Habitat - Indoor :: Some Questions

[will4turtle]

Hi all,

So I was just given a turtle as a gift, a red ear slider to be exact. I was not expecting the turtle, however I am happy with the gift and want to give him the best home possible.
I have a pile of questions as well.
He is in a fairly small tank, my guess would be 5 gallons, how soon until I have to move him to a larger tank?
He is also very small, is there dwarf versions of the slider or is this just a baby?
I know it will need a filter and such, there is an air bubbler in the tank at the moment.

Any information would be awesome!
Thanks in advance for the responses!

[megcornell]

Welcome to the site!

Hatchlings can be as tiny as a quarter, so no you don't have a dwarf, just a very young turtle .

Since he (or she) is so young, it's imperative that you improve their set up immediately as young turtles are more susceptible to disease from inadequate set ups.

Here's a link of what a turtle set up requires:
http://www.redearslider.com/startup.html

I'd start by reading through that. You'll probably have some questions and a lot of people on here have good advice about what to buy vs. what brands to avoid so feel free to post any questions or concerns before running out to buy things. That way you're not spending more than you need to.

Good luck!

[will4turtle]

Thanks for the response.
What is the best solution if I am not able to run out and get a larger tank in the next week or so?
I will do my best to get one... I think a friend of mine has a ten gallon she is not using, would that be an ok size?

Thanks.

[megcornell]

A 10 gallon will get you by for a little while. The most important thing is to have a tank that's large enough to support a heater and filter.
The benefit of getting a larger tank to start with is that you'll be able to avoid upgrading as often. It gets expensive to go from a 10 gallon to a 20 to a 55 etc. It's much cheaper to buy the 55 and outfit it with the appropriate accessories.

If tank price is an issue, stock tanks and rubbermaid bins make great alternative tanks.