mom - 2013-05-03 I found a red eared today I believe she is a female,she was crossinga busy street and in fear of her getting run over I took her home. She's about the size of a desertplate at at first seemed nervous and would snap her mouth at my fingers. I would love to give her the proper care,, her shell is peeling top and bottom is this normal? My kids are excited with her, is to much human contact bad for her? Is she a water turtle?or does she just need access to a little pond ? How do I know if she needs water or if It's enough water for her? If anyone can answer my questions ASAP I would gladly appreciate it :) Thank You
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Clarice Brough - 2013-05-03 The information above will give you good guidelines for providing the right environment for your turtle. The peeling on the shell may just simply be exposure to a too dry an environment, so be sure to give it an area with water to re-hydrate. It is probably snapping because it is has lived in the wild, and is not familiar with being handled by humans so is probably defensive. Providing it with the right home and food in captivity, along with some time to become comfortable is probably the best antidote for the concerns you're having. Good luck:)
kelly - 2013-01-19 my turtle will not eat.I never seen him eat at pet smart either. What should i do if anyone can give me feed back please do.(P.S i had my turtle for 2 or 3 months too.)(and we tried to put him into another place to see nope not working)
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Jeremy Roche - 2013-01-19 What have you tried so far? Is the water warm enough. Turtles will slow down eating if the water is not warm enough.
EPotter - 2013-02-03 During a monthly cleaning, I had set the UV lamp out of sight and forgot to place it back over the tank. My sliders, 3 years old, would not eat for weeks. Got the lamp set up and they quickly resumed eating. If you have the right climate, your RES might prefer outdoors with one or two hours of direct sun now and then (be prepared for clever escape attempts, hungry cats, etc).
Consuelo - 2013-03-15 I receive a turtle 3 weeks ago, anthe first two weeks, but he or she (I dont know) didnt eat for the first two weeks, bur now the weather is warmer and then she started to eat. Her previous owner told me thet in winter time turtles dón't eat to much
hroiz - 2012-12-29 When I was 10 years old, my mom got me a red-eared slider. I never bought a filter or heater for her because I did not know they needed that. I am now 13 and have had her for a few years and she has survived just fine. She does seem to dig on the bottom of the tub a lot but I think that's normal behavior. Anyways, I was wondering if I should get her a heater and filter now? I have been told they do not like change, so I'm not sure what to do.
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-29 Adding a filter makes it much easier to care for the turtle. Many turtles are kept without heatebut for the best living situation the water should be at least 75 degrees. Adding these things should not stress it out at all. When adding heater raise temperature very slowly maybe 2 degrees every few days.
hroiz - 2012-12-30 I also do not have a basking spot for my turtle. I do have an area where she can get out of the water but it is not heated. I do put her out in the sun every day or every other day. Would a heated basking spot be necessary?
Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-30 Yes definately needs a basking spot.
Jacob Haynes - 2013-04-22 my vet always told me that 20mins a day 3 days my turtle would get more uvb then they would in a week from s bulb
Bo - 2011-09-11 I’m looking to buy a turtle also. I bought a tank that I think is 20-gallons. Is it okay to keep one red-eared slider in there, even when it is an adult? Please help, I want a turtle really badly!
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Clarice Brough - 2011-09-12 My adult sliders are a good 10-12 inches across. I would say a 20 gallon aquarium would be way too small for them. But juveniles though, being 4" across, they could probably be kept in there for quite awhile. I keep mine in our outdoor pond and they love it. They are about 14 years old.
Jacob Haynes - 2013-04-22 i have a 20 gallon long i have spent over 300.00 on my little guy i am planning on keeping trooper in this tank for a while.you have to realize that the internet is nothing but opoins so use your best judge meant. the only thing i have to say is this just make sue you take him/her to the vet once a year. provide lighting and heat you should do great. when i was a boy around 10 or so we keep one turtle in a 10 gallon tank and he lived for years. yes he stayed small but there was no harm done. now i wander how many people are going to say i am cruel
Chelle - 2008-03-01 My 2 month old RES lives in a 40 gallon long aquarium. He has a basking light, uvb light, a ramp for basking, a water heater and powerful filter (200 gallons per hour). He lives with 3 rosey red minnows and 6 zebra danios. I made the mistake of feeding him dried shrimp treats and then he wouldn't eat anything else. I have some advice on what to do if this happens to anyone else: Buy baby turtle floating food sticks, grind them down to a powder, add a little calcim/vitamin powder and a drop of water. Add a tiny bit of the dried shrimp (for the smell) and mix into a paste like texture. Then I put a dab of the mixture on the tip of my finger and hold it just above the water so he can reach up and get it. This is working great and he is thriving. I also have a small piece of cuttlebone floating in the water and have ordered water lettuce and water hyacinth. I haven't seen him bite the cuttlebone yet. He does try to bite the fake plants, this is why I ordered the edible water plants. I hope this info might help someone else out there with a picky eater like mine.
sharon - 2013-01-18 I was just given a 75gal tank with 4 turtles. Two are 7 to 8 in and the other two are 5 or 6 in. I have done my research and have learned a lot! I am wanting to feed them in a different containers to keep their tank a little cleaner but when I put them in the new container only one will eat! The others just swim around and try to figure out how to get out! I want to take the best care of them all but one will come to the top of the water when I'm close so it's not that they are freaking out about me! Any help would be awesome! Thanks for your time!
