Raising Turtles?

Question

I have no idea how to raise a turtle. I felt bad for it on da streets of Chinatown so I bought it. Now, I need help. Can they breathe underwater? I tried giving them floating turtle gammarus pellets given to me by the turtle's seller and I just want to make sure I'm doing a good job so far. I keep it in a small tank the living room so the water is at room temperature. Also, how much water should I fill the tank with? Just so you know, it's a freshwater turtle. It's pretty small, like a baby turtle...

I especially want specialists like animal doctors and just people working with animals. Thanks.

I almost forgot.
My turtle is REALLY small.
Like, the shell isnt even 5 in. in diameter.
So I'm not sure if I want to put my turtle in 10 gal. of water.
But should I?
Is there something about turtles I don't know about?

Answer 1

Well first you have to find out if it is a land turtle or an aquatic turtle then we could really help. Check out these sites sorry I couldn't be more help without knowing what kind it was.

Answer 2

You'll want temperature ranges into the 80s and full spectrum lighting, this is essential.

8 inches or so of water should be plenty, but he needs a basking area (a rock or one of the fake rocks or logs from a pet store will work) underneath the full spectrum light. Most reptiles (all turtles) need full spectrum lighting to properly metabolize calcium and vitamin D3.

Most likely (even though I normally refrain from trying to identify species with no description but because of where you got it....) you have a red eared slider. I have met -very- few aquatic turtles that don't like ReptoMin floating sticks. You can supplement this with crickets or mealworms, also offer some fruits and veggies (do NOT feed ANY animal iceberg lettuce, it has ABSOLUTELY NO nutritional value) and a few feeder fish from a pet store.

You'll want to get a filter. It will make life 100% easier for you. Not a fish tank filter, most pet stores will carry submersible filters, just ask for one for a turtle tank.

DO NOT KEEP YOUR TURTLE IN A BOWL OF DEATH!!! Most likely it came in a little plastic tub with a palm tree that will hold -maybe- an inch or so of water. These are NOT GOOD!!! He needs a temperature gradient... basically warm area/cool area to regulate his body temperature. If you give him a heat lamp / full spectrum light over top of a death bowl, he will cook. End of Story. These horrible things should be outlawed. (as should the selling of turtles on the streets and in flea markets, but what can you do?)

Even with the filter, the water will get pretty nasty. Stay on top of it, or you'll have a stinky nasty mess to deal with. The pet store I go to sells these Dr. Turtle things that are supposed to help your water stay clean and all kinds of other fun stuff (I think it's got some beneficial bacteria in it or something)

Please, I urge you to positively identify your new friend (who if you take care of, you'll have for 20+ years) and get a book or two or five on it's care and maintenance, he'll thank you for it.

Also, keep in mind that -any- animal that lives in it's own toilet is prone to harboring diseases that you don't want to have to deal with. Wash your hands after handling him and before eating or anything.

Also, be prepared to either let him live in your bathtub or a kiddie pool or something along these lines. He won't stay small forever, and for an adult slider, I'd feel bad even about having a 50 gallon tank. (If you have a yard you can do this with, when he gets bigger you can get one of those plastic ponds from the hardware store and build a little enclosure for him outside, don't worry, you have time.)

Answer 3

To make a water turtle happy, you need to spend some money on a good habitat. A good water turtle habitat includes:

SIZE- aim for at least 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length.

WARMTH- warm the water to 75-80F, monitor it with thermometers. In the right size of tank, you pretty much meed submersible heaters controlled by thermostats.

BASKING- there should be at least one good basking site, well-lit and heated to about 90F

LIGHTING- Turtles NEED UVB lighting, which does not pass through most glass or plastics.

FILTRATION- turtles need clean water. You can do frequent water changes, or you can invest in a good filtration system- which is a lot better.

DIET- good quality pellets are OK to start, but supplement them with blood worms, small earthworms, etc.

You can learn a lot more at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 4

First, you need to find out what kind of turtle is it is. There are books you can read to find this out. It needs solid ground and water. Don't put cedar bedding with it, this is toxic to most turtles. Turtles eat insects and fruits and veggies. You can also buy vitamin powder at your local pet store to put in its food. Also remember turtles are cold blooded...that means the turtle's body temperature will be the same, or about the same, as its surroundings. So if you live in a cold area, a heat lamp may be necessary. We found one in the street and it's now living in my science classroom and doing fine! Good luck!

Answer 5

i have had many many turtles i have one right now that is a green sand tortouise and they take special care i have had red sliders and just plain box turtles the best thing to feed them is worms and lettuce they do not like turtle pellet food also try this put about an inch of water in its tanks but alsoi put rocks so that if it doesnt want to be in water it can get out also having a light on them helps

Answer 6

My box turtle doesn't care for those dried pellets. She prefers human food, such as corn, vegetables, some bread, cheese (for calcium), fruits, and anything sweet. You have to be careful not to let them eat too many sweet foods because it will not be good for them.

I've seen her sleeping with her head underwater before. She doesn't seem to mind very much.

Answer 7

Go to Petsmart. They have food and books for turtles. Also it will need a bigger tank. They are air breathers. They hold their breath underwater.

Answer 8

your dooin good you do not need to fill the tank but olny an 8 inches
good luck!