Baby red ear slider set up

SCReptiles · 05-27-04, 02:37 PM

Need some information. A friend I work with bought her friend a baby RES while on vacation in FL. It came with the classic small world set up. Well, now the girl is tired of cleaning the water each and everyday. I have some spare 10 gal tanks and a nice side mount filter I am going to give her. Thing is, I know nothing about water turtles. I am planning to set the tank of with the min water level required for the filter (probably 4 inches) and putting a rock in the water that extends just above the water level. I saw another post giving me the info I need in temps, so 70 to 75 in the water and 90 on the rock? Will also need a UBV light? Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

marisa · 05-27-04, 02:54 PM

UV light for sure. These turtles are avid baskers and need lots of UV.

As for water depth, as deep as possible. They are very strong swimmers and a healthy baby turtle can enjoy a foot deep of water or more. I have had one that needs some shallow water while recovering but my others get as deep as I can give them.

Your temps sound good, mine go up and above 100 sometimes as well, and are utilized.

Just give her the ten and tell her to start saving for a 80+ !!! :P

Marisa

latazyo · 05-27-04, 03:27 PM

yes, a big tank will eventually be a requirement

tell your friend not to get hooked feeding the turtle fish
turtle food and worms are a good diet

watch for escapes, my RESs love to climb and climb

SCReptiles · 05-28-04, 12:48 PM

Ummm, see I was thinking these little guys shouldn’t spend most of there time in water, but perhaps I was wrong. So, your expert opinion(s) I should put as much water in the tank as possible? Maybe just add one of those little floating things that he can climb out on? Also, are there any chemicals we should add to the water?

latazyo · 05-28-04, 12:50 PM

absolutely, they LOVE to swim and are very good swimmers

they are fast growers (for turtles)

marisa · 05-28-04, 01:02 PM

Yup! They will spend half their time swimming and half basking. Maybe not perfectly split like that but they are fully aquatic and don't need a large land area at all. Just a nice basking spot and lots of water!

Marisa

SCReptiles · 06-01-04, 02:15 PM

We got the little guy into the 10 gal and he swam all over the place. I am thinking this was the first time for him! How old do these guys have to be before you can determine gender? Also, can they be sexed by looking at the under shell, as with the box turtles?

Wu-Gwei · 06-01-04, 03:08 PM

It's not age, but size of the turtle. Around 3", they may be sexed. The ONLY sure way to sex a turtle is by looking at the tail. A thick based tail indicates a male turtle. This is easier said than done for beginners when you have nothing else to compare it to. With RES, the males will have elongated front foreclaws, about the length of the hands, but that may take years to develop and not as accurate as the tail. Finally, female RES are bigger in overall size than males. If your turtles grows fast, it may be a female.

The concave plastron is not a good way for a RES. Tail is the best way.

Cheers,
JJ

P.S. Check this link with photos of a Pseudemys spp (cooter), but the tail difference will give you an idea.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Info/info.htm