I'm getting a baby turtle and i need help on the setup?

Question

im getting a baby turtle and its the size of your thumb..and i have a plastic container with some rocks and area for water...i need to know if i have to have a filter and a heater for the water....cause it is little i wasnt sure if i would need one....

Answer 1

ok since no species was stated there is a good website with care sheets on the most common ones that are kept.

first off save yourself the time now. get rid of the small tank or use it for feeder fish. my slider was about the size of a quater 9 months ago and now its at 5 inches. the turtle can live there now but as soon as possible upgrade bigger, instead of a glass aquarium that costs way too much money go to wal-mart or a dollar store and get a plastic strage container for a slider (or other species) for two years (it will out grow it). a 100 quart container (25 gal) should be ok but not great that should cost $10 -14.
in the small container you have now or bigger tank go to a any road rock cut or in your back yard if you have them and find large (plate size) flat rocks to stack for the turtle to get out of water onto (2/3 tank high) and fill the water up to this flat area. When the turtle is still small you can take gravel for an aquarium or well washed drived way gravel and give these rocked a more even slope for the small turtle but take away any small rocks and they trutle grows because they can cause blockage later in it eats them (and it will try)
the heating pads don't work real well so if you read about it discard it. you will need a SUBMERSABLE water heater (i think they are more versitile and work better and are safer than ones that clip to the side.
also you'll need a UVA and UVB (usually together in one) light, as well as a heat lamp with a 40-60 watt bulb over the 'land'
to help keep the tank clean use a pump and filter equal or better greater than what is rated for the tank size because turtle produce alot more waste than fish.
with all that being said until that can happen have a lid for your tank and a good heat source, a water heater rated for the tank size is best. make the 'rock wall in the tank and have slightly more than 3/4 water in it. change the water every few days or with a filter weekly or biweekly. if yu don't have a lid use a piece of cooking foil over the rock side (like 4 or 5 inches) so when setting on land the turtle doesn't crawl out. the UVA & UVB light must be soon becasue turtles need them to produce vitamins.

so yes you need a filter definately when it gets older and bigger and for now chnge the water every 1-3 days. the heater either in the water or a heat lamp for shallow water is a must. turtles are cold blooded and need it to survive

go here for more info
http://www.turtlecare.net/

Answer 2

You don't need a water heater, but you do need some sort of gentle basking light. Turtles can only digest their food when basking under a heat source. Check out your local pet supply store and find the lowest UV bulb.
A filter is highly recommended since all turtles make an extreme amount of waste. But if you are willing to do water changes about every 3-4 days, then no filter is necessary. Keep in mind that your turtle will grow extremely quickly, so start considering getting a larger terrarium. It would be unfair to keep it in the plastic container for long. Good luck!

Answer 3

Don't handle your baby turtles often, especially not in the first few weeks.
Wash your hands before and after handling.
Baby turtles should be kept in shallow water (at least as deep as their shell is wide,
but not deeper than that they can reach the surface comfortably). The water must be
heated. A basking spot must be provided. It should be set up so that the turtle can
get out easily. The water must be changed daily, unless you use a filter, in which
case you can change every 2-3 days. However, the smallest filter I know of, the
Fluval 1, needs at least 2 inches of water to work and creates quite a current (you
can break the current with a rock).

(Note that if the filter creates too strong of a current, the turtles will
paddle against it forever and they can get exhausted. You can use rocks or
a brick to lessen the flow in the tank.)

One possiblity is to slant the tank slightly, to create deeper water wehre the filter
is and shallower water where the basking spot is. I use flat, round river rocks for
resting spots.

If room temperature is low, you may need to partially cover the tank to keep the air
warm enough. However, don't let condensation accumulate, as it will keep the turtle
from drying out enough.

If you do not feed Vitamin D3 and Calcium rich foods, you must get a Vita Lite for
an indoor setup. Do not put the turtle tank in the window!

Cover an outdoor setup, as blue jays, cats, and crows think of baby turtles
as tasty morsels.
Baby turtles must be kept warm. This greatly increases their chance at survival.
The water should be 85F, and the basking spot should be 85F too. Usually, the
incandescent lamp used to heat the basking spot will heat the water, too,
especially if you use a rock for basking. Otherwise, using a heating pad under
part of the tank is the best way to heat a tank with little water. Use an
aquarium thermometer and adjust the temperature until correct.

Answer 4

i have a baby red eared slider u do need a heater because the temp for a turtle needs to be 75-85 degrees and 90 for basking...for a baby u should at least start out with a 5 1/2 gallon tank use river rocks so it cant eat the rocks put about 2 inches of water since its a baby...make sure it could stick its neck out of the water. you could get a filter it would be better for u but if u dont clean its cage every 2 days because turtles are very dirty. you should also have a turtle dock for it to bask..also in the future u should know they grow preettyy big so get ready..good luck =]

Answer 5

You are not going to get mad at me if I tell the truth, will you?

Right this second, your turtle is not going to be healthy and happy. To make a baby Red-Ear Slider or related turtle happy, you need:

SPACE. Turtles LOVE space! A baby turtle needs to be in at least a 10 gallon tank, and after that the rule is about 10 gallons per inch of shell length.

WARMTH. Turle water should be about 75-80F, and the basking sites about 90F. If your room temps are warm enough, you don't need a heater- otherwise you do.

