All Turtles Message Board

jonnydago · Guest Joined: 05 Apr 2008 Posts: 1

just got a "FREE" baby RES came in a tiny plastic cage so spent about $100 for cage pump/filter, uvb light,heater ect.ect but "yerdol" the turtle is now a very very happy camper the water temp is a constant 82 degrees is this allright for ery yung RES? yerdol seems to like it. well just wanted to say hello. Laughing

Kayla · Level 1 Joined: 25 Feb 2008 Posts: 15

It kinda sounds a little high. Maybe you can try adjusting the heater just a little bit?

Fwend_mom · Level 1 Joined: 07 Apr 2008 Posts: 5

Hello every one! My boyfriend got me a baby red eared slider for my birthday last week! He is very tiny...about 2 inches long. He's so cute. We named him "Fwend." Since I got him, I have been scouring the internet about turtle care (so much, that my boyfriend says i paying more attention to the turtle than him!) I NEVER ever had a turtle before. The only thing is, everything I read I should have, i don't have and don't think i can yet afford.

Background of his enviroment:

Housing:
Right now he's in one of those small plastic tanks with an island in the middle with a little plastic coconut tree. (That's what the pet shop gave us.)
The told us to keep him in shallow filtered water, but everywhere i read, it seems to say he should be in a 20 gallon tank or even a 50 gallon tank. Is this REALLY necessary for such a tiny turtle? I mean, when he starts to outgrow the little tank, of course i will get a bigger tank. I mean, he is swimming around, and very interesting to watch. I also put two small pieces of coral i got from the beach. I fill in enough water that just barely reaches the tip of his shell.

Temperature:

The web pages i read say to get a heater, but i live in the caribbean..which means it will NEVER get cold here ( so i guess he will NEVER hibernate here) It is very warm here, usually 83F and over.
Thats another thing...this turtle NEVER wants to climb up on the island. (Or stay on it if i put him on it, probably coz it too warm)
I move the tank with him in it in the sun on mornings for about 20 mins, while getting ready for work. But i never see him on the island.
Yesterday I took him out and put him in a container for about 30 mins to dry off.

He seems to be ok in the water though. He is eating, i give him tiny pellets and i gave him cooked chicked today. Since i feed him in a separate container, and i wait till he poops, his water in little tank is usually clean and i change it every morning.

So...I guess i don't need a heater then since the water already warm...right. I am talking WARM (about 81F) This will not change throughout the whole year anyway.

Lighting.

I am also reading that he needs UV light, which is why i put him in the sun every morning. Do u think it might be better to put him in the sun in a separate container without water? Because i leave him in the little tank but then he refuses to climb on the island to dry himself off.
When we leave for work, i put him back inside and the place is kinda darkish. Guess he probably sleeps most of day, i dont know.

But saturday and sunday i left him near the sun when i was home and he was so active, trying to climb the side of the tank wall, he look so adorable!

Do i REALLY need a UV light if i am doing this?

Food:

Ok so i am feeding him turtle pellets for now as i said before and i introduced cooked chicken today and he seems to really like it. What else to feed this little guy? Crickets and worms gross me out. I am NOT going to catch these things for him, sorry. So does snails.
I could feed him live fish but because he is such a small tank with just about an inch or so of water, i dont think it makes sense. Keep in mind he is only 2 inches. I see that it is illegal in the US to sell turtles under 4 inches, but since i don't live in the US, it's no problem here.

So..
Is it ok what i am doing here for now...i mean for a turtle this tiny?
I know Sliders like to swim and like deep water, but i can't afford one of those 20 gallon tanks right now, they are very expensive in my country.
How long can i keep him in the little tank for? I mean should i wait till i see he is physically outgrowing it? ( Of course i will be saving up money in the mean time to get a tank) But i don't estimate getting that money saved until about 6 months time. (I mean my boyfriend could help me buy it, but he is insisting i dont need such a big tank anytime soon for such a teeny tiny turtle)

I KNOW he is not going to stay tiny forever. I KNOW he will need a bigger tank. But I am asking how long do you estimate he can stay in the shallow water for.

I just want to make sure he is happy because he is soo small and helpless.

Oh yes, and we do not have reptile vets here...i highly highly doubt it.
So i want to make sure he never gets sick, since vet options for turtles here are very very slim...if not, zero. I will check for them still though.

Just need some help on how to care for a turtle in a very warm climate and almost zero vets for him.

Thank you very very much.

From Baby Fwend's mommy.

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 11:51 pm Post subject:

This is a good place to start:
http://www.turtlecare.net/index.htm
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ryanandsuzyro · Level 3 Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 207

You know, you will have to make up your own mind and hopefully figure out a good solution based on your research (such as, there are cheaper alternatives to proper aquariums... ). The only main point I will comment on is this.