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2013-01-18 How long have you had them? I'm thinking that maybe since you only just got them they may need a little more time to acclimate to their new environment. You might want to try feeding them in their tank and see if they will eat there. If not, just keep trying for a few days to see if you can get them to eat. Once they are eating in their tank you could try having them eat in the other containers again. Too much change all at once might just be stressful for them.
Sharon A - 2013-01-12 We have 2 red eared sliders, one is approx 18 yrs, and the other about 5 yrs. We have always kept them in seperate tanks because we were always told two males could not be kept together. We have since put them together, and bought a 55 gallon tank for them, and it has been three days and they are very aggressive towards each other, biting at each others shells, faces...... why is this, and should we go back to seperate tanks?
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2013-01-12 Well first, if they have always lived alone, they are probably used to having their own territory. Introducing them into a new environment they aren't used to as well as having another tankmate is probably very stressful. It sounds like they aren't getting along very well and I would definitely separate them - If they are tearing each others shells up and causing wounds they could get infected and then sick. You could try again at a later time if you want. Generally, if two baby turtles are bought together and kept together there are often no problems unless a female is present. Two males would still need to be kept an eye on as they grow up however, to make sure they will continue to get along fine.
abhishek - 2012-12-20 My turtle is suffering from intestinal prolapse what can I do? Please suggest to me a home treatment.
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Jasmine Brough Hinesley - 2012-12-20 Intestinal prolapse will often go away on its own. Can you actually see your turtles intestines outside of its body? They may retract back inside the body on their own. Are there other turtles in the enclosure? If so you will want to take the hurt turtle out and put him in a separate container for now. If there is a lot of swelling you can dry putting some dry sugar or honey on the intestines to help reduce the swelling. Keep an eye on him and see if the intestines go back inside. If it seems they are not retracting back inside on their own then you can try to gently push them back inside. If that doesn't work, the best plan of action would be to take him to a vet.
abhishek - 2012-12-20 Thanks for the reply, but the intestinal prolapse comes out some time when my turtle forces it and after she fails to get it out then the prolapse goes in itself...... please let me know what can I do, it is black in colour.
Chelsea - 2012-12-20 My red eared slider turtle only likes eating goldfish but the money is short so to save money can I feed her live bearing fish? Because I won't have to go by fish because the fish will have babies so what do you think will it help me save money?
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Jeremy Roche - 2012-12-20 Sure can. Raising your own is actually better as you will know that they come from quality water!
The Red Eared Slider has been a favorite household pet for many years!
its banned to have these turtles in Queensland! they are a pest in the Brisbane area!
I found a red eared today I believe she is a female,she was crossinga busy street and in fear of her getting run over I took her home. She's about the size of a desertplate at at first seemed nervous and would snap her mouth at my fingers. I would love to give her the proper care,, her shell is peeling top and bottom is this normal? My kids are excited with her, is to much human contact bad for her? Is she a water turtle?or does she just need access to a little pond ? How do I know if she needs water or if It's enough water for her? If anyone can answer my questions ASAP I would gladly appreciate it :) Thank You
The information above will give you good guidelines for providing the right environment for your turtle. The peeling on the shell may just simply be exposure to a too dry an environment, so be sure to give it an area with water to re-hydrate. It is probably snapping because it is has lived in the wild, and is not familiar with being handled by humans so is probably defensive. Providing it with the right home and food in captivity, along with some time to become comfortable is probably the best antidote for the concerns you're having. Good luck:)
my turtle will not eat.I never seen him eat at pet smart either. What should i do if anyone can give me feed back please do.(P.S i had my turtle for 2 or 3 months too.)(and we tried to put him into another place to see nope not working)
What have you tried so far? Is the water warm enough. Turtles will slow down eating if the water is not warm enough.
During a monthly cleaning, I had set the UV lamp out of sight and forgot to place it back over the tank. My sliders, 3 years old, would not eat for weeks. Got the lamp set up and they quickly resumed eating. If you have the right climate, your RES might prefer outdoors with one or two hours of direct sun now and then (be prepared for clever escape attempts, hungry cats, etc).
I receive a turtle 3 weeks ago, anthe first two weeks, but he or she (I dont know) didnt eat for the first two weeks, bur now the weather is warmer and then she started to eat. Her previous owner told me thet in winter time turtles dón't eat to much
time to call the vet
When I was 10 years old, my mom got me a red-eared slider. I never bought a filter or heater for her because I did not know they needed that. I am now 13 and have had her for a few years and she has survived just fine. She does seem to dig on the bottom of the tub a lot but I think that's normal behavior. Anyways, I was wondering if I should get her a heater and filter now? I have been told they do not like change, so I'm not sure what to do.
