My red eared slider - Seeking husbandry advice.

[buttertart88]

i got a red eared slider whom i have named toothless he is not eating that i am aware of i drop in turtle pellets and today i bout some tiny feeder crickets i have a rock formation i made with rocks from my back yard that i boiled for 2 days lol. i have read alot of pages that say not to feed certin things such as crickets meal worms etc and others that say to feed crickets feeder gold fish when he gets bigger along with the pellets i read about the fruits and vegatbles and am curious how i go about feeding him those he is still very young he doesnt seem to use the basking area and i know it is important for his shell i am currently using a 100watt normal light atm i am going out to buy a sun bulb but am not sure if i should buy that or a uvb bulb instead any and all tips will be greatly appriciated.

[buttertart88]

i am wondering what my young red eared sliders diet should consist of many pages i have read say dont feed this i.e crickets and meal worms. Other sites say it is fine to do as well as feeding him fruits and vegatables such as romain lettuce and carrot tops and fruit like strawberrys for the strawberrys do i feed him the tops or the actual berry i would like some help and tips currently he has some feeder goldfish as company and food when he gets bigger lol. but for some reason he isnt eating at all that i know of and am getting a lil worried i have a water heater that works for up to 30gal and a basking area that consists of rocks from my yard that i boiled for a few days i would like some help plz and ty guys i have studied up on his diet for like 2days and figured that a herp forum would be the best place to get the advice and tips i need

[infernalis]

Please don't post your private email...

Have you tried earthworms yet?

RES are omnivores, have you tried fruit?

[buttertart88]

sorry bout the email my bad i havent tried fruit am not sure what fruit to try or use as for earthworms i have yet to find some where that carries them i live in a small city so our earthworms come from a varity store or a vending machine i gave him a couple pellets a cricket and a couple peices of q cumber

[infernalis]

I feed the night crawlers from Wal Mart to my garter snakes & Savannah Monitor without a problem, so I'm sure they would be OK for your turtle.

[buttertart88]

alright ahhh what about the fruit and vegatables i know as a youngling it is a mostly protien diet and will become more vegatarian as he gets older so for lets say romaine lettuce do i just drop part of a leaf in the tank and let it be or like strawberrys do i cut up the berry and put it in or what

[infernalis]

I'd cut the berry up, it gives off a stronger scent cut up.

[TeaNinja]

my friend used to have a red eared slider for a while (chief redfeather) and he just ate those repti-sticks for aquatic turtles you buy at pet stores. he also LOVED worms.
other then that i have no idea :x

and for future referance, theres no need to make multiple posts about the same relative thing :)
http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-turtle-tortoise-forum/86220-my-red-eared-slider.html

[stephanbakir]

I fed mine the repti-sticks and as a treat i would toss in live tadpoles, he would chase em down and eat em all.

[buttertart88]

ty guys i am feeding the repi sticks turtle food and small crickets atm i tried some q cumber yesterday its still there i dont know if he is eating or not he doesnt seem to be eating last time i seen him eat was like 2days ago and he ate 1 pellet i am getting worried obviously and am not sure if it is cuz he isnt use to his new habitat or if he is to cold the water is at 75 degrees ferinhiet and i just bought a 75 watt basking spot light bulb today i toss in like 4 pellets 2xs a day hoping that toothless will eat and its not them darn feeder fish eating them lol

[buttertart88]

i am looking to upgrade to a 30 gal tank for my turtle who is very small still. i am currently using 3 smooth flat rocks out of my back yard for a basking area and will be getting a turtle dock when i get the dock i will add a lot more water to the encloser obviously but am worried that my turtle will not know to swim to the top to get air instead of just sticking his head out of the water the water well covers his shell so he wont drown if he ends upside down on his shell yes i know the swimming part sounds dumb but i am just concerened lol

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alright same with the worms or just drop them in and let him have at it? but what about the not eating any ideas he does seem to like any of the 4 corners of the tank lol and am not sure why also when it comes to him sleeping should he be sleeping while in the water or on the basking rocks?

[infernalis]

Trust nature.. Your turtle lives in ponds and streams out in the world, your little guy will be fine, their brains are hard wired with natural instincts.. ;)

About the only way to drown a turtle would be to intentionally pin it underwater for a very very long time.

