Can someone give me a detailed shopping list/tank setup for a red-eared slider (turtle)?

Question

I am hoping to get a red-eared slider soon and need a detailed shopping list and tank setup list and also any links/instructions that you think will help.

Answer 1

1.You need the biggest tank you can afford upfront. A good rule of thumb is 10g per inch of shell, so no a 10g would not be fine unless you have a 1in hatchling, but it won't last you long so it doesn't make sense to buy small. Red Ear's can easily grow 12 in or more with proper care! If you can't afford a large tank, there are other options, a kiddie pool, a preformed pond liner, a rubber maid tote etc. Turtle tanks / the side cut out is a waste of money. Also Sliders like deep water so fill the tank!

2. You need a UVA/UVB light the box must say UVB and it must emit at least 5% UVB but 10% is best.

3. You need a Heat/Basking lamp, this can be a clamp lamp from a hardware store for 5 bucks and a household bulb.

4. You need a Basking spot. This needs to be a place for the turtle to come completly out of the water to dry off and sun himself. You can use a log, a platform, a dock, a ramp, etc as long as the turtle can fit on it comfortably.

5. You need good filtration. Turtles are messy. Shoot for 2x the gallon size but more is good too. For example if you have a 40g get a filter made for an 80g or bigger.

6. Submersible heater. Depending on where you live, you may need a heater, the water temps should be mid to high 70's if you cannot achieve this w/out a heater, then get one.

7. A thermometer so you can accurately monitor the temps.

8. Substrate, you may use substrate but do not buy gravel!! Turtles can and will eat it. Usually with dire consequences. A good alternative is river rock bigger than the turtles head upgrading if needed.

9. Decorations/plants (llive or real as long as not toxic see safe plants under food below) a place to hide. This are not absolutly needed but plants and other hiding places reduces stress.

10. A good herp vet. If you want to be a responsible pet owner, you need a good vet BEFORE trouble happens. http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm...

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vets_for_h... These links will help you find a good one.

11. Food, turtles need a varied diet and need to be fed in the water;

Hatchlings
Hatchlings should be fed everyday for the first year of their lives. They should be given as much as they can eat in 10 to 15 mins time or as much as you could fit into their head if hollow. You can feed them all of it at once or you can slit it up into 2 feedings.

Hatchlings tend to be more Carnivorous than adults, so make sure to check out the suggestions of live and protein-rich foods below for how to supplement accordingly. (Make sure you still give fruits and veggies at this stage!)

Juveniles/Adults
Once your turtle reaches the 4" mark, we recommend that you change their feeding schedule to every other day. Giving them greens or live plants in between.

Adults tend to become more Omnivorous, so make sure to check out the suggestions of fruits and vegetables below.

Vitamins and Calcium
You should supplement your turtle's diet with both vitamins and calcium, every third feeding or once a week. To give them vitamins many people will give them a Vitamin Bath once a week. You can also either soak the pellets in a liquid vitamin or dampen them and roll them in a powder vitamin before feeding.

It is recommended you have a light that supplies UVA and at the very least a 5.0 UVB output. The UVB is necessary for the absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. Turtles need both calcium and Vitamin D3 for strong bones and shells.

**Feeding Tip Feedings should be done in a separate container so that you do not have to frequently change the water nor the filter media.


Common Diet Errors

Feeding Cat or Dog Food
Despite what some pet store employees may tell you, turtles should not be fed dog or cat food (Sounds insane, but we've heard it!)

Pellet Only Diets
Pellets provide many benefits, but variety is key!
Supplement their diet with veggies, live foods and some fruits. Check out our safe list below.

Giving in to Beggars
Turtles will always beg whether you give in or not- they know you are the supplier of food!
Supplement between feedings with greens or live foods they have to chase to eat. ( Iceberg lettuce is a common filler that doesn't contain much nutritional value, but will keep them content.)


Safe Feeding List

Commercial Foods (This is just a few of them on the market)
* Tetra Reptomin
* ZooMed's Aquatic Turtle Food
* Exo Terra
* Wardley's Reptile Premium Sticks
* HBH Turtle Bites

Frozen/Canned (For treats)
* Spirulina-enriched Brine Shrimp
* Bloodworms
* Plankton
* Krill
* ZooMed's Can O'Crickets, Grasshoppers, or Meal Worms

Live Foods (Carnivorous)
* Guppies or Rosies Reds (no goldfish they are too fatty and have very little nutritional value)
* Crickets (Gut-Loaded)
* Pinhead Crickets (for smaller turtles)
* Earthworms, Night Crawlers
* Ghost Shrimp
* Aquatic Snails/Apple Snails
* Slugs
* Wax Worms, Super Worms

**Be careful about Wild-Caught foods, they can carry parasites that can be transferred to your turtle. Freezing Wild-Caught foods for a month will help to kill off some parasites.

Fruits (small amounts for treats only)
* Apples
* Bananas
* Grapes
* Melon
* Tomato
* Strawberries

**Should be cut up in small, bite-size or match-like sticks that will be easy for the turtle to bite into and not choke on.

Veggies
* Squash
* Zucchini
* Carrots
* Greens- Red Leaf, Romaine, Collards, Kale, Dandelion Greens

**Stay away from Spinach. Make sure to cut the veggies in bite-size or match-like sticks so your turtle can eat them easily. Iceberg lettuce is a good filler, but contains little/no nutritional value!

