Habitat - Indoor :: When is the right time?

[Lilkeekers16]

I just recently bought a Red Ear Slider and I have a little tank he came with. And I understand I should buy a big tank right away because they grow fairly fast. But when do I know is the right time to transer the little guy over to a bigger tank without him having any problems? I fear he is too little but at the same time, fear that his tank he has now is big enough. Hopefully someone could please help me out. Thanks in advance!!

[jenaero]

The sooner the better. No matter what size tank you move him to, he'll still need time to get comfortable in a new environment. Go as large as you can now and it'll save you money in the long run.

[KellyP]

Theres no need to wait. The bigger the better. Thier great little swimmers, he should be fine no matter how big you go.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Theres no need to wait. The bigger the better. Thier great little swimmers, he should be fine no matter how big you go.

I 2nd that!

[Billy Black]

What size tank is he in now?

[Lilkeekers16]

What size tank is he in now?

He is still in the same little tank I got for him. Its the plastic one its not even a half gallon tank. Which I know isnt good for him thats why I was concerned with getting him a bigger tank. And I understand the bigger the better. So does that mean that I dont fill the tank all the way.. and I put a floater lower? I know he can hold his breath for a good amount of time. But that doenst mean forever!

[Billy Black]

He'll be fine. My turtle is about an inch long, and he does just fine in his 35-40 gallon tank (I forget exactly how much).

Your turtle can swim much better than you give him credit for.

[Lilkeekers16]

He'll be fine. My turtle is about an inch long, and he does just fine in his 35-40 gallon tank (I forget exactly how much).

Your turtle can swim much better than you give him credit for.

Thanks so much for the help. He's been through a lot so far so I am trying to make the switch over less stressful. So thanks again!

[cam722]

Any change regardless of when you do it may be stressful. I moved my turtles from a smaller tank to a larger one in the same room and they freaked out and woudn't bask etc.

If you are moving your small turtle to a much larger one, you may want to make sure to have some plants either real or fake for him to float around on should he get tired. Remember, in the wild they live in ponds and lakes and swim in a lot of water even when young.

If you're going to upgrade, buy the largest tank you can afford and that will last your turtle for the longest amount of time so that you don't wasted money and have a lot of empty tanks around. Remember 10 gallons of water for each inch of turtle.. a year old turtle should be around 3" .. keep that in mind

[marisa]

He'll be much happier in a larger tank.

[Muirner]

Once you get the new tank setup and ready for your turtle, once you put him in, i say let him adjust for a few days or even a week before removing him. I know you may feed in a different container but this is ok. The longer they are in their environment the more they make it "home"

[Kallistos]

As Carol said, it's always best to allow places to rest whether it's rocks or plants just so when they are tired they can float down onto something. This greatly reduces the chance of drowning, this isn't much of a problem in adults as it is in the small turtles. If you're still worried, over a few days you could gradually increase the water level ,but this probably won't be necessary.

[CountryGirl68]

To decrease his stress, once you've moved him to a larger tank (preferably 30g or more), stay away! Give him lots of undisturbed time to get used to his new home. He will be stressed no matter what but if you hang around too much, that will add to the stress. However, once you move him to a much larger tank, he'll be so happy that the stress will be gone in no time.