2007-03-31 17:37:46 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
That tank is way too small for 2 turtles, even at 1 inch. That is way too small for 1 turtle. I would invest in a 20 gallon right away, or at least a 10 gallon.
As for water levels, it all depends on where your land starts. If you have a dry "land" area 6 inches off the bottom of the tank, you should have 5.5 " of water. If you have your land 1 foot off the bottom, you need water 11 inches in depth.
2007-03-31 17:42:53 · answer #1 · answered by D 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The rule of thumb is about 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle shell length. Thus, 2 1" turtles should have about 20 gallons of water to play in.
For various reasons, a lot of old care references suggested fairly small amounts of water for young turtles- but these guys are strong swimmers and need lots of water to work out and hunt in, and to feel safe in.
A couple good references are:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com and
http://www.redearslider.com
2007-04-01 08:49:45 · answer #2 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a slider, and when he was small, I kept 5-6 inches of water in the tank. Be sure that they have a dock or a rock so they can get dry, and keep a heat lamp on in the day, but be sure to turn it off around dark. Turtles need night time too. ;)
2007-03-31 17:45:21 · answer #3 · answered by bebe75204 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Use this as a rule of thumb for how much water to use as they continue to grow...
You want enough water so that if your turtle was "standing" on its back legs/claws vertically it could just poke its head out of the water. As they grow it will become more and more water obviously. And I would recommend a larger tank as well. Also have an area under a light where they can get out of the water...rocks or something.
2007-03-31 18:16:26 · answer #4 · answered by pobrecita 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
About 3/4 of an inch. The turtles should be able to stand on the bottom and stick their noses into the air.
Where did you get 1" long turtles? Though unscrupulous dealers get around this by declaring the turtle purchase for "educational use", selling or buying turtles less than 4" long is illegal.
2007-03-31 17:44:33 · answer #5 · answered by SLWrites 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
I kept my old sliders in a tank with 3inches of water and cleaned it every other day. Just make sure theres a rock or something they can climb onto easily.
As they grow they will need more water and more space, so plan ahead.
2007-03-31 17:42:28 · answer #6 · answered by Palor 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