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6 Responses to 'Pet Turtles?'

1. lexychloe - August 13th, 2010 at 8:08 am

   Turtles aren’t very active animals. I have 3 red eared sliders. They carry salmonela and therefore present a risk to other pets or children in your home. They get dirty really quickly, so get a good filter for the water.

2. Kazu Fish - August 14th, 2010 at 3:37 pm

   I have four red-eared slider turtles (three big ones living together, and a baby one by itself). If you’re a beginner, choose a red-eared slider. They’re fun to watch and feed. =] Except when they bask, they’ll just sit there (then again, all turtles do that.) But other than that, they move around their tank often.

   The things that I put in my turtle tank is a basking area (I use one of those floating ramp things. Petsmart has them), a basking bulb (75-watt in a hood with clamps so you can position it on the edge of your tank), a power filter, and marbles as substrate (I don’t use gravel because I’m afraid my turtles could choke on it by accident if they swallow it).

   Depending on how big your aquarium and the size of your turtle, that’s about all that you need. You may choose to put plants and decor in, but my turtles tend to dig that kind of stuff up and knock em over, etc, so I don’t put that stuff in there. If you’re starting off with a 4-in. diameter turtle or smaller, get a 20-30 gallon aquarium for starters. As it grows up, it’ll need a bigger tank. An adult turtle requires at least a 50-75 gal. tank.

   Hope that helps!

3. <3animals - August 15th, 2010 at 11:51 am

   I prefer “Painted turtles” One of the most common turtles.
   I have 3 painted turtles, they swim alot, and sun themselves alot. A turtle is ratherly always laying around in a tank, they swim for a bit and rest. Then they warm up, but you wont find a turtle that dosen’t rest.
   ———————————————————————————
   Get a 20gallon long tank for a smallish turtle. 30+ gallon for bigish.
   A heat lamp over or 60w bulb.
   basking area(dry)
   water deep enough for it to dive under and swim, also to get air.
   place to climb out of the water to get air(If water deep)
   food…..cooked chicken, turtle sticks, romaine lettuce, carrots, insects. (Only romaine lettuce…….not iceberg)
   Clean water all the time.
   ———————————————————————————-
   Turtles are very good pets, altought cleaning takes place. Always keep the water clean, don’t let it get so bad. A turtle will change attitudes if left to stinky/dirty water. Really turtles are easy to take care of, I should know. ^.^
   As for you….you need to print out some info from sites on a painted turtle and read it. With you asking whatever about the tank means you haven’t searched. Searching is good not a cruel comment =P

   Have fun and Good Luck!

4. Samantha - August 16th, 2010 at 8:45 pm

   turtles, are quite active. they have a rep of being slow, but they aren’t really, not when they’re under 80 years old at least.

   red eared sliders are pretty active. they are said to carry salmonella, but if you wash your hands well after carrying/handling them, you should be ok.

   they swim around most of the time, and bask the other times.
   when you sleep, and everything’s dark, they sleep as well.

   if you’re going to own a RES, you need like a source of light, so they can bask. a filter, these can be quite cheap. a heater, to maintain the same temperature all year round. a rock to bask on. gravel, if you care that your tank is too “empty”. a tank, a big one, RES can grow quickly and to HUGE sizes.

   some people **** RES, i’m not sure why. but i’ve had mine for 3 years, and i love them.

   one more thing that is important is the patience, and the time that will be needed to take care of the turtles. they can get dirty, and you’ll need to change the water, quite often, if you don’t have a filter. with a filter, i usually change the water about once a month.

   red eared sliders are the only turtles i know about, so… that’s why i’m recommending them. if you don’t like them, sorry.

5. peek - August 17th, 2010 at 9:03 am

   This is what a red eared slider would need..
   THEY don’t need decorations they need alot of room to swim and a rock to lay on to bask in a light to dry thier shells out and relax.

   I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.
   I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

   Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

   Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to ***. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. In Comparison to females, males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.
   Their Home
   The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle’s length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.
   What to Feed
   In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.
   In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet and small feeders guppies or goldfish. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older.
   Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again..Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want.
   For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!
   Vital Statistics
   Total Body length: 5-8″ average, up to 12 inches max.
   Life span: 15-25+ years
   Males have the longer foreclaws..

   Water quality and Filtration
   Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent **********. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

   Common Health Problems
   If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

   Fungal Infections
   “Fungal infections are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.
   To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.
   If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”
   Shell Rot. First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.
   Keep it warm and give it plenty of light.
   Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water.
   Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond..clean water.
   1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It’ll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes.
   Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don’t clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.
   ** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. .

   Respiratory Infections
   “Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their early stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold.
   Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”
   Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

6. mom tree - August 18th, 2010 at 11:04 pm

   Other things to know about most of those cute little turtles in the pet store…. and this is NOT saying you should not get one, I currently have 3 juvenile RES myself and learning as I go.

   Turtles seem to be a hot pet item to have right now and they are active, opportunistic eaters (they “want” food all the time) but only a few will tell you the bad aspects of turtle care.

   Res (red ear sliders) are so cute yet they grow to the size of dinner plates when mature. They require over twice the depth of water and their shell is long so figure a fully grown turtle requires over 2 feet deep water to live in and a large enough space to move comfortably in. This means that, that cute little 4 inch will need LOTS of space that any aquarium will not be suitable for very long.

   They are not the easiest creatures to keep the water clean in…it requires frequent tank water changes or a VERY powerful filtration system.
   As mentioned before, they do carry salmonella (food poisoning) and you MUST wash and sanitize after each interaction with them or their water. (My grown daughter forgot and was VERY sick for 4 days!!)

   Turtles can become very costly until you establish a permanent location for them to live and most of the cost will be in feeding them.

   My largest is just now 4 inches and I am currently working on building them a proper pond. My problem with this is location, as I live in the north east U.S. (cold winters).

   So, think about it, do loads of research BEFORE you buy a turtle weigh the cost options and if it’s what you decide to get, have years and loads of fun with them.

   Good luck

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