How do you take care of a turtle?

Question

A tiny turtle just walked into our house. I have no idea where it came from since the river is a long way from here. I know nothing about turtles but it's really cute and so small about 2 inches wide and long. i put it in a little bowl with water and it started swimming but now it's not doing much.
So could anyone tell me the basics about turtles where should it live, what does it eat??

Answer 1

It just hatched and it is likely a painted turtle or a slider.

They start off small, about the size of a quater and grow to be size of plates - no joke. They live for 20 years or mor and you will need a 100G tank or pond.

Oh, one more thing, it's not good to keep it for a while and then release it. By keeping it you are introducing it to new pathogens. When you release it, the turtle will be then brining all these germs to the pond. This has had devastating effects on the desert tortoise in the southwest. Most of the time, it causes no harm, but we just don't know and should not take such chances. As well, turtles and ANY wild animal will carry parasites and bacteria.

Now you know the facts and if you want to proceed still and keep it, here are some excellent caresheets:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-midland_painted.htm

If it is not these two popular turtles, feel free to email me pics or email me for any further advice.

General care:
Aquatic turtles will need to swallow in water and they usually eat proteined foods when they are young. Try feeding it insects, invertebrates (snails, crayfish), worms, pieces of fish and etc. You should also feed it pellets b/c it contains complete nutrients, while those proetiened foods don't.

The turtle will need a nice big tank or rubbermaid, with a basking area (rock or drift wood). A 60-75 watt bulb at 10-12" away for 12 hours a day will provide it sufficient heat.

Add a little cave, clay pot on its side, or rocks to allow it to hide in the water to feel safe.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Based on odds, since you provided no description, it is a likely to be a hatchling Painted turtle.

Instead of the river, it was probably born near a small pond or creek- they prefer quieter water. Is there a small farm pond, small creek, or even wet drainage ditch nearby?

I'd encourage you to release it- keeping a pet turtle healthy and happy is more work than most people want to get involved with. For example, at 2", it really should already be in 20 gallons of clean, warmed water. Baby turtles are tough as a rule of thumb, and wild turtles are tougher than captive bred.

If you decide to give it a go, however, once you get the right environment set up, things get easier.

Housing-
The 'rule' is 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle, and it is smart to plan ahead. Your 2" turtle will get to 5-6" soon enough, so you should be planning for 50-60 gallons of water even at this early stage. Plastic tubs, indoor ponds, and 'kiddie pools' are usually cheaper than fish tanks at that size.

The tank needs to be easy to clean, able to keep the water around 80 degrees, and be designed to keep the water as clean as possible (turtles are pretty messy!). This usually means some combination of great filters, frequent water changes, using a seperate feeding tank, and/or live plants and scavengers.

There needs to be some land- at least a basking place like a 'log' or pile of rocks. A couple basking sites and a 'beach' are better. The basking sites should be heated to about 90- preferably with overhead heat lamps... but be careful they don't burn the turtle.

Lighting should simulate daylight as much as possible- intensity, duration, and colors- this usually means needing some form of UV-B lighting since that wavelength does not pass through glass or plastics.

Diet-
Find yourself a good quality, well-reviewed pelleted food to start with. As you learn more about your pet and its needs, you can add to the diet with fresh or frozen fish, worms, bugs, etc., and some plants.

Feed the baby daily, then back off a little as it gets older.



OK, now... some people will insist that you don't need to do all of this. A small bowl or tank with a few inches of water and a rock, no special lighting or heating, a simple diet of lettuce or hamburger, or a cheap packaged food with dried insect parts is all you need.

Sadly, that is not and never was true. This myth was created by unscrupulous sellers trying to sell lots of cheap pets and accessories in the 60's. Turtles need room to develop and exercise. They need a healthy diet with protein, calcium, phosphorus, and they need a lot more.

Turtles raised in the 'turtle bowl' formats are easy to tell. Shell and limb deformities, small size, light weights, and they are often dead in about 2 months- the amount of time it takes them to starve. Very tragic for a species that SHOULD live for 20+ years with a little attention!

Answer 3

Without a picture it's hard to say what to do. There are different kinds of turtles and they need different care. Look up the turtles in your state and try to figure out what kind you have. If it's not a native species it may be someones escaped pet. If it is you can put up some flyers about a lost turtle.After you find out what kind of turtle it is check out this page. They have a lot of care sheets for different kinds of turtles. I hope this helps. Personally I would let the turtle free. Caging a wild animal is very stress full to the animal and may actually cause it's death.

Answer 4

the in undemanding words turtle that ought to stay in a 35 gallon is a musk turtle. Fill the tank 5 to six inches with water and provide a filter out no heater. purchase a plastic basking platform as logs advance mould. Get a UVB/UVA bulb about 50 watts and position it instantly above the basking platfirm. purchase a thermometer and position it purchase the platform. The temp should be 80 5 to ninety 5 degrees F. deal with the water like you'll generally do with a fish and sparkling the platform once a month. do no longer positioned some thing on the bottom of the tank because it ought to injure your turtle. They eat a 50/50 mix of insects and vegetables. vegetables contain bok choy,carrots,duckweed,and dandelion vegetables. do no longer feed him cabbage or lettuce. insects contain grasshoppers,mealworms,and crickets. do no longer capture the insects purchase them from a save. two times an afternoon daily put in the food and take out some thing he doesnt eat in quarter-hour. depart the mild on 12 hours an afternoon. finally musk turtles stay 20 to 30 years. Oh and no fish will be saved with them.

Answer 5

Turtles don't really do too much...Go to a local pet store and get turtle food (I know it sounds obvious, but they don't eat much else). Try breaking up some lettuce. If you are going to keep it, you probably want to get a small fish tank...put water on one side and have somewhere for the turtle to lay outside of the water...

If you handle the turtle, WASH YOUR HANDS...they carry salmonella!

Answer 6

First call the animal store and find out if it is half water and land turtle or if it is all land.Turtles don't have saliva so you need to feed it with water.You need eye drops for turtles so they can blink.And they are the best pets.I have one.

Answer 7

you should let it go, honestly.