Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone! I'm new here, and my name's Amanda. Here's my story: I'm a college student, and a week ago today I bought a (very illegal, I now realize) baby RES in Chinatown. He is tiny tiny tiny - his carapace is maybe three inches long, tops. It was not the most well-thought out purpose, in retrospect, but I love my turtle and I'm determined to do the best I can for him. The day after I bought him I went to the local pet store in town and got him a 10 gallon tank, some gravel, Reptomin, Reptotreat (the dried shrimp), and some rocks. I cleaned the rocks and set up his tank, where he now has a multi-level basking area. However, once I started to look up turtle care online, I realized that most people's turtle setups are much more extensive (i.e. heater, filter, UVA, UVB and basking lights) than mine are, so I went back to the pet store and told the manager my problem. He told me that a lot of people get these as pets and that when they're really small, like mine is, the setup I have now is fine; he said that I don't need a heater or a filter or anything like that yet, just to change the water once a week and come back if he seems to be growing, because then I will need a new tank. (He also told me that my turtle might not get any bigger; he said that most do, but a lot of times the Chinatown varieties don't). I've followed his advice, although I change the water and clean the tank every other day - warm water, a toothbrush, and a little bit of Dr. Bronner's for the dirt on the rocks - because the water gets really dirty, and I read on a website that you should change the water every few days if you don't have a filter, especially if they're babies. I feed my turtle a couple of Reptomin every morning and then usually a couple more in the evening, although I sometimes give him the dried shrimp instead and last night gave him a little bit of raw hamburger, which he loved.
I realize that his setup is not the most conventional, and I do feel a little guilty about not being able to have a really big tank, filter, and such. However, this really isn't possible at the moment. I'm in college and money's tight, not to mention the fact that pets, uh, are not allowed in my house so any big setup which calls a lot of attention to itself is a big fat no-no. I do have a desk lamp with multiple adjustable lights, a couple of which I've angled at the tank near his basking rock, which he seems to like. The tank is also on my desk near a window, so he gets a lot of natural sunlight, and I gave him a vitamin D yesterday.
As small as this setup is, though, he seems to be thriving. Aside from a little bit of peeling skin around his tail, he's very healthy. I read that a good indicator of your turtle's overall well-being is if he flails his limbs when you pick him up, and he certainly does, at least until he feels secure with my hand under him. He likes to root in the gravel, bask on the rocks, and cruise around his little body of water. He'll stay still in my hand for a little while, and then tries to zoom off, but he never bites. His appetite is good, and he loves to swim in the tub when I clean out the tank. He also likes to come downstairs with us and watch movies in the evening; I am not making this up. He has definite preferences - He's a big Alan Rickman fan, Kevin Smith holds his attention, but Cirque do Solelil, not so much.
I guess what it really boils down to is this: should I keep worrying about his setup, or keep it relatively as-is so long as he's healthy and this size? I've been concerned about this, and I'd love to hear some thoughts, especially about feeding, because, as someone said before, I can't get a straight answer on that subject and I'd like to know if I'm feeding him properly. Sorry this was so long, but if you've read this far, thanks, and I hope to hear from you!
~Amanda
P.S. I just realized that I never told you his name, which is, in full, Crumpet, the Metatron, Lord of the Hot Sex Breeches (I live with a lot of crackpots who all had a hand in the naming). We call him Crumpet or sometimes the Metatron, but he doesn't really seem to mind.

Hi Amanda,
There are many on this site who are more expert than me on turtle care, but in my opinion the only critical thing you are missing for now is a UVB light. They need it so their shells will grow properly. I'd also buy a thermometer for the tank too so you can make sure the water doesn't get under 75 F. You'll probably want to buy a filter soon because changing the water so often is going to get old (especially when you have homework and exams and papers due). Maybe you can get your housemates to help! Oh, and I don't think you should feed it raw meat, and nothing too fatty. Some people feed them cooked chicken, but your Reptomin pellets are nutritious enough.
Good luck!
Mary

Thanks, Mary! Your suggestions were really helpful and I'll look into getting Crumpet a UVB light. Thanks for taking the time to read that mammoth post. By the way, my housemates love the turtle and help me give him his bath (by which I mean they sit around the tub and exclaim about how cute he is while I clean the tank, but such are the natures of "aunts" and an "uncle." I must admit that I never thought I'd become a big pet nerd. My mother and grandmother have had dogs my whole life and I don't really like them, to be honest; I'm just not a big-animal person. But I've always wanted a turtle and I really groove on the Metatron. What are your turtles like? Crumpet's winked at me on a couple of occasions, and I thought it was the greatest acheivement in the history of the planet.

