captive breed painted turtles??? confused...

[Nicky]

HEy everyone first time posting here. my friend bought a painted turtle a long time ago while his parents bought it for him anyways we were young at the time maybe 7 anyways since joing this site and reaing about it the matter i learned that its illagle to own painted turtles.Is it possible his turle is really captive breed or did the guy just take a baby from the wild anyways the point is hes had for so many years now would it be right to oput it back in the wild i mean it so used to turtle pellets. its in a 29 gal tank how big of cage should it have when its full growen i'm more of a snake person myself so this is all new for me i just wanan help the turtle and my friend out. also what kind of bedding/ set up should it have heating lighting?i wanna buy the turtle some stuff for christams and my friends gonna buy what the turtle needs as soon as i find out he dosen;t have internet. plz any info would be greatly apprewciated plz help thx bye

[Bartman]

I dont know bout the set up but i know its not a good idea to put it back because, for one, as you said it probably doesnt know how to hunt for food and is used to commercial stuff. Another thing is that, someone before on this site, told me that it has been introduced to new types of bacteria and if you bring it back to the wild it will be introduced to the wild specimens and will harm the others..basically dony put it back. I also think that if they are like either smaller or bigger then a certain size it is ok to keep them. hope i coulda helepd more

[Wu-Gwei]

Let's assume you do have a painted turtle, there are four sub-species and only two of which are native to Ontario (Midland and Western Painted). It's prohibited to keep native herps of Ontario. But, it's not that big of a deal. You're not collecting them from the wild in large numbers and you have had this one for a while. I would not let it go, b/c you are not sure if it is infact a native species. If you post a picture we can help ID it for sure.

How big is it? I assume it is around 4"SCL (straight carapace length) and you should have a minimum 40-50 gallon tank or a 60-75 gallon when it is full grown.

You can keep the water deep as possible and use an suspended basking area. Suspend corkbark from the top of the tank and this will maximize the size of your tank. If you haven't got one, a nice canister will do the trick and maybe add a powerhead (internal filter) when it gets bigger to add some more filtration and flow.

It really needs a heat lamp (regular lamp) for basking. Some keepers will recommend UVB light and water heater as well. They are optional, but good to have to be on the safe side or if you have the money. The UVB light can be a mercury vapour self-balasted bulb (both heat lamp & UV light) or a flourecent light like Reptisun 5.0 (or Iguana Light 5.0). UV light does not penetrate water very well, so keep it above the basking area with the basking light.

Feed pellets every second day and add some leafy greens in the tank whenever possible. These are just the basics... but it should keep you busy for a while. The care of painteds are very similar if not the same as keeping a RES (slider).


Cheers,
JJ;)

[gfisher2002]

I agree with Wu-Gwei. Don't let it go into the wild. It probably won't survive. However, I think UVB lighting is absolutely imperative to a turtles health. It is not an option in my opinion. UVB is essential to metabloizing vitamin D3 in their bodies and they may develop Metabolic Bone Disease or shell problems if they go their whole life without it. I'd buy a reptisun 5.0 or Iguana light and place it as close as possible to the turtle when basking. It should be at least 12" from him. The closer the better, because UVB dissipates the further from the bulb he is.
Just my opinion, otherwise I agree totally with him. And a bigger tank is gonna be a must also. As long as the water is above 74 F, you shouldn't need a heater. I keep my tanks at 78-80 F but thats the temp of our house so I don't use heaters.

[Nicky]

Originally posted by Wu-Gwei
Let's assume you do have a painted turtle, thx for the info but its my friends not mine so i'll have to talk to him about the proper stuff it needs. Last time i saw turtly( what an origanle name lol) it had a decent cage deep water the heat lamp he never knew about but he'll get one as soon as possible oh should it be like a half half enclosure or mostly water with rocks and stuff thx again for everyone who answered my friends says thx to he would come on but he has no internet oh ya what kind of filter works best for turtles?

thx again for everyone who helped rock on

[marisa]

UV is 100% needed for aquatic turtles that bask. If its a painted turtle or even a RES it needs a basking spot with both heat and UV light.

The tank doesn't have to be half and half but a basking spot needs to be created using either a pile of rocks, a board, etc. Over this you need to hang both a heating bulb and UV light.

With an exact species we can give you better care tips too. Good luck

Marisa

[Nicky]

ok um wu-gwei about the corkbark i'm confused about the corkbark when u say suspend like how high and from where sry i don;t undertdsand how:(. do they they need subliments in there food or do the pellets already have calicum and stuff in them. if i get a diggi cam any time soon i'll post a pic and maybe u guys will kno wwhat kind it is oh ya one last thingm i fogot he sometimes lets it rome around his house for excerise i'm no expert on tutles but that dosen;t seem very good for turtles because don't they always need to be in water or something?
thx again for everyone who helped:)

[Turtle Matt]

Could it possibly be a red eared slider??
Matt

[Nicky]

i don;t think so because it dosen;t look like the ones on this turtle site i went too i dunno if i only he had a digi cam i could take a pic or something
maybe christmas

[Wu-Gwei]

I suggested corkbark b/c it is easy for them to climb on and looks realistic. I recommended a suspended basking area b/c you can add more water in the tank to maximize the swimming area. How can I explain a suspended basking area... Put a cross bar on top of the tank. Use some wire, which do not rust and tie one end of the corkbark basking area to the cross bar. The other end can dangle/float in the water. The turtle will be able to climb up to bask.

As for supplements, it is beneficial to have Calcium suplements, but it is not absolutely necessary if the turt receives a quality, well balanced diet. Once again this is my opinion. Some keepers will swear by it, but aquatic turtles are able to do quite well without artifical UVB light, water heater and supplements. It's personal preference. I'll say this, some humans swear my vitamin and mineral supplements, while some don't. Who is right? Personal choice and personal belief. :)

I do recommend summer basking time outside for turtles for natural UV light, which is used to synthesize vitamin D (aka sunshine vitamin). We humans do not need sunshine for vitamin D, b/c we get enough of it through milk products and other foods.

Cheers,
JJ;)

[Turtle Matt]

My basking site preference is the corkbark for many of my turtles,like Wu-Gwei mentioned, you want o maximize swimming area, and the cork bark is wonderful for that. It is also a natural product and will add elements to the water making it better for the turtles.
Matt