Red Eared Slider Turtle help?

Question

Hey I just bought two Red Eared Slider turtles yesterday in New York City and I have a couple of questions:

How long should I expect them to live if I bought them from that pet trade people near Chinatown (I didn't know how currupt and horrbile that pet trading of the turtles was at the time, and now I'm vowing to give them a better life since they will most likely die if I let them free).

What will the cost be to get everything I need?

What should I expect from these turtles?

Any tips or concerns about these turtles I should be aware of?

Thanks!

Also, if you could please post a picture of what the ideal RES habitat tank would look like that would be greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

Life span 20-50 years with proper care and diet

Average Size 6 to 12 inches long

Diet Require a varied diet; commercial turtle pellets combined with non-toxic aquatic plants (such
as anachris, water lettuce) or dark leafy vegetables (such as endive, radicchio, romaine);
grated or thinly sliced vegetables (such as carrots, squash), fish, earthworms, insects may be
offered as treats.
Feeding Feed juveniles once a day and adults every other day, by dropping food into the water
Only provide as much food as the turtle can finish in one feeding
Note: red-eared slider turtles can only eat in the water so you may want to consider a
secondary container for feeding to reduce cleanup in the primary habitat.
Housing Size – Appropriate sized habitat with a screened lid so the turtle cannot escape; adult turtles
need more room; a rule of thumb is approximately 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle
Substrate – Not necessary but slate, rock, or large smooth gravel, too large to eat, is optional;
a “haul out” spot such as a “turtle dock” is necessary for resting and basking under the heat
light; decorative plants (such as plastic or silk) can double as hiding spots
Temperature – Temperature gradient (90°-95°F for the warm end/basking area and 70°-75°F
for the cool end/water); use an incandescent light as the primary heat source
Lighting – Provide needed UVB rays with full spectrum fluorescent light for 10-12 hours a day;
consider using an automatic timer for a consistent day/night cycle
Water – Aquatic turtles drink the water they swim in, so it needs to be changed frequently;
water should be clean, fresh, filtered, and chlorine-free; water should be at least as deep as
the shell is long, but deeper water is better
Do not house different species of reptiles together.
Recommended
Supplies
Yes No Check “Yes” or “No” after reading the following statements:
1. I want a pet that doesn’t need to be cuddled or touched.

2. I can accommodate a large habitat requiring an electrical heat
source and water filtration.
3. I understand that this turtle can be a lifelong commitment.
4. I can commit to providing proper daily care for this turtle.
5. A mature person will provide responsible and primary care for this companion animal.

Answer 2

Hi, these turtles will do very well in captivity. The main thing is giving them necessary food and vitamins and keep that water clean, draining and cleaning rocks and other accessories once a week is a great idea . My dad bought me mine when I was 7, I am 28 now. They are still just as active as they were when I got them, they do require a larger tank than my 55 gal now. I only have two and looking at about 100 galllons but I tink 10 gallons per inch of turtle is more than enough. They don't like to be handled a whole lot although whenever I go in my room they swim up to the glass as if to say "Hi" I would think total cost for everything would be under 200.00
My turtles seem to like to sunbathe more than the usual so if you use a basking lamp be sure the UV rating and everything is setup specifically for them, my iguana's cage and turtle cage are very different even though they're both reptiles.
Good Luck! Timmy and Tommy were 2 when I got them so they are now around 23 years old. :0

Answer 3

Well, you really should only have bought one turtle..they are not social creatures! Anyway your going to need about $300 at the least.

You will need a very large tank, ten gallons per inch of shell but the bigger you can afford the better. If you cannot afford a large glass tank of at least 90 gallons than get a stock tank from the tractor supply company. It may not be see thru but space is more important than seeing your turtle and they may be more comfortable anyway. You will need a submersible heater, the visitherm stealth is a great one. You will need a filter rated for three times the size of your tank as filters are made for fish which aren't as dirty as turtles and turtle filters are junk-the rena xp3 is a great canister filter. You will need a basking platform and the Zoo med floating dock is a great dock that is cheap. You will need two thermometers, one for the water temperature and one for basking-digital is the way to go. You need two lights, a UVA (heat) bulb (regular 75 watt bulb) and a UVB bulb in two clamp lamps positioned a foot away from the basking dock. The reptiglo 5.0 is the best/cheapest UVB bulb to get.

Basic Equipment:
~Submersible Heater
~Canister Filter
~Dock
~Two Clamp Lamps
~UVA bulb
~UVB bulb
~Large Tank/Stock Tank
~Two Thermometers

DO NOT USE GRAVEL-it will dirty up the tank faster and your turtles will die if they eat it.

Feed your turtle once a day. Feed every other day the number of pellets that would fit in their head if it was hollow not including the neck and every day in between a piece of fresh romaine lettuce and the occasional thin slice of carrot. They may not like it but if you give them pellets all the time they will get a shell disorder. Stay away from shrimp, treats, fish, meat, and bugs, and fruits as they have too much protein/acid..once a month is good for a treat...trust me!

You will want to give them calcium and cuttlebone/turtlebone is the way to do it. Remove the hard backing (the side you can't stick your fingernail in)..it may be hard and break but you need to do it. I put a piece the size of a quarter in a veggie clip in my tank every week...they need the UVB bulb to sythesize the calcium.

