Anyone else have turtles?

[ChadTower]

Last night we got a pair of red eared sliders.  I'm told they are about 5 years old... 5-6" shells, very active.  A local guy gave them to us because his kids won't do any of the work to maintain them.

They came with a smallish tank.  Doesn't seem like an optimal environment, so I'd like to get something better set up for them. 

Ideas/comments?

[CheffoJeffo]

I used to have five red ears in a 150 Gallon tank. They ranged in size from 6 to 9 inches when I released them up at the cottage.

Maintenance requirements were high and I used a high-end filter designed for a 250 Gallon tank to try and keep up. It was a pricey setup, but worked well. I still had to change the water relatively frequently though, so bear that in mind when choosing a location within the house (a waterbed filling/draining kit may come in handy).

Remember lots of hand-washing if you are handling the turtles themselves.

Cheers.

[ChadTower]

I'm reading this now.

Looks like the guy I got them from had no idea how to take care of them.  If this site is right the tank these turtles have always lived in is only a fraction of a proper size.  It has only one thing to get out of the water - a very abrasive fake piece of coral.  The filter is old and doesn't seem to do that well with the tank only half full.

I'm working up the optimal size for a new tank now, using the requimrents that page lays out, and basing it on 7" turtles.  I'd say the larger is 6" at the most and the smaller about 5".

[Bones]

How are you going to keep them warm in winter? Quality light and heating should be at the top of your list.

[ChadTower]

Definitely.  Our house is a pretty constant temp in winter, though, so it's not like they get to 55F or anything.  I figure a water heater and heat lamp over the dry area should do.

[CheffoJeffo]

The tank I had was too small by the time I released them, but it was wider (normally I would have said deeper as I am refering to the horizontal distance from wall) than usual, which made tank coverings hard to find. I eventually rearranged things o that the tank was mostly full and built a wire enclosure that extended the height to prevent escape ... most of the time (was always interesting to find turtle missing only to find him being carried around by our Siberian Husky).

For heat, I used an old clamp-on light with an infra-red heating bulb and found that worked well once I got things arranged so that the turtles weren't being baked and the water was still being warmed.

Cheers.

[ChadTower]

Wow.  I'm finding that turtles are more work than expected.  I figured they'd be high maintenance but this page makes them sound like an alzheimer's patient.

And the salmonella to children part worries me.

[jjd]

The salmonella is a very real danger with turtles (and pretty much any other reptile). 

[ChadTower]

Our 5 year old is underweight (just... won't... eat) and would have trouble fighting such an infection.

Hrm.

[gavkiwi]

We also had 2 red eared slider's, they are quite common in Arkansas, especially around spring time, we let ours go about 2 years ago, my wife just got tired of the up keep, she was constantly cleaning the tank every 7-10 days. They are dirty buggers, we got a heat lamp and everything, we were always vigilant that if the kids touched the turtle they always washed their hands afterwards.

They grow rather fast aswell, it was a cool pet, but too much up keep, we let them go at a local lake near by, was fun watching them eat minnows and goldfish we bought for its lunch, also gave it worms whenever we found some outside on the back porch 

Gav

[ChadTower]

So, the tank I'm envisioning is roughly 20" deep, 45" long, 21" wide.

Found some turtle forums here.

[ChadTower]

I wonder if something like this would be good... certainly cheaper to pick up used from someone who is moving.

Do turtles need a water capable aquarium or do most people put them in a reptile habitat (glass tank not rated to hold water) with an internal container for water?

[gavkiwi]

Chad, we had it setup where the turtle could climb out of the water and onto the rocks and 'bask' under the lamp we had set up for him, from what I understand they need both...water/rocks/some sort of light source to be "happy".

[ChadTower]

Yeah, I've turned that up too... this type of turtle needs to be able to climb out, dry off, and bask under a UVB lamp (or sunlight).

Tonight I'm going to clean up the tank I got with them.  It's woefully inadequate, probably 3x too small for them.  Poor things, dude didn't do much for them as they got bigger.