CLEANLINESS. Turtles are messy, and do not do well in captivity in dirty water. You need a good filter- but the good filters are going to cost you, so do your homework. The articles on filtration and water quality at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

SUNLIGHT. Turtles use sun for light, warmth, and UVB rays. Since the UVB part does not penetrate glass, we need to offer it to help our turtles out. This can be expensive, so research it on the site above as well.

DIET. The right diet is critical for the baby turtle- and they talk about it at that site as well.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Turtles are ardorable at that size but people forget that they get larger and they live quite a long life. you can put your turtle in a ten gallon tank, until he gets a bit larger than i would recommend getting a 30 gallon long tank. in the ten gallon tank make shure that he can get in and out of the pool of water on his own. most extreme turtle people will tell you you need a heater and a filter. but honestly i have found that that is a waste of money, as long as you have them inside its not going to get freezing cold so they dont need a heater, i have had noting but troubles with the filter. so honestly i just do twice a week tank cleaning, sometimes three times. well good luck. they arent all that hard.

Answer 7

I have a 40 gallon aquarium. I have several rocks stacked up in the corner with just the tops coming out of the water. I have gravel lining the bottom of the aquarium about 1 in all around. I have several plastic trees for fish aquariums floating around in there. My filter system is designed for a 80-100 gallon aquarium. Originally i had that same filter system and set up in a smaller tank, about 20 gallons. I had to change the water every week. Now with the bigger aquarium, with the same setup, I can go about a month without having to change the water. It just depends on how you want your aquarium to look.

Answer 8

On site 2 it says: 5.) Water Heater: Tronic Submersible Heater – 100 watt. It also says that they are very dirty and need a canister filter that pumps at least 300 gallons per hour to keep the water clean. Here's a part of the site:
* A red eared slider needs at least a 120 gallon tank to grow properly.
* Turtles are very dirty and need a canister filter that pumps at least 300 gallons per hour to keep the water clean.
* Pellet food is NOT good as a primary source of food because they cause pyramiding. RES need to eat 50% veggies, 25% live feeders, and 25% processed food.
* Turtles need cuttlebone to keep their beak trimmed and to provide calcium.
* Turtles need UVB to help their shells, and the UVB bulbs have to be changed every 6 months.
* Turtles kept indoors should not be hibernated.
* With a proper setup, turtles can live for 30 years and grow to 12 inches.
* Anything labeled "Turtle" in a pet store is highly questionable and probably a waste of money. This includes food, diet supplements, tanks, filters, and snake oil products that claim to keep the water clean.

Here's some parts from site 2:
A.) Recommended Setup:

Equipment:

1.) Enclosure: 20 gallon long aquarium.

(Horizontal size is more important than vertical, hence the ‘long’)

2.) Stand: Aquarium stand.

3.) Cover: Aquarium Hood (or screen & strip light) with fluorescent light

4.) UV-B Light Source: ReptiSun 5.0 UV-B fluorescent light bulb

Note: UV-B light doesn’t penetrate glass. You must not have any glass between the ReptiSun bulb and your turtle’s basking site. If you have to knock a glass plate out of a hood (they’re intended as splash guards), wear protective eyewear & take proper safety precautions.

5.) Water Heater: Tronic Submersible Heater – 100 watt

6.) Filter: FilStar XP2 Canister Filter

7.) Filter Bio-media: FilStar Bio-Chem Stars

8.) Basking Spot: Piece of curved Cork Bark (sold at PetsMart)

9.) Basking Light: A lamp with a 60 watt light bulb (basking light must be suspendable over the basking ramp).

10.) Gravel Vacuum (Get one that primes easily!)

11.) Thermometer.

12.) Food: A can of ReptoMin Baby Aquatic Turtle Food

13.) Cuttlebone (from the Bird section)

14.) Clump of Romaine lettuce at grocery store

Special Note: You don’t need aquarium gravel; bare-bottom is okay & easier to keep clean, although gravel does look nicer & most people use it or river rock.

Cost Estimate:

Items: Estimated Cost:

1.) 20 Gallon Long Tank Combo.: $60.00

(Tank, Hood with Fluorescent Light)

2.) 20 Gallon Tank Pine Cabinet Stand $90.00

3.) Fluker’s Black Clamp-Lamp $18.00

(250 watt rated; ceramic socket); use 60 watt normal bulb

4.) ReptiSun 5.0 UV-Bulb (Online Price!) $25.00

5.) 100 watt Tronic Submersible Heater $20.00

6.) FilStar XP2 Canister Filter $85.00

7.) FilStar Bio-Chem Stars (1 Container) $10.00

8.) Cork Bark $10.00

9.) Thermometer $5.00

10.) Gravel Vacuum $12.00

11.) 1 Can ReptoMin Aquatic Turtle Food $5.00

12.) 1 Cuttlebone $2.00

13.) 1 Clump Romaine lettuce $1.50



Total: ~ $350.

I hope this helps! Good luck! Oh and I'm not sure if baby turtles need heaters though. Maybe just adults. Sorry, I don't know.

Answer 9

I own a tiny turtle too.......
No heater it might overheat the baby and kill it
U dont need a filter

Answer 10

i hop this helps you www.austinsturtlepage.com