Reptile & Amphibian Forums

when a turtle is full grown, what size tank do you have? and what kind of filter do you have for that? and do you add fish? what kind of fish? i have a 3.5inch turtle right now, and i'm moving, so i just want to get everything that i need now, so that i'll have the perfect place for him when i move, you know?

thanks for answering my questions
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0.0.1 Red Eared Slider

It depends on if you have