I know this answer is long but I'm experienced with turtles and know the proper care. You should really visit www.redearslider.com and read the information there and even sign up for the free forum if you want to ask a question.

This is a large tank (75 gallons) but is completly necesarry. They have one light bulb because it is a Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) they are expensive and are only reccomended for tanks above 55 gallons..they aren't necessary and need to be put in a high wattage/ceramic clamp lamp. It should probably be bigger for those two turtles but is OK for the time being. The first few pictures in that gallery basically show what not to do..

http://www.putfile.com/pic.php?img=5597512

The water should be 78 F and the basking area 90 F.
Don't be afraid to fill the large tank up, they are great swimmers. Trust me, I have provided the best information that is agreed on by 98% of experienced turtle keepers.

Good luck.

Answer 4

For now, this will work for at least a year or so. You'd be spending at least $150 or so.

20 gallon "long" tank
29 gallon screen top (fits 20 longs)
UVB light. Heat light. and hoods to go with them.
Basking platform, PetCo & PetSmart have a variety.
Filter. Fluval internals are fine, set the water flow on minimal so they dont get blown all over the water.
Dont use gravel. It's a pain to clean. You can add a few decorations to the bottom to stimulate their curiosity.
fill the tank 75%, thye're good swimmers.
Despite a filter you need to clean it at least monthly, bi monthly is better. Get the poop out! they go alot.
feed them a quality pellet, once a day and just a few. If they wanna beg, for munchies, give them romaine lettuce leaves. Anything but iceberg which is no good.

They're cheap to buy but their stuff they need is not cheap at all.
Once you got it all set up, they are so worth it. You'll love watching them fool around checking out things. DOnt worry if they bask and run when you come near them, it's normal.

good luck

ps dont release them, it's illegal im sure in NY as it is here in CA. With proper care they'll live a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time...say 30-50 years?!
be prepared to upgrade their home to larger when they start growing. I'd go to turtleforum.com for more advice.

Answer 5

i dont have any pictures for you i will give you a list and the approx prices for everythin you will need. you acutally may want to get him to a reptile vet to make sure he doesnt have mites and is in good health. most of the turtles sold in china town are not captive bred and more than likely carry mites and worse selmonella! these babies can live up to 25 years so fallow all instructions!! dimensions for the tank should be: width: three times the full grown shell length and width should be six times the shell length! a 45 gallon breeder that is suitable for water will be perfect the thank will be aroun 60-70$. the tank should be half land and half water, you can achieve this buy getting huge stones from a beach and layering them up. the water side of the tank should be as tall as their shells are wide. the water part should have a turtle filter. this will run you about 15 bux mainly and then 3 dollars every three months for replacement cartridges. the water should be about 75 degrees F so get a thermometer and maybe a submersible tank heater a 25 watt should do. that will cost about 10 bux. the land area should be about 85 degrees, this can be acheived by using a 75 watt uva emitting bulb, that should cost only 6 dollars with the bulb holder being a bout 10$. you should also have a UVB emmting bulb that fits across the entire tank. the bulb it self for a 45 gallon breeder is about 25 dollars and the holder for that is about 30 dollars. the two lights only stay on for 12 hours of the day, buying a timer is perfect for this....those cost like 3 dollars at homedepot. once a week you should do a 25% water change, this is so ammonia does not build up and you dont get rid of all your good bacteria in the water...and so the water wont smell or turn green! using a python suction cleaner is a perfect tool for this and will run you about 6 bux. water should also be treated with a calcium additive and waiste nutrilizer they sell a block shaped like a turtle for 49 cents that will work until it dissolves. and the most important thing is the diet. and as fallows:
you should only feed what they will eat in a 45 mintue period than take everything else out except the greens!! also..you should feed at the same time each day if possible too! the diet should be 65-85% meat, like turtle food, trout chow, beef heart, cooked chicken or fresh( LIVE) feeders. the rest of the diet can be dark leafy greens like turnip, anacharis, collard, dandelion greens and kale, avoid butter, romaine, and iceburg lettuce as it has little to no nutrtitional value and can cause diahrea . also once a week food should be sprinkled with a vitamin D3 and calcium supplament!
ps...this is from my own experience and i wrote this just for you! things you should watch out for are cracking, white, or algae infested shells. the cracking and white shell can be helped out witha sulfa dip, the sulfa dips actually help improve conditions of your res too. the eyes may end up closing together, this can be caused from numerous things and can be treated with turtle eye drops. if you have any more question please feel free to contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 6

They take an awful lot of work and need very special care. Please see www.austinsturtlepage.com for complete care info. Basics are a 10 gallon sized tank for each 1 inch of shell length, a basking area to climb out of the water on, a basking lamp, thermometer to monitor basking temp (digital thermometer a must), a water heater, a water thermometer, a powerful water filter, a UVB bulb which must be within 12 inches of the basking area and changed every 6 months, and change the water very very very often. Feed a variety of foods in a separate tank to help keep things clean. Do not use plants or gravel in the tank. Gravel will cause fatal impactions.

Answer 7

Good Lord! After reading of all the work for a stinking, little turtle, I think it's the last pet I'd want to have!
I'd have to quit my job just to have the time to take care of it.