Hi, My two RES are about one year old and they grew FAST, because (as I've recently found out) I fed them too much. Daisy is about 5 1/2 inches long and Tom is about 4 1/2. Like you, I got them on a whim and then found out how much work/money they take. But my daughter and I love them! I got them as a bribe for my daughter, Shelby, (she's six) because one day I had to take her to college with me on a day that I had two big exams. Shelby had had a fever and couldn't go to her school and I didn't have anyone else to keep her. So I told her that if she was perfectly good while I was taking my exams then I would buy her any pet she wanted that was small enough to fit into a cage. And she chose turtles. I remembered back to my childhood experiences with box turtles and thought, "great, put it in a cardboard box and feed it lettuce; we can do that." But the turtles we found at the pet store were RES and they captured our hearts and my pocketbook.

Opps, didn't expect that story to be so long. About my turtles...Daisy is bossy and hogs the basking rock and Tom is a little scoundraland they are very interactive with each other and us. Both enjoy when Shelby takes them out for brief playtimes (always well supervised, since the day I found her playing airplane with them). They like being petted on the head and constantly beg for food. They love bananas (but in very small quantities or they get constipation). I have them in a 55 gal tank that I found used for $50. It dominates the living room of my small apartment, but that's ok because they are so fun and relaxing to watch.

To answer you filter question posted below, I used a Fluvial 4 Plus in my ten gallon tank and it also works well for the 55 gal. I got it for $36 from DrsFosterSmith.com. Just be sure to order the carbon filters to go with it (or to save money, I buy carbon pellets and put them in a mesh bag and stuff the bag where the filter is supposed to go).

Be blessed,
Mary

Despite what the pet store guy told you, there's no 'Chinatown variety' that stays small. If it lives, it's going to grow. But it's fun to watch them get bigger! Blueberry, Kelpie and Buttercup send their regards (none of them are RES, but still).

The tank size is not a pressing issue to be taken care of immediately, but you may want to start saving a few dollars every week so it doesn't hurt you so bad when you do have to get a bigger one.

As for basking, temp, diet and the NECESSITIES... If you think you don't have money to care for it now, in its healthy times, imagine what it will be like if the lack of necessities creates a need for medical attention. I'm not trying to preach, but just remember the saying about an ounce of prevention..

It's much cheaper to avoid having problems like shell rot than it is to pay to fix it.

Again, thanks for your input guys. Crumpet's still pretty small, but getting bigger isn't really an issue (unless he does it like right NOW) because when I go home in the summer I have a better-paying job than I do currently, so I can afford the works; we also have a fenced-in back yard and several kiddie pools, so he can bask and swim to his heart's content. Getting him comfortable then is doable, it's just right now that's the issue. At any rate, though, we got him a much bigger tank today. It didn't list the size anywhere on the packaging (some weird company), but I'm guessing it's probably 15 or 20 gallons. (I'm terrible with size anyway). He got some calcium today, too, and is now asleep in the water with his nose sticking up in the air - his preferred sleep mode. You're right, though: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and I'm working on the ounces. A filter and a heater are going to be my next purchases, once I get paid. Do you guys know of any reliable, relatively inexpensive models and where to find them (online is always great ) If not, thanks for your time anyway, guys.

Depending on your house temp, you may not even need a heater. My tanks stay about 76 without a heater. My wife is cold-natured so she likes it pretty warm in here. I have gotten used to it where it's not so bad unless I'm working.

The filter is something you do really need. You can find good prices at bigalsonline.com or drsfostersmith.com

There's some good writeups about filters at turtletimes.com. I think there's a good "sticky" post in the forums on filters.

Depending on your tank design you might want to look into submersible Fluvals. They're pretty cool if you can't have an 'on the back' filter. Canister filters are great for when you get a bigger tank. I also like www.thatfishplace.com .