Turtle Help!?

Question

I bought this small small turtle that cost 25$.i have all the suplies i need food,lagoon thing,net,water purifier.and he's not moving much and won't eat.Help??Will he die if the water's always cold??

Oh and to mention he's a yellow belly turtle

Any guide to taking care of this turtle please help!im new to handling Aquatic lizards(but i handeld fish)

Oh and i feed him nutrious floating pelets.What kinda lamp will work good for keepking his take warm for 1-2 months or what bulb?he's about 3 inches and i have a 5 inch tank.he pokes his head out of the water often,and the water is a little higher than he is.I used to fill the tank up to 3 inches but than i lowerd it.Do u reccomend regular sunlight in the day time?Plz plz help

One more thing is it unsuualy because he is so small??As he grows i plan to get him a bigger tank.More rocks,ect,

Answer 1

You need to start from scratch- you got started off wrong.

1. Tank: The MINIMUM tank size for BABY turtles is a 1/2 full 20 gallon tank. The rule for tank size is at least 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle. Most of us use plastic tubs because of the tank size issues.

2. Heat: The water needs to be heated to about 75-80. The basking areas should be heated to about 90.

3. Lighting: You need to simulate sunlight- intensity, warmth, and duration. You also need to provide UV lighting. For most people, this is easiest if you just buy a bulb designed for reptile lighting.

4. Diet: While high-quality turtle pellets are a good start, you also need to supplement them with live or fozen/thawed 'fish foods' such as small fish or bloodworms, etc.

5. Filtration: Turtles are messy pets and require 2-3 times the filtration of fish.

Not moving- probably too cold and too crowded.

Try these sites for ideas:
http://www.redearslider.com
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 2

SCIENTIFIC NAME


Trachemys scripta scripta

ADULT SIZE

Male 5 to 8" long Female 8" to 13" long

DIET


Yellow bellied sliders are omnivorous, eating aquatic plants, fish, insects and carrion, although adult females are largely herbivorous and young and adult males are more carnivorous.

TEMPERATURE RANGE (°F)


Air Temperature: Low to Mid 80's

Basking Temperature: High 80's to Low 90's

Water Temperature: Mid 70's

HABITAT


These turtles thrive in a variety of freshwater habitats including lakes, ponds, streams and rivers.

DISTRIBUTION


south eastern Virginia to northern Florida

BEGINNER TURTLE


Yes

CAPTIVE HABITAT


use an aquarium no smaller than 15 gallons for HATCHLINGS. 1 adult YBS should be kept in a 60gallon aquarium and up. Add an additional 20 gallons per turtle. Use a good filtration system, preferably an external canister filter. These turtles like to bask, so provide a fair sized basking spot. I would also recommend a submersible heater with the temperature adjusted to 75 to 80 degrees.

RECOMMENDED ENCLOSURE

Recommended size for a single adult Yellow Bellied slider - 60 Gallons. For a Trio, definently 150gallons and up.

CAPTIVE DIET


In captivity, you can use small feeder fish as well as commercially bred insects such as meal worms, wax worms and crickets as treats. Commercial turtle food and chopped vegetables round out a nutritionally complete diet along with the treats.

COMMUNITY HABITAT


Red Eared Sliders, Cooters, maps, and painted turtles work well together.

OTHER INFORMATION


Most are very sociable and those that are shy tend to lose that shyness rather quickly.

Answer 3

YES! Do the lamp! Water Turtles need a basking lamp. In the wild, they come out of the water to bask in the sun. I use a 75 watt reptile basking bulb for my turtle.( A red ear slider) She has a basking rock by the light, that is high enough, so that when she climbs on it, her shell is totally out of the water. SHE LOVES it, basks there with her back legs all spread out! I turn it off at night of course. Water turtles need to be able to get out of the water to bask, if they are always wet( and cold too) they can get shell rot. ( bad!)
Be sure that your turtle has plenty of swimming room too.
Vary the diet. Mine gets pellets, and worms( wax, meal and earth) and some veges too when she will eat them.

Answer 4

Turtles are relativley easy to care for. I have 3. First you need to find out what he prefers to eat. Some can be picky eaters, believe it or not. Try different kinds of food, or even small fish, worms, etc. As long as the water isn't freezing, he should be ok. If you're really concerned about the temperature get a water heater. Usually a turtle will adapt. You can find a lot of info online of course!

Answer 5

All the info I read from every one is dead on! Temperature is key, and so is space. Turtles are not tortuses, They need only a small spot to get out of the water to bask ( This is needed for them to digest their food) but need lots of room to swim and eat. If you find the turtle is not staying on the landing it is probably to hot so me carefull with heat lamps. If you had your hand on his basking spot it should feel as warm as your hand when you sun tan.
god luck

Answer 6

Check out www.turtletimes.com. They have a big "first aid" link on their home page and lots of good info inside. The lagoon commonly sold is often called a "death bowl". It is not a good home for a turtle:(

Answer 7

OK ! HELLO ! I AM FROM ARGENTINA.
FIRST OF ALL IT IS NOT EASY TO HAVE REPTILS AT ALL !!!
YOU MUST GIVE THEM CALCIUM(3 DROPS IF IT IS A BABY),3 DROPS OF VITAMIN "A",MULTIVITAMINS ARE GOOD TOO !!
EXOTICS ANIMALS NEED TO BE IN A HOT PLACE!!!
THE WATER MUST BE HOT(YOU CAN PUT A WATERHEATER),UVA IS VERY IMPORTANT COUSE WITHOUT IT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THEY LIVE !!!! THEY NEED 12 HOURS A DAY )
THEY ARE VERY SHY,BEOUSE OF THAT,MOST PEOPLE HAVE TWO TURTLES INSTEAD OF HAVING 1...THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SHE WILL BE VERY HAPPY AND WILL EAT A LOT !
IF YOU SEE THAT YOUR TURTLE DON´T EAT AT ALL,PLEASE REMEMBER THAT IF THE WATER IS COLD,SHE WON´T EAT.
IT IS SAD TO LOOK REPTILS DIE FROM PEOPLE HANDS....
PLEASE READ A LOT ,YOU MUST BE PREPARED TO KEEP A TURTLE!!!!
I AM A PERSON WHO LOVES ANIMALS,AND DO THE IMPOSSIBLE TO SEEM THEM HAPPY !!!
I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND MY ENGLISH....

"DO NOT BUY EXOTICS ANIMALS ANY MORE "

APOYEMOS LA VIDA !!!
UNAMONOS PARA CONSTRUIR UN MUNDO MEJOR,DONDE LOS ANIMALES SEAN LOS MAYORES PROTAGONISTAS !!!
DEJEMOLOS VIVIR EN PAZ !!!
LIBRES...
LIBRES !!!!
FREE AS A BIRD !!!

Answer 8

Get him a sun lamp. That'll keep him warm, and yes, he will die if he gets too cold, so keep him nice and warm.