Do turtles get cold? I have 3 red eared turtles. I was wondering if they could get sick from their tank water?

Question

being too cold?

Answer 1

turtles are reptiles. all reptiles are cold blooded. meaning what ever their environment is that's what temperature they are. try and give them a place where they can get out of the water if they want to and all should be well.

Answer 2

I have four aquatic turtles. You must have a heater in their tank, as well as a basking lamp. Red Eared Silders require water temperature to be between 72 and 80 degrees. Depending on where you live, the standing room temperature for unheated water is probably about 60. These are supplies you should have got before you got your turtles. They are very important to your pets' health. Since turtles of all kinds are reptiles, they are cold blooded. This means they cannot keep their bodies warm enough without another heat source. Any pet store you go to will sell basking lamps, make sure you get one that puts off UVA and UVB rays to simulate sunlight. For your heater, tropical fish tank heater or a special reptile/turtle water heater can be used. You should definatly do some research on how to care for your turtles. I love mine, and I'm sure you love yours. So you should really take care of them. Red eared sliders get large. You will need at least a 55 gallon tank for them one day. I hope that this information helps you out. PLEASE check out the link below and try to follow these guidelines for the care and keeping of R.E.S.
(PS- Do you have a dock or some land where you turtles can crawl out of the water? If you do not, you must get something right away. If you do not it will cause a serious condition call Shell Rot that is deadly and painful for your turtle.)

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Answer 3

Yes! I had two once. You need a heat lamp for sure and a heated water thing would be ideal. Also you need to keep it really really clean. Especially if you have 3 in the same tank. You need to have a really good filter and clean the tank once a week. My turtle got sick and I didn't know it and died. Then the other one got sick, but I took it to the vet before it was too late. Good luck!

Answer 4

it is possible if the water gets colder than the turtle's natural environment. this is especially so if the tank is outside, and is not big enough to hold warmth. if your tank is inside, it should be ok. i have an above ground pond/water fountain thing that has one pet store turtle in it, and our weather gets down to almost freezing, but the turtle is fine. i have a stack of rocks that my turtle climbs on and sunbathes. you may consider putting feeder fish in the water becuase theyre cheap and usually are more sensitive to water temperature than turtles. if they start dying from the cold, u should warm the water with an aquarium heater or by soem other source.

Answer 5

Yes, they need a water heater. Keeping them in captivity in a tank is NOT the same as them living in the wild. They need heat lamps and reptile UVB bulbs--both left on for 12 hours a day and kept at correct temps and distance from basking spot. Read up on care at:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

Answer 6

As long as you change their water regularly and you use 'tap water cold' water, your red ears should be fine. Red eared sliders grow naturally outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, and they do FINE ... so these particular turtles actually PREFER the 'cooler' water. Some prefer warmer water, so if you wanted to 'mix types' of turtle you could have problems ... just be sure your turtles have something they can climb on to get ALL THE WAY OUT of the water. If you can also provide them with some 'fake sunlight' they'll be 'happier than turtles at low tide.' Sorry, I know that's not the 'real' saying, but I did think it was sort of cute.
JUST BE SURE that the turtles have CLEAN water and also a 'clean dry space' to rest and 'sun' themselves. Red ears can be VERY messy, but they are very good turtles as pets as long as they aren't 'quarter to half dollar size.' They are TOO SMALL and tend to die rapidly. Larger than that, though, and they are very healthy and can live for many years.

Answer 7

I'm not sure if you need a certain temp. for the water, but you do need a heating lamp to go on top of the tank so it won't get cold.

Answer 8

Turtles are cold blooded so, if anything, their metabolisms will slow down greatly.