the water clean enough for your turt. As for the water level - how many gallons is your tank? He definitely needs deeper water than only an inch. Turtles are natural swimmers, absolutely, just make sure you have a few plants for him to rest on especially since he's so young. It's great if you fill you tank as high as it will go, but without the turtle being able to climb out of the top (and they're exceptional climbers!)
What I did with my babies when I got them was fill the tank up about halfway, and gradually added water every week until it was as full as it would go without them being able to escape. I know they would have been fine without me doing that, but worried old me couldn't help it.

Your best bet is to read all of the sections on the main website: http://www.redearslider.com to learn all you need to know about general turtle care. If you have any further questions after that please don't hesitate to ask them. Glad to have you and Pint on the boards!!

[jbelcher08]

It is a 20 gallon tank to start, i told my wife she needed to get prepared to get a 90-125 gallon talk after a while. I will go out friday and get the necessary additions to the tank, filter and heater.

Secondarily, he doesnt seem to be eating much, i am giving him the pellets that i saw on the main site, but he doesnt really seem interested. Maybe the water temp is to cold?

Thanks

[d0eb0y]

what is your waters temp?
It should be at about 78 degrees in the water
got a basking area?

[jbelcher08]

do have a basking area, not sure of the water temp at the present since it is only 3/4-1". I will add more water friday when i am able to get the filter and heater.

[Smoofish268]

That's great that you are prepared for the imminent tank upgrade. Pint may not be eating much because he's in a totally new enviromnet, and yes, water temperature and level. Make sure when you buy the water heater you also get a thermometer to keep an eye on the temps. How long have you had Pint? It can take around a week sometimes for new turtles to eat, especially in front of you. Just be patient and keep an eye out for any signs of RI or other sicknesses.

[jbelcher08]

a couple weeks now, he initially was in one of those little lagoon thingys. we just put him in the larger tank saturday. hopefully friday we will be on the right track

[Smoofish268]

Ah, thank goodness you got him out of the lagoon.
Since you moved him on Saturday that may have caused a little extra stress on him. Don't forget to try and feed veggies, too. Even though he may not eat them at first, the earlier you start turts on veggies, the more likely they'll be to actually eat them later on. Friday will be a little more stress on him, so make sure he's got a couple of places to hide and feel safe in the tank. It sounds like you're willing to do all you can to keep your little guy happy and safe, so he's in good hands.

Good luck with the upgrade! Let us know how everything goes!

[Pluckt007]

hola. jbelcher. is pint an illegal like nameless? cuz nameless came in one of those blue laggon things too. now i dont know what to do with it! anyways, just give him a couple days, raise the water level like 6 inches, toke a bowl and call it a day. just wanted to throw some support ur way. and o yea, my other half wanted the turtle to play with, not even considering the turtle's enviroment or feelings. she's learned a lot about turtle needs, and just pet needs in general already. just show pint some love like a hippie, STAY ON THIS SITE (trust me!), and everything will be straight.

[marisa]

Adding some plastic plants for your turtle to rest and hide in would be good, particularly since he's small and if you fill the tank up.

[steve]

Someone here also used a soap holder (the kind with suction cups) as an extra area to hang onto.

Here is a rundown of "necessary" items:

www.redearslider.com/startup.html