Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had my red eared slider for about 4 months now. When I bought him I was unaware that the small shop was doing so illegally. He was roughly the size of a half dollar maybe slightly smaller. At first he ate nothing and I was pretty sure he was dead at one point. Thankfully I waited a while before "disposing" of him because after repeated "prodding" i was able to get him to finally move. Now he seems to be healthy as can be. My questions are 1) do I need to have separate drinking water aside from what he swims in? 2) He doesn't seem to be interested in any sort of vegetation that I try to feed him. He loves the pellets that I give him and the feeder guppies. Is his lack of eating vegetables a problem? 3)I am still unsure of what a healthy amount of food is. The bottle of pellets told me to feed as much as turtle would eat in a 2 hr period. Well, my turtle appears to be hungry constantly. If i put guppies in there he will devour 12 in a matter of hours. what is a healthy feeding regiment? 4) I have been giving him guppies about once a week (12 at a time) and for some reason he wont eat one of the fish ( i can tell that its the same guppy based on the funny red spot on his head) At first i thought it was because the fish was to quick but I have noticed that the fish will swim right next to him and the turtle will pay him no mind at all. Has he made a friend? Is this highly unusual?
Okay I think that's all the questions that I have. Thank you in advance for all answers. My email is adeadendriot@aol.com or you can just post in response here.
Gayle

Young RES's are more carnivorous than adults. At he ages he will eat more vegetation. Feeder guppies are a great food. Stick with a variety of foods. Even small RES's shouldn't be fed but about every other day. Daily feeding makes them less apt to eat what you provide. Continue to offer dark green vegetation or grow aquatic plants in his tank. Water should be about 80 degrees and then have a warmer basking spot. If he's not warm enough he won't eat and can't digest food. Turtles don't make friends with fish. I bet he will eventually eat the guppie. Maybe that guppie is faster and he hasn't been able to catch it. I strongly suggest you find a way to get your turtle into an outdoor setup in the Spring. Turtles kept strickly indoors are much more prone to health problems. Also, RES become quite large and need lots of space. Mature females will need access to dirt for egg laying. Even if not with a male. See this link for good care info.
GCTTS turtle care