General Care Discussion :: i am a newbie

[edm3229]

hey there...
i just got my res last week at the beach.. the lady at the shop told me all i needed was a small bowl and a rock for him to crawl up on... after doing some research i have learned i am going to need a little more... i thought he was going to be a inexpensive little pet but i was wrong... so i am going to need a little help...oh and by the way his name is tiny tim..

[cprcheetah]

Welcome! My advice is to read the main site, and all the stickies! They both have helped me immensely. I sort of rescued my turtle 3 weeks ago and had no clue of the maintenance and work that goes into them....but have learned quickly and am working on upgrading my poor turtle from his 20 Gallon 'turtle tank' to an appropriate sized one at least 75 gallons.

[edm3229]

my res is only about the size of a quarter, i have it in a 10 gal tank.. i bought the tank before i read anything about them... how long do you think i can keep it in that tank before looking at upgrading...

[cprcheetah]

You need to measure your turtle. They need 10 Gallons per Carapace Length (Tip of Shell to Rear of shell not including the curve. My turtle is 7" (5 years old) so is supposed to be in at least 70 gallons. Get the biggest tank you can afford now...then you don't have to upgrade so many times. It is recommended that if it's a male they get at least 90 Gallons and females with 120 Gallons. But you can't tell their sex until they are 4"

[missibsu]

Welcome!

I would add that rubbermaid containers make great temp homes and can be gotten really cheap! A large rubbermaind is better than nothing if you can't afford an upgrade right away.

[cprcheetah]

I was looking at our local walmart yesterday and the biggest they had was a 39 Gallon.... Needless to say I was dissapointed, but I will be searching elsewhere till I find a bigger one.

[scripta_elegans]

It sounds funny, but I'd recommend ebay. I got a 75 gallon tank plus a solid and attractive stand for $160.00. I had to drive 3 hours to get it, but it was totally worth it! I have seen 110 gallon tanks go for under 100 dollars! It is usually a pick up only deal, but you can really luck out sometimes if you are in the right vicinity. I know some folks have had luck at garage sales too...

[edm3229]

so if i wait for a while to get a new tank what will it do to my res

[missibsu]

It's not so much what it will do to your turtle, as it is being a responsible turtle owner. How would you like it if you were only allowed to live in your bathroom and your family had a 15 bedroom home? So maybe that is exaggerating a bit, but it's only fair that your turtle have the same comforts that you do.

There are health risks with keeping your turt in a too small container for lengths of time. Serious shell deformities for one.

[amazingcc]

Your res will be okay in the 10-gallon tank for only a couple of months at best. Res's grow pretty fast... the smaller the tank, the harder it will be to regulate water temps, and to keep the water clean. Inadequate water conditions/-temps can lead to all kinds of problems. You really should look into getting at least a rubbermaid tote for now.