I'm looking at this.  Already bid, if I can snag that, I think I have a place to put it and it wouldn't be hard to make that a good home for them. 

[gavkiwi]

yeah your turtles are quite large, they have some 'mature' RES at our local zoo, those suckers are HUGE!

[ChadTower]

The turtorials (ha) I've been reading say they get to the size of dinner plates... so they have a way to go.  And supposedly they live for decades.  So I'd better take decent care of them, they could be the ones that choose my nursing home.

[ChadTower]

It's not perfect for them, but it's what we can afford at the moment... plus that's a $150-200 at retail filter alone.  The stand matches our living room furniture exactly judging from the picture.

ebay link

[ChadTower]

I'm heading off to get that setup tonight.  It may take two trips, though, over two days.  In fact I suspect it probably will since I'm moving the stuff in a hatchback.

Gotta say, I haven't managed to get the filtering quite right yet, because the water in there needs to be 75% swapped every night so far because it stinks.  I know there's way way too much turtle in the current tank but damn, we come home and the air in the house is rank.

[ChadTower]

Turtles are doing well, new setup is great for them, they are much much happier and more active in there.

I think I have to set up an area for one (or both) of them to drop eggs, though... anyone have any advice on this?  I'm reading up tutorials left and right but have never done it.  I'm thinking a really large rubbermaid bin full of sand and water may do the trick.  One of the poor girls is really ready to drop, I suspect, as it's getting very hard to pick her up in order to feed her.

[polaris]

reptiles and germs are an issue, i would recommend a hand sanitising spray kept by the tank with some kitchen paper, its a good habit to use it every time you handle the critters or their equipment.

its also quite scary when they shed their skin and you find your daughter eating the skin, but at least with turtles youll be saved from that experience

[ChadTower]

True that.  I am the only one that ever handles them and I wash my hands following every instance.  They pretty much only come out of the tank to eat, when I feed them in a separate tank.

Turtles still shed, big scaly pieces of shell, but they live in a a foot of water so it just sinks to the bottom.

[CCM]

http://www.nolacuisine.com/2005/10/20/creole-turtle-soup-recipe


mmmm turtle soup!

[ChadTower]

As far as finding Turtle Meat in your area, you may have a bit of a challenge. If you have a great Asian Market in your area, it’s probably your best bet, they may even have them live if you would like to butcher them yourself. It’s a messy business though, with a lot of blood and Post Mortem squirming.

 

[CCM]

As far as finding Turtle Meat in your area, you may have a bit of a challenge. If you have a great Asian Market in your area, it’s probably your best bet, they may even have them live if you would like to butcher them yourself. It’s a messy business though, with a lot of blood and Post Mortem squirming.

 

That doesn't sound pleasant!

[kevink27]

I have a female res, I'm guessing she's about eight.  Like you I took her off the hands of somebody else.  Probably the best thing you could get is a huge stock tank like they feed livestock with.  Do yourself a favor and consider getting a canister filter like the rena xp-3 or one of the large capacity enheims (I had two Fluvals in under one year, the xp3 has lasted about two years so far).   It is an awful lot of work for this pet.  I still have her in an undersized aquarium but wish to get a stock tank set-up going sometime this year. 

[kevink27]

Chad, here is a pretty good forum community on turtles if you haven't already found it http://www.happyturtlespub.org/smf/index.php

[ChadTower]

Thanks for that url, I'll check that out tomorrow.  I've been at another forum but that one hasn't been giving much advice on how to get her to lay her eggs.  I have her in a rubbermaid bin with about 6" of dirt right now.  So far she has been very active in trying to get out but not digging holes.  I'll leave her in about another hour to get acclimated, then I'm going to put her back in the water so she doesn't dehydrate.

The filter I have for the two of them is an Eheim pro 2026.  Good filter.  The tank is undersized for two midsized RES (55 gallons) but until I get the basement finished it is the biggest one we can fit.