Adding a filter makes it much easier to care for the turtle. Many turtles are kept without heatebut for the best living situation the water should be at least 75 degrees. Adding these things should not stress it out at all. When adding heater raise temperature very slowly maybe 2 degrees every few days.
I also do not have a basking spot for my turtle. I do have an area where she can get out of the water but it is not heated. I do put her out in the sun every day or every other day. Would a heated basking spot be necessary?
Yes definately needs a basking spot.
my vet always told me that 20mins a day 3 days my turtle would get more uvb then they would in a week from s bulb
I’m looking to buy a turtle also. I bought a tank that I think is 20-gallons. Is it okay to keep one red-eared slider in there, even when it is an adult? Please help, I want a turtle really badly!
My adult sliders are a good 10-12 inches across. I would say a 20 gallon aquarium would be way too small for them. But juveniles though, being 4" across, they could probably be kept in there for quite awhile. I keep mine in our outdoor pond and they love it. They are about 14 years old.
i have a 20 gallon long i have spent over 300.00 on my little guy i am planning on keeping trooper in this tank for a while.you have to realize that the internet is nothing but opoins so use your best judge meant. the only thing i have to say is this just make sue you take him/her to the vet once a year. provide lighting and heat you should do great. when i was a boy around 10 or so we keep one turtle in a 10 gallon tank and he lived for years. yes he stayed small but there was no harm done. now i wander how many people are going to say i am cruel
My 2 month old RES lives in a 40 gallon long aquarium. He has a basking light, uvb light, a ramp for basking, a water heater and powerful filter (200 gallons per hour). He lives with 3 rosey red minnows and 6 zebra danios. I made the mistake of feeding him dried shrimp treats and then he wouldn't eat anything else. I have some advice on what to do if this happens to anyone else: Buy baby turtle floating food sticks, grind them down to a powder, add a little calcim/vitamin powder and a drop of water. Add a tiny bit of the dried shrimp (for the smell) and mix into a paste like texture. Then I put a dab of the mixture on the tip of my finger and hold it just above the water so he can reach up and get it. This is working great and he is thriving. I also have a small piece of cuttlebone floating in the water and have ordered water lettuce and water hyacinth. I haven't seen him bite the cuttlebone yet. He does try to bite the fake plants, this is why I ordered the edible water plants. I hope this info might help someone else out there with a picky eater like mine.
I was just given a 75gal tank with 4 turtles. Two are 7 to 8 in and the other two are 5 or 6 in. I have done my research and have learned a lot! I am wanting to feed them in a different containers to keep their tank a little cleaner but when I put them in the new container only one will eat! The others just swim around and try to figure out how to get out! I want to take the best care of them all but one will come to the top of the water when I'm close so it's not that they are freaking out about me! Any help would be awesome! Thanks for your time!
How long have you had them? I'm thinking that maybe since you only just got them they may need a little more time to acclimate to their new environment. You might want to try feeding them in their tank and see if they will eat there. If not, just keep trying for a few days to see if you can get them to eat. Once they are eating in their tank you could try having them eat in the other containers again. Too much change all at once might just be stressful for them.
We have 2 red eared sliders, one is approx 18 yrs, and the other about 5 yrs. We have always kept them in seperate tanks because we were always told two males could not be kept together. We have since put them together, and bought a 55 gallon tank for them, and it has been three days and they are very aggressive towards each other, biting at each others shells, faces...... why is this, and should we go back to seperate tanks?
Well first, if they have always lived alone, they are probably used to having their own territory. Introducing them into a new environment they aren't used to as well as having another tankmate is probably very stressful. It sounds like they aren't getting along very well and I would definitely separate them - If they are tearing each others shells up and causing wounds they could get infected and then sick. You could try again at a later time if you want. Generally, if two baby turtles are bought together and kept together there are often no problems unless a female is present. Two males would still need to be kept an eye on as they grow up however, to make sure they will continue to get along fine.
My turtle is suffering from intestinal prolapse what can I do? Please suggest to me a home treatment.
Intestinal prolapse will often go away on its own. Can you actually see your turtles intestines outside of its body? They may retract back inside the body on their own. Are there other turtles in the enclosure? If so you will want to take the hurt turtle out and put him in a separate container for now. If there is a lot of swelling you can dry putting some dry sugar or honey on the intestines to help reduce the swelling. Keep an eye on him and see if the intestines go back inside. If it seems they are not retracting back inside on their own then you can try to gently push them back inside. If that doesn't work, the best plan of action would be to take him to a vet.
Thanks for the reply, but the intestinal prolapse comes out some time when my turtle forces it and after she fails to get it out then the prolapse goes in itself...... please let me know what can I do, it is black in colour.
My red eared slider turtle only likes eating goldfish but the money is short so to save money can I feed her live bearing fish? Because I won't have to go by fish because the fish will have babies so what do you think will it help me save money?
Sure can. Raising your own is actually better as you will know that they come from quality water!