We recently rescued a turtle from an oil pit. He was completley covered in the stuff, we cleaned him the best we could and set him up in an old turtle tank (10gal) We would like to keep him untill spring as it seems a little late for the animal to hibernate at this time (1st snow already) the turtle is small, and YES I am fully aware that turtles need a LARGE tank, but for how long can the turtle remain healthy in a small tank. I clean it every other day and he seems happy and well adjusted at this time.
Our vet clinic offered little input (they work mostly in livestock) and my local pet store was completley clueless, tried to sell me a 2.5 gallon tank that had a light....and I am out of available input at the local level. Thanks for you help!
2006-10-07 16:46:08 · 3 answers · asked by lscrighton 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
He's all set up with the full spectrum light, basking area, filter, live food (which he wont eat at this yet) and what appears to be plenty of space to swim for now.
Miss, I find i shocking that you would keep 3 turtles in a 10 gallon tank, perhaps your tank could be better suited for 3 gerbils. Your sister didn't lose the turtles, they ran away. Get a book or go online to learn more about long term turtle care if you want them to be happy and healthy.
2006-10-07 17:41:26 · update #1
For 3 weeks, sure! The nice thing about slow metabolism species is that a few weks is nothing to them.
You seem well aware of the general needs and such so I shan't go over all that again. It is sad that the vet could not help, but understandable. What ticks me off is the pet shop- so typical! Sell it and make the bucks but don't bother with any real education.
What you may not be as aware of is that you can make a perfectly good turtle habitat in a Rubbermaid or similar plastic tub- cheap, lightweight, tough, and available in sizes plenty big enough for your needs. I prefer the translucent ones like Sterilite personally. When you don't need it for rescue anymore, you can use it for its intended use again.
Your problem is going to be in the spring. By then, the poor thing will have had the chance to pick up and become semi-resistant to various respiratory diseases they get around humans- but the wild population will be very susceptible to them. It is sadly common for released turtles to infect entire ponds at a time.
If you get a warm snap up there soon, release it into the nearest clean pond to the oil pit you can find (the water should stay warm enough for a while longer)- otherwise prepare for a winter-long and possibly long-term pet!
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com is a good site for a lot of info on these and other species!
2006-10-08 11:18:14 · answer #1 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Fearie turtles need 10 gallons per inch of turtle how would you like to live in a closet your whole life? He will be okay until spring but make sure you have UVb!
2006-10-08 00:30:07 · answer #2 · answered by reslover99 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
a painted turtle well i have 3 tutles and my tank is 10 gallon and they love it and if you were to sell your turtle would you and were do you live because my sister lost them because she played outside with them now i only have 1 : ( i miss them
2006-10-07 23:51:12 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