Reptile & Amphibian Forums

a friend of mine is giving me a baby red ear slider next week
and I have some questions on care

-I have kept many differnt tree frogs and snakes and once cared for an asian box turtle for a couple of months so I have some experiance

the red ear slider I am going to get is a baby only like 3 or 4 inches long

I am going to keep him in a ten gallon tank for a couple of weeks until I buy the 20gallon turtle tank (that will be his permenent home)

-what type of lighting to they require? do they need a heat lamp and a strip light? what bulbs(watts) do I need?

whats a good substrate for land area? (probley not gravel because if inpaction)

how deep should the water be? and when do I raise the level and by how much?

diet-what do I feed him?-earthworms? meal worms? floating sticks? the occational feeder fish?

what type of vitamins do I need to get for him?

what temp should the water be? what temp should the air be?
should there a be a basking spot if so what temp should that be?

can anyone show me pics of their set ups?
when I do the 20 gallon I want it to be a real as possible I am going to do live plants on land and water and just a very natural looking tank I have done this with my tree frogs but never with a turtle-so does anyone have anylinks or pics of set up that are like this?
thanks
Matt

sorry I just found the tools and toys thing and wanted to see if it was possible to marqee a whole post so disregard the following:

a friend of mine is giving me a baby red ear slider next week
and I have some questions on care

-I have kept many differnt tree frogs and snakes and once cared for an asian box turtle for a couple of months so I have some experiance

the red ear slider I am going to get is a baby only like 3 or 4 inches long

I am going to keep him in a ten gallon tank for a couple of weeks until I buy the 20gallon turtle tank (that will be his permenent home)

-what type of lighting to they require? do they need a heat lamp and a strip light? what bulbs(watts) do I need?

whats a good substrate for land area? (probley not gravel because if inpaction)

how deep should the water be? and when do I raise the level and by how much?

diet-what do I feed him?-earthworms? meal worms? floating sticks? the occational feeder fish?

what type of vitamins do I need to get for him?

what temp should the water be? what temp should the air be?
should there a be a basking spot if so what temp should that be?

can anyone show me pics of their set ups?
when I do the 20 gallon I want it to be a real as possible I am going to do live plants on land and water and just a very natural looking tank I have done this with my tree frogs but never with a turtle-so does anyone have anylinks or pics of set up that are like this?
thanks

Hi Matt --

Let me start by saying that I am glad you are coming here for some tips on ways to make you turtle comfortable and happy BEFORE he comes home.

First off you have one major problem going on. A twenty gallon tank will not be sufficient for a 3-4 inch turtle as a permanent home. He may be alright for a short time but it is not large enough to be a comfortable environment for him and forget about even trying to make it look nice because he will crud it up faster than you can clean it.

You can get him a large sized rubbermaid tub (they have 55 gallon sized etc.) or a minimum of a 55 gallon tank to hold him for a while but if it is a female even that will not be sufficient as a permanent home. (they can get 10 plus inches -- I had an old girl that was over 12 inches in shell length in my pond.)

You will need a basking area UVB lighting and heat (85 - 90 degrees should be suitable for the dry basking area. and the water temperature will need to be around 76 degrees or so for comfort. They have many nice basking type ramps and platforms for the animal so you could use them rather than worry over dividing an area off and trying to find a suitable substrate for it. The ramps also attach to wall of the tank and will allow the turtle more swimming area as he can swim under the basking platform.

If you use gravel in the water portion use gravel that is way too large for the him to eat. This way you don't have to worry about him swallowing any.
Of course if you leave it bare bottomed then it will be easier to clean. You need a good filtration system. (Fluval 404, Eheim, Filstar -- there are a multitude out there just get the right size for your tank and don't skimp on the filtration either because it will mean more work for you if you do).

As far as planting your tank FORGET IT!! It may look nice for a short time but the turtle will uproot and chew up all the vegetation in the water. Instead you could decorate with some little under caves etc. for him to hide in if he wants.

I know all this sounds a bit discouraging but if you get the right sized environment and set it up so it is comfortable for the animal and can be maintained readily you should enjoy your new slider.

Good Luck
Steve

if i were you i'd read through many of the old posta on red eared slider forum.
many.
everything you need to know is there.
then go to www.chelonia.org and read through care sheets and articles there.
don't waste time witha twenty gallon tank. the turtle will outgrow it in less than a year even with a conservative feeding schedule. buy the biggest tank you can get or a large rubbermaid container or a laerge cement mixing tub or a stock tank.
ditch the gold fish.
Try red wiggler worms, boiled chicken and boiled egg white, crickets, insect larvae, blackworms.
some pelltestoo: get mazuri or turtle brittle if you can.
three inches of water is good. not more than five unless you make a shallow section..
yes no gravel unless it is as large as the turtle's head or larger and smooth...yes because of impaction,
get the best filter you can afford...a good deal is the aquaclear 500 power filter by hagen (buy it online its less than half the price than in a petstore)
make an under water hide. this is important and often overlooked.
UVB is definitely needed; get the highest output you can.
calcium in the water is not a bad idea either.
expect to change the water often,
probably every other day in a ten gallon.
get your hands on some anacharis or elodea or water hyacinth or water lettuce...all these can be found (whether or not they are native) in places where sliders live and they are all edible. babies will hide in and among them as may munch on them as they get older.
good luck.