General Care Discussion :: newbie needs help

[susan]

hi. i just aquired an adult male red eared slider turtle about 4 years old, and a very large tank to keep him in (from a different person). however the tank was stored in somone's garage for along time, and it is quite dirty. i cleaned it as best i could with just plain water, but there seems to be some hard white stuff stuck on the glass that i can't get off. what is the best way to remove this? i'm afraid to use a harsh chemical that could potentially poison the turtle, or scrubber that might scratch the glass.

i am also concerned because mr t. isn't eating. i've had him for a day and a half. at the moment he is living in a 10 gallan tank with only water in it. could he be too cold? or too stressed? i've offered him both commercial turtle food and some lettuce. he ate neither, and the turtle food just clouded the water. should i worry? will he settle in quickly once i get him in his new tank? what should i do?

so far i have a floating island, a heating lamp with the special bulb for reptiles, large rocks for the bottom, a thermometer, and a filter. is there any other special equipment i should get?

i'd like to get mr t into his new home asap, as he doesn't seem very happy where he is, so if you have any advice, please post.

also,is there a good book on red eared sliders that you would recommend?

thank you

[jenaero]

I'm not sure there's anything in a book that you won't find here on the site but I could be wrong...don't know of any off hand.

You can use vinegar and a razor blade to get that white stuff off. Just make sure to rinse it with water until the vinegar smell is gone. If there is a bit left over it won't do any harm. If it was used as a fish tank, it's probably just mineral deposits from hard water. How big is this new tank?

He probably won't eat until he's settled into the larger tank so do that as soon as you can. Some turts won't eat for a week or more after a drastic change like that.

[CountryGirl68]

Yeah, white vinegar will get rid of the mineral deposits (white stuff) on the glass. One of the best ways to do it is to place the tank on one side, cover it with paper towels and douse them with vinegar. Let it sit for about 20 minutes then clean and rinse well with very warm/hot water. Then repeat on all other sides. It's time consuming but works well.

The acid in the vinegar should get rid of the deposits on the tank and it is safe to use, as long as you rinse really well before adding the turtle.

[susan]

thanks for the vinegar advice. i'll try it this afternoon.

believe it or not, the tank is 90 gallons! it's huge and way too heavy for me to flip on it's side. so i guess i'll just have to do it the hard way.

i moved mr t into a 30 gallon tank that i was keeping my corn snake in. he has more water and room there as well as the floating island. he still hasn't eaten, though. my corn snake is ok in the smaller tank for the time being.

i had no idea what i was getting myself into here. but, after reading posts here, i'm starting to feel like it'll be worth it. you all LOVE your turtles.

[Shavannah]

If you have a thermometer, check the water temp. It should be around 75 degrees. Cooler water will decrease his appetite. There should be a healthy balance of water temp and basking temp. (which is 10 degrees warmer than the water). You should purchase a heater very soon. It'll keep the water at a steady temp. You could try bumping his water temp up with warm water (conditioned to remove the chlorine and chloramine).
What is the 'special bulb for repitles' you're using? UVB? He needs UVB over his basking area, but it doesn't provide much heat, just the rays he needs. For heat, you can use a regular household bulb mounted in a clip on lamp and direct the light onto his basking area. That 90 gallon is going to be great for him. Get it set up as soon as you can. When you go to purchase a heater, get one for that size tank, not the 30 gallon, or you'll end up having to buy another one. For 90 gallon, you may need 2 heaters anyway. The Stealth heaters are wonderful, no glass and completely submersible. Keep offering him lettuce (not iceburg tho) daily, and try dandelion greens too. Is the commercial food pellets? Reptomin is my turts favorite. Give him enough to fill his head if it were hollow every other day or every 3 days, along with the greens daily, and cuttlebone daily (for much needed calcium). We'd love to see some pics when you get situated. And post any other concerns or questions!

[Boogerbutt02]

Yes we do all LOVE are turtles... good luck getting Mr. T to eat... but don't worry your self sick if he doesn't, just keep offering him food...