General Care Discussion :: In need of some help

[froznturkey]

Ok well I own two RES and I've had them for a few months now. When I first got them I went to PetCo and bought this turtle kit that came with a tank, filter, floating land, etc. I also bought pebbles for the ground and some other decorations such as a log and fake plants. When I originally got the tank I bought an aquarium heater of 100w but up until yesterday it stopped working. It really scared me because when I woke up and checked on my turtles the water was freezing cold. I’ve taken them out of the tank and put them in a smaller to-go kind of tank without any water. I want to know if that is ok for them to be out of water for hours since I can’t get a new heater till morning. Also I did buy a new heater the next day, one that is especially made for turtles but the waters temperature has not changed. The directions on the box say give it 24hrs to heat up but I don’t know if it’s safe for the turtles to be out of water for that long. If it doesn’t heat up by tomorrow I’m just going to go back to buying a regular aquarium heater. Can anyone offer advice on my situation? I would greatly appreciate it.

[SpotsMama]

I hope you're still up - it's pretty late here. I just logged in a few minutes ago.

Have you measured the water temp with a thermometer? Since our body temperature is relatively high, what's a good temp for a turtle (around 78 degrees for a little one) will feel cool to us. Sometimes when people actually measure the temp they are surprised at what it is.

If you measure the temperature and it's still too cool to put your turtle in (lower than the low 70's I'd say) then try this. Warm a few cups of water on the stove and put them in the aquarium to speed up the warming process. Be sure your turtle isn't in the tank when you pour in the hot water! When you get the tank up to the right temperature, then put the turtle in. Cover the aquarium with some towels or a blanket. That will help hold the warmth in until you can get a good heater.

[froznturkey]

The thermometer that I do have can’t read the temperature of the water so I don’t really know if the water is the right temperature or not. The water doesn't even feel partially warm but instead it feels icy cold. I’ve been playing with them outside of their tank all morning and they seem to be doing fine for right now. I’ll try that stove idea and hopefully it will keep the water warm enough for them while I’m at class. I’m just fed up with this heater right now so I guess I’ll just go back to the store today and buy an aquatic heater instead because I know that will work for me. O and by a thermometer.

Thanks for the advise.

[marisa]

A heater for turtles---was is called something like the Reptiheater and is it enclosed in some type of guard? If so, from what I've seen of these heaters, they don't look that reliable to me. A good submersible heater would be your best bet.

A few hours out of the water won't hurt them.

[Bascomb]

f-turkey -- You will need to keep a couple of thermometers on hand to keep and eye on your water and to get your heater set. I use a quick read dial thermometer and a digital that I keep in the tank at all times. I can just walk by the tank and check on the temp. I agree with you about the water feeling cool. To a human 78 degrees is cool. You can ''dry dock'' your turtles for several hours without harm, however, you have to be careful not to have them in a warm water then cool air, then back in warm water too often as that can cause them to get respiratory infection called RI. B.