turtle comming (Not my idea)

Turtles are cool pets if you're willing to do whats required to take proper care of them. RESs get big; males 9-10" and females 12"+. That means having at the bare minimum a 75 gal tank devoted to ONE animal. Just like fish, they do not grow to the size of the enclosure. Yes, they are fairly messy. I double filter my turtles, so whatever you do for a 55gal fishtank, do it twice for a 55gal turtle tank. Turtle water should NEVER smell....how would you feel about your fish if the water was green and dank and musty smelling? If you're still interested in getting one, ditch the 10 gal and start with a minimum 30 gal for a juvenile. That will last you pobably a year with good filtration. You're going to need to upgrade soon enough anyway. Here are a few links for info and care sheets to check out.

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

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm

And if you get this little guy, you;ll probably love him/her...check out here for lots of good information if you have questions.

www.turtleforum.com
 
my turtles get a variety of high quality pellets as their diet (this does not include reptomin or wardley as high quality). on a 40 gallon i have a whisper 5 and a fluval 404. they will hopefully be going in a pond in the spring as they are out growing their 40 breeder. there are 3 4-5" goldfish, a 5" common snapper, a 5.5" peninsula cooter, and a 4.5" western painted turtle. all are 2 years old except the goldfish which are maybe a year, tops. i use powersun lighting, it is UV and heat in one bulb and should last over a year, so even though it is initially expensive, it should actually be cheaper in the end than buying fluorescent UVB bulbs and heat lamps separately and replacing them as needed over the course of a year. the variety of high quality prepared pellets is nutritionally pretty well balanced and that is all i feed and that is what i have had the best success with. most RES are captive farmed so there is less chance of disease, but it should be assumed that they do have it. that means washing hands before and after touching them or anything in their enclosure. if you have to do daily maintenance, you are doing something wrong. most likely you are under filtered. the filtration should be more than enough to do the daily cleaning and if you have to do any you need better filtration. a 10 gallon would be a holding tank while you take about a week to find a bigger tank. you should go as big as you can because you will need it eventually, especially if it is a female. a male doesnt need a 75 minimum, but bigger is always better. for a male i would say a 40 breeder would be minimum, and a female would need a 75 minimum. this is minimum if they are by themselves, but again, bigger is always better.

please understand that i know it is not generally accepted to mix the species i have or stock as densely as i have. i am not suggesting anyone do those as i have, in fact i suggest you do not. i described my setup to show how important over filtering is and what has worked great for me as far as diet, lighting, and filtration is concerned. i am open to any input as i am sure someone will have a problem with my setup, they always do, and i will gladly read any recommendations or go to any links suggested. but this is what has worked for me.
 
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Red eared sliders are hardy turtles and make good reptile pets if you do what it takes to keep them.

They don't get huge like a softshell turtle. A preformed pond like you find at Home Depot can make a great habitat w/ a land area.
 
I have kept them before and know what to do. gambusai, no go on the pond, hot as hell summers and very cold winters.
 
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