New Pet, need advice

[doughboyea]

I doubt if anyone has any suggestions, but by all means, please, if you got any useful information, I'd appreciate it:

Short version... I came into possesion of a neglected pet. A turtle. It's three years old. I am not at all familiar with care of these animals so I'm not sure how to care or setup an adequate tank. A quick survey of google got me something like they need a basking area with a heat lamp and they need water deep enough for them to swim through. Beyond these basic things, I'm stuck. I don't want the little critter to die you know. I think it's a "red eared sider."



I got him a temp. tank for now, a 20 gallon long (30" long, 12.5" wide and I think 13" tall.)

I've found a site called glasscages.com. They have cheap glass aquatic tanks for $90 for a 65gal tank (48"long, 18" wide, and 17" tall) I have no idea if this is big enough as I do not know the turtle's growth rate. Females I think can reach 11" in shell length. I think it's a male so it'll be a little less than that.

Another thing, if anyone knows why he would just sit in the basking area for a LONG time with his legs inside?

Thanks in advance,

Dough

[DEATH2000]

WOW, were did u get the turtle from man?


Dont they sit under the heat lamp to keep warm since there cold blooded?

[xsperf]

i dont know anything either, but if you go to any petstore im sure they would tell you

[Hoppy]

il try to get in touch with my buddy, hes got a turtle. he found it in my yard 2 years ago.
everyone, this is snappy. ( we dont know what kind of turtle it is. we think a box turtle)


until then, from what i got from http://www.turtletopia.com/care/redear/redearcare.shtml
and http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
red eared sliders are the most comon turtle. they are large aquatics

Temperature of the warming water should be about 75-86 degrees F and a large basking site are essential for red-ear sliders. Be sure to provide ample lighting and humidity.

The young eat water insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and tadpoles, then turn to a plant diet as they mature. The most important dietary requirements are vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus, which are necessary in sufficient quantity and in the correct proportions to form the bones and shell of a growing turtle, without which the shell would become soft and deformed.

[doughboyea]

Originally Posted by DEATH2000

WOW, were did u get the turtle from man?
Dont they sit under the heat lamp to keep warm since there cold blooded?

Longer story.....
My mother went into work and a custodian friend of hers said that one of her sister's friends are trying to rid themselves of a turtle because the teenage daughter stopped caring for it. the 5+ in turtle was recieved 3 years ago and was raised in a rubbermade tub that was left in the bathtub. So by word of mouth, my mother, being as she is, took the little guy in. Now, we have another pet....

I know they are illegal to be purchased in NJ but I have NO IDEA why that would be. They can potentially carry samenilla (sp?) but so do most reptiles.

From my understanding, the little guy will go back and forth from the heat lamp to the water. They don't have the ability to regulate thier own body temperatures so they do this as some sort of balancing mechanism. They also can't eat out of the water, so they eat, piss, shit, and drink out of the same water.... kinda gross don't you think? The heat lamp provides UV radiation, enableing the reduction of any sort of growth on the shell. All of this I got from a google search. But the internet isn't aways acurate. I also don't know of a proper aquarium setup. If I can, maybe tommorrow, I may post a vid of this little guy doing his swimming thing.

Originally Posted by xsperf

i dont know anything either, but if you go to any petstore im sure they would tell you

Yea, that's what I thought. But being that turtles are illegal here in NJ, it's not commonly known of how to truly care for them. I mean, they say something, but it's not like they truely know, there's that hesitation in thier voice.

Originally Posted by Hoppy

...this is snappy. ( we dont know what kind of turtle it is. we think a box turtle)...

Hmm, he looks like an austrailian long neck.... i could be SO WRONG on that one, but I came across a web page that had a turtle with a neck really long like that one.

Just did a temp check on the water, it's idling around 69degF, but he's still eating and doing his normal routine. He may of become so accustomed to the rather drab conditions that he was in before that now, he doesn't care if it's 10+ deg too cold.

Dough

[Rooz]

Turtle.. humm.. I dunno why but to me reptiles are pothead pets, lol

[B_w.]

dont some people eat turtle legs. that would be an easy solution to your problem

[witeshark]

Originally Posted by B_w.

dont some people eat turtle legs. that would be an easy solution to your problem

Umm I think frog's legs... Not turtle's legs

[B_w.]

Originally Posted by witeshark

Umm I think frog's legs... Not turtle's legs

well theres a first time for everything

[BMWLotAttendant]

Originally Posted by B_w.

well theres a first time for everything

Annnnnnnnnd

They all taste like chicken anyways.

[c1apton]

LOL, you guys... turtle legs? Try turtle soup - that's why New York City banned the sales of small turtles from pet stores because in some ethnic societies turtle soup is a delicacy and years ago you could buy the little ones from Woolworths.
Back on topic, when they sleep they literally camp out under or near heat light or heated rocks. They also keep themselves cool by retracting into their shells. When they're un-sure of their surroundings they'll retract also. For food - try washed, chopped up lettuce and fruit. You can even give them fruit cocktail as long as it's been washed of the juice that comes in can. They'll even eat small amounts of canned cat-food and small bugs. (Thank my GF for this info - she's a vet)

PS: I got smacked for suggesting they make good hubcaps or wheel chocks too.

[dinan540]

My in laws have a red eared slider. You want the turtle to have an area, usually a rock, where they lay under the heat lamp. They also do like to swim. They eat shrimp, scallops, carrot shavings, you can buy turtle food at the pet store. We have even fed him pieces of turkey. Don't put fish in the tank, the turtle will eat them.

Look for a specialty reptile pet shop in your area. That way you can talk to someone knowlegeable.

I hope this helps. In our tank, we have rocks and fake logs in the water and then a dry spot for him to lay under the lamp.

[jms]

When I had a red eared slider we kept him in a tank with water, keep it nice and warm as advised above. he needs a basking area which is above the water but not too high that he can jump out(mine did that a few times)and they can really move. they have some nices basking islands which have legs to support them mine liked eating little roseys and usually finsihed them off nicely.

unfortunately mine died due to a heater malfunction and it got too cold, otherwise he was healthy. And as always petco is a good resource.

[komodo]

I want a turtle now. haha

[jms]

oh, btw turtles carry salmonelia and can be problematic for children. Just an fyi