All Turtles Message Board

boulierfamily · Guest Joined: 30 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Hi. Our family is new to the turtle world! My dh brought home a hatchling map turtle(1.5-2") last week from the wild and we have since acquired a 10 gallon tank and the other equipment we need for him, but our problem is that with the tank, in which was given to us, we also adopted 2 mature turtles-5-6" (part of the deal!) anyway- i set up the tank and put our hatchling in. He seems happy, although he hasn't eaten anything since we've had him. We bought some feeder guppies, tried fruit/veggies, and pellets from the pet store. He just isn't interested. I realize it may take him a bit of time to adjust so i'm not terribly concerned. Our question concerns adding the 2 larger turtles to the tank. They currently are in a basin with little water and some rocks in which to climb a bit. I am concerned they may bully the baby and make his transition even harder. I am regretting keeping him and taking everything from my friend. What should I do? And what can i expect in terms of behavior and danger? What can I offer the hatchling to eat and how long is too long for them to go without eating? All 3 turtles, I believe, are the same species. American Map.

punkflash54 · Level 2 Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 73

i have heard its usually better to put wild turtles back where they came from unless you found him in a dangerous place or somewhere i turtle would not normally live. a 10gallon tank is not big enough for 3 turtles! the rule most people follow is 1in turtle for at least 10 gallons of water. so if your turtle is 2in he would need at least 20gallons. also little turtles should not be in the same tank with larger turtles, the larger turtles may injure or even kill the baby. you are also going to need a heat light, uvb light, a filter, and a heater. i hope i could be some help.