Habitat - Indoor :: Help with Tank Setup for New Turtle Owner!

[cloudy]

Hello!

I have a question regarding the setup of the habitat. I have 2 baby turtles, and planning to use a Rubbermaid bin (about 20 gallon or so).

1. How much water should I have in the bin? I tried having about 4 inches of water so that they have a place to swim, but I wasn't sure how the turtles will eat (since they seem to have a hard time "grabbing" the food pellets while swimming). Would the turtles be ok feeding with food just floating on the surface, or is food that sinks to the bottom better for them?

2. I also have a fish tank that has some mollies. Can I put my baby turtles in there? I was thinking of getting this "Turtle Dock" for my turtles if I use the fish tank. Is that ok?

Thanks for your input!
CLOUDY

[industrial_girl_2000]

Feel free to fill up that tank! Turtles love to swim. Fill it up as high as you can where they can't crawl out of the tank. And since you have 2 turts, keep in mind also that turtles can crawl on another turtle's back in order to get up higher to get out of the tank.

Food can float on the surface, no problem (no need to submerge). I use Tetra Reptomin floating foodsticks & have for 18 yrs of turtle-keeping.

If you don't want your turts to eat the fish, don't put the turts in with the fish. The fish will eventually become dinner.

Turtle dock works great! Many people on the board use this for their turts.

Keep in mind too that you will need proper lighting (UVA/UVB) for the babies since they need the UVB to absorb calcium & UVA for heat (helps them get nice & toasty!).

Do you have a water heater? Baby turtles' water should be around 78-80 degrees F.

[Erroneous]

Hello!
1. How much water should I have in the bin? I tried having about 4 inches of water so that they have a place to swim, but I wasn't sure how the turtles will eat (since they seem to have a hard time "grabbing" the food pellets while swimming). Would the turtles be ok feeding with food just floating on the surface, or is food that sinks to the bottom better for them?

At first my baby turtle didn't seem to be able to eat in too deep of water, but that changed when I switched over from HBH Turtle Bites to Reptomin. The Turtle Bites were spherical and when the turtle tried to eat it, it just rolled out of its mouth, while the Reptomin is more cylindrical. If you are worried about it being to deep though, simply feed the turtles in a separate dish. I use the ones my turtles came in, though that will have to change when they get bigger. Doing so will cut down on waste, ensure each turtle is getting his/her share of food since you have multiple turtles, and also will be shallow enough for them to stand while still having enough water to use since they don't have saliva.

[cloudy]

Thanks for everyone who replied!

Currently, I'm using a large see-through plastic bin (water is half filled), with a Turtle Dock. I have a heater now, and maintains the temperature at 80F. I also have a lamp with a timer that turns on from 11-4. The turtles seem to be eating now (I'm using the Reptomin, broken in half).

The turtles seem to sleep and remain motionless after 7PM or so (I turn off all the lights around 10PM or so). Then in the morning when I wake up (around 8am), they wake up as well and jump into the water! is this normal? Should they be more active at night? I'm not there during the morning/afternoon, so I don't know if they are more active then. However, it seems one turtle eats more than the other. I tried to feed them in a separate container, but they refused to eat. In this case, how can I make sure that both eats the same amount?

Sorry if this leads to feeding type question ...

[industrial_girl_2000]

The turtles seem to sleep and remain motionless after 7PM or so (I turn off all the lights around 10PM or so). Then in the morning when I wake up (around 8am), they wake up as well and jump into the water! is this normal? Should they be more active at night? I'm not there during the morning/afternoon, so I don't know if they are more active then. However, it seems one turtle eats more than the other. I tried to feed them in a separate container, but they refused to eat. In this case, how can I make sure that both eats the same amount?

Sorry if this leads to feeding type question ...

Turtles sleep at night when the lights are off & it is normal for them to jump off a basking dock when they see you (you are a big scary person coming at 'em! LOL!). I can guarantee they are very active during the day when you are not there & there have been many stories on this board about the funny things that go on when the humans are not around (MAYHEM!!!!) . They are very creative/curious little guys!

If you need to make sure they both eat the same amount, pre-soak the reptomin then hand feed one stick at a time. That way you know how much each turtle is getting. Also, it is a way for the turtles to start to associate you with food & they will LOVE seeing you after a while (most peoples' turtles on this board will actually come to the glass and beg for food)