Aquatic Plants
* Anacharis
* Duckweed
* Water Hyacinth
* Water Lettuce
* Water Lily

12. A good forum where you can get advice, support and help. I'm partial to the one I belong to lol http://www.turtleexchange.com/forum/inde...

I think I got it all. If you need additional help feel free to email me, if I can't help I know lots of friendly forum members and staff who do! lol

Answer 2

in the event that they're youthful you shouldn't have a situation retaining them jointly in the beginning up compatibility-clever, yet you will desire to ascertain you have sufficient space for them later while they get enormous (as much as twelve inches of shell each and each!). in case you're paying for the two as adults from a puppy shop, it truly is beneficial to observe and in basic terms be sure you do no longer %. 2 enormously aggressive turtles. in case you have had one for a protracted time and are introducing yet another into the tank, you desire to be very careful. the only that has been there longer will maximum possibly teach signs and indications of territorial aggression, wherein case one turtle will finally end up attacked and/or lifeless (i do no longer comprehend how often the latter happens, yet turtles do combat). as long as you save the tank sufficiently enormous (i could say a minimum of fifty 5 gallons for the two) and make optimistic they do no longer combat, they might desire to be ok. you may feed them in separate boxes in case you're frightened approximately them being grasping over foodstuff, yet once you initiate doing this, you will desire to save doing it, as they are going to conflict it out as quickly as you initiate feeding them jointly.

Answer 3

Yes! I love turtles and have two of my own. Glad you asked, a lot of people don't want to properly set up tanks for their turtles.

Although I should warn you, over the past few years of having my turtles I've spent at least $800 on tank stuff, supplies, decorations, filter material, food, lighting, heating, medication, veterinary bills, supplements, and occasional turtle treats. The turtles themselves were about $5 (well, my sister gave me one).


Necessities:
1. Your tank: you can use either a Rubbermaid or a regular glass tank (which is way more attractive, but pretty expensive and hard to move). The general turtle tank "rule of thumb" is that for every inch of shell each of your turtles have, you should provide ten gallons (so if you have two turtles with four-inch shells, you'd need at least an 80 gallon tank). I don't go by that rule because it seems a little hardcore once your turtles are past a certain size, but it gives you a good ballpark as to how large your tank should be.
2. A basking area: your turtles need to be able to climb out of the water and dry themselves off. If not, they'll get shell rot and be unhappy and unhealthy.
3. A UV light with UVA AND UVB: these can cost upwards of $35, but your turtles will need it if they live indoors without direct sunlight. The UV helps them process calcium and vitamin D, and you definitely definitely need one of these.
4. A heat lamp: for your turtles to bask under. You can get combo heat-UV lamps, which I hear work pretty well. I have a ceramic heat emitter for my turtles and they love sitting under it for hours at a time. Some people have large UV lamps that span across the entire tank, some have spot-lamps. Others have UV lamps that span across the tank and heat spot-lamps for basking, it's up to you.
5. A filter: it's going to be awful changing the water as frequently as the turtles make it uninhabitable, so you should get a filter that's powerful enough to clean at least the amount of water your tank holds times two, because of how dirty turtles are. I have a Whisper 40 but it's not that great, it was just all I could afford at the time, so I do a lot of water changes. Try looking into canister filters, which are great for getting out those chunks of turtle waste and skin.
6. Pellet food: my two go crazy over ReptoMin (and some turtles won't actually eat anything else), but you need to supplement the diet with natural foods, especially vegetables.

Those are the absolute necessities, but if you want some optional items for happier turtle living, here:
7. Water conditioner: I use ReptiSafe (blue liquid stuff) to condition the water during changes. Some people's turtles are used to regular tap water, but I like to be safe.
8. Cuttlebone: Cutting pieces of cuttlebone (normally for bird beaks) and throwing them into the tank will give your turtles something to chew on and provide them with calcium.
9. Treats or feeder fish: mealworms, crickets, guppies, rosy reds, and neon tetras are some goodies you can get for your turtles to munch on, but not too often.
10. A net for poopy-scooping. I actually use an old turkey-baster, which is great for sucking up poo-logs before my turtles get a chance to eat at it (which is not only gross, but leaves an awful mess).
11. A fake plant for your turtle to play with, hide in, and sleep on. My turtles love floating on the leaves, and when one of them was small enough, he would hide in them. They also need a place to float on when they're sleeping, so plastic plants are good for that, and make nice decorations. My turtles don't (and can't) eat them, the leaves are nice and sturdy.
My turtle drawer also includes things like reptile vitamins, povidone-iodine, chlorhexadine gluconate, and sulfa-dip for any potential injuries or illnesses.

Spend on these things now and you'll have a much smaller chance of having to spend hundreds on veterinary bills. I learned that the hard way..>

Good luck with your turtle(s)!!!

Answer 4

*At least a 30 gallon tank
*filter
*gravel rocks so it can bask on
*60 watt light UBA light
*http://petsmart.com
*http://ask.com to do some research
*screen top
♥ for the turtle
*food (turtle food)
*all of this is going to cost about $200.00/$250.00
GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 5

I would have to agree with everyone here