Turtles (red eared slider)?

Question

What do i need to know about caring for a red eared slider and im interested in getting one, do i need a filter? basicly all info. about caring for them (i have a 50 gal. tank, how many turtles can i put in it?)

Answer 1

You will need to provide a warm enclosure with both heated water and a warm place for your turtle to climb out and dry off. The water must be kept clean; rotting bits of food mixed with feces will combine to make an unhealthful habitat and a sick turtle. Turtles are messy eaters and defecate in their water, so cleaning will be an almost daily routine.


The water must be at least 1.5 to 2 times your turtle's total length (called carapace length, or CL) in depth, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. The tank length needs to be at least 4-5 times the CL, and the front-to-back width should be at least 2-3 times the CL. So, for a turtle who is 4" CL, your enclosure water area must be at minimum 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) deep, 16-20 inches (40-51 cm) in length, and 8-12 inches (20-31 cm) in width. As you can see, if you are going to have a land area at one end as well as sufficient water area, you need something much larger than a 10-20 gallon (38-76 liter) tank.


Proper water filtering systems are necessary to keep the water fairly fresh between your weekly changes. If you have a powerful filter system and you feed your turtle in another tank, you may be able to get away with replacing 25-50% of the water each week for two or three weeks, emptying and cleaning out the tank thoroughly every third or fourth week. Remember to replace the water with warm water.


The water temperature must be maintained between 75-86 degrees F (23.8-30 C). If you buy a submersible pre-calibrated heater, test it first and make sure the water is the proper temperature before you put your turtle in the water. Too cold and it won't eat; too hot and you'll cook it. Buy good quality an aquarium thermometer and monitor the temperature regularly.

and also there are websites that can help you finding out more information:
http://www.redearslider.com/glossary.html
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/Downloads/Surfaceponds.PDF
http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_info.html
http://reslider.free.fr/backup/res.html

Answer 2

Someone recommending you put a bunch of RES in a 50 gal. tank doesn't know what they are talking about. The other person is correct to say that RES can eventually grow to be 10-12 inches. What was NOT mentioned that very rarely is, that is if you have any female turtles, when they mature in a few years, they will need to be outside to have land access to lay eggs in. Even females that have never been around a male will lay infertile eggs. If they do not have access to land, they can become eggbound, sick and die! Laying eggs in a tank is not normal and is stressful and not all will do this. Eggbinding can affect any female turtle kept indoors. RES need to be kept outside during warms months at least.

Also, most turtles have high UVB requirements and full spectrum or artificial UVB lights are not good enough to keep them healthy in the long term. Unfiltered sunlight is best. (Can't be through window glass or plastic.)

Answer 3

Briefly, they want three things.

1. Good water. Figure 10 gallons of actual water (not tank capacity) per inch of shell length, heated to 75-80F, and kept crystal clear with a good quality filter rated for about 2-3 times the size of the tank.

(By the way, Red-ears are among the larger of the Sliders, hitting about 10" long- and yes, this means a single adult should be in 100 gallons of water.)

2. Good sun. Give each turtle a good basking site, something easy to climb on that won't scratch the shell. Heat the basking site to about 90F. Light the tank so it looks nice, but casts some shade for hiding.

3. Good food. Try a mix of 1/2 pellets and 1/2 live or frozen/thawed fish foods like small fish, shrimp, krill, worms, insects, beef heart, etc.

My recommendations:

a. Look at Painted Turtles- smaller, overall easier cares, and I think they are better looking as teens and adults.

b. Check out http://www.redearslider.com and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com for advice.

c. Understand that a good set-up will cost you. A decent filter runs about $70, as one example.



Edited to respond to A1973-
Regarding turtles getting egg-bound... Yes, this does happen, but it is not usually because of lack of nesting sites. It is more often due to calcium or other dietary deficiencies, dehydration, stress, etc. (All of which, naturally, are common in captive turtles- especially those receiving inadequate care.

Most often, the turtle will simply lay eggs in the water, which quickly renders them infertile whether they were or not.

Few people understand how hard it is to breed water turtles in typical home set-ups- just so many things the turtle looks for in a good nesting site!

Answer 4

Just wanted to straighten things out, 1 red ear slider needs at least 100 gallons, so the "5 gallon per turlte" rule is ridiculous. Just thought I'd say that. I would recommend a map turtle, they stay smaller.

Answer 5

to care for your turtles, you will need to provide a good tank/container. your 50 gallon tank is fine for two turtles. you will need to provide them with a water heater with the temperature of 75-80 degrees, a good filter, a ramp/dock and a UV light for basking. you can feed your turtle a variety of food such as pellets, vegetables/fruits, and live food (minnows/crickets). you need to feed your turtle a good amount according to the size of their head. if they are babies feed everyday and if they reach a year old, feed other day. don't feed too much because they will start to pyramid. so, i say about 4-5 pellets each day would be fine. it be best if you feed your turtles in a separate container than eating from their tank/container. it will help your tank/container be cleaner. hope this helps =)

Answer 6

when they are babies u have to keep the temp at 75 degrees to 85 degrees. have to have a filter. I say one turtle considering how big they get. u have one turtle u need to give it enough attention.

Answer 7

you can put a lot of turtles in that tank! one turtle needs 5 gallons, so ten turtles would fit in a 50. you need a filter to keep the water clean. you can use distilled water or faucet water. you need a heating lamp. feed them mealworms or snails or something like that cuz if you feed them the green tablets, you'll be cleaning the tank more often.

Answer 8

Here's the best site for RES care!

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

Answer 9

no you dont need a filter unless your lazy and dont want to clean it like 3 times a month lol iv had minesince i was 5 ,my first pet lol still got him,he dosnt bite me ,he knows his mummy lol lol lol xxxxxxxxxxx i would only put 2 in at the most, had two , one died i still have one ,i wouldnt recoment 3 thought ,dont ask me why lol its a long story lol lol xxxxxxxxxxx