Those webs between his toes are for swimming.

I know a turtle guy, Let me talk to him.

we will get you up and going one way or another.

[buttertart88]

ty very much guess as a new owner and dad to a turtle i am worried lol i see my pets as my children and ya i could and would never pin him down under the water intenionally not a chance would i

[buttertart88]

again ty so much infernalis you have been a huge help

[infernalis]

Already like the attitude, you sincerely want what's best for your new friend.

That's admirable.

[infernalis]

and for future referance, theres no need to make multiple posts about the same relative thing :)


I just combined it all together to make it easier. Good call Zak.

[buttertart88]

oh ya 110% i do i dont want him to die or have to go to an adoption place cuz i couldnt take care of him i want him to have the best life possible for him the pet store had like 4 other turles if i could have i woud have taken all 4 of them but dont have the $ or space for that yet lol and they would just get more poor things:( i deff want the best for him thats why i am upgrading to the 30 gal tank and getting the turtle dock so he can have more water and more space you have been a great help tyvm:)

[Lankyrob]

I can promise you that if you listen and take the advice offered on here then you will always be given lots of help. The only time we have problems is with people that ask for advice and then spend all their time arguing with the responses they get.

As wayne said you have the best interests of the animal at heart so keep up the good work.

My ONLY criticism of you so far is that we have no pictures to look at!!! ;) :rolleyes: :)

[stephanbakir]

We used to find food that was healthy for the turtle and kept him active trying to chase it down, its rare you see a turtle really book it but they swim fast as hell when motivated.

[buttertart88]

ya i am loving the advice given here as a new owner again any and all advice to help me calm down and stop worrying is awesome i currently only have my blackberry cell as a cam :( but will try to get some good picks with it and get them up and as for moving fast when i start playing with toothless he books it as fast as those short lil legs will move him lol it is awesome to watch ty again guys it is good to be back on sSnakeSs again

[buttertart88]

woke up this mornign to find that toothless was using the basking area i turned the light on at 7am to help with the night and day cycle and my cat decided that toothless looked very intriging and heard a little sploosh i was so happy to hear that evvn if he did only use it for like 5mins b4 my cat decided to try and get him lol but yes very happy and felt i should share:)

[infernalis]

Keep on caring and you two are going to have a great relationship.

[buttertart88]

he has eaten as well 6 pellets total for the day woot woot so happy ty everybody for your advice pics to come soon hopefully am hoping to get my new set up going for pics:)

[mistersprinkles]

There are three things you need to do-

First one is learn about the nitrogen cycle and how aquarium filtration works because you will want to establish a biological filter to keep the water safe and clean naturally. This will eliminate all smell, as well as toxic ammonia from the turtles drinking water. Also, you can just change 30-40% of the water every 3-7 days (as the turtle grows it will cause more waste) this way.

You will need a proper quality aquarium filter. For a larger turtle like you have once you have it in its adult tank it will need a large canister filter. For now you can use an internal like a tetra 30i. You also need an aquarium heater. Get a titanium one. The turtle may break glass. YOu also need UV light. Ideally, you want something like a mercury vapor bulb. It's UVB/UVA as well as heat. That's everything you need. And water conditioner. (Seachem Prime is best).

So what you're going to want to do is go to an aquarium store, buy something called cycle, or Bio Spira, or Stress Zyme, they're all similar, and follow the instructions on the bottle for your turtle tank. You should also buy a good filter and heater and other equipment. The turtle needs properly filtered water, the ability to change its temperature, and UV light to be happy. Also, they can get a foot and larger. You will need either an indoor pond (ideal). Doesn't need to be more than 10" deep or so. OR, a large aquarium at least five feet by 2 feet, ideally. They really get big. There are smaller turtles that stay five or six inches but this is not one of them.

If you don't follow proper filtration the turtle will not live as long and if you don't provide UV it will not grow large and it's shell will develop a sort of pyramid malformity and the turtle will not be healthy.

YouTube - Pet Turtle Care : Mini Pet Turtles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm_2PwB1yUI)

YouTube - Pet Turtle Care : How to Take Care of Turtles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3NfC7l_sdw&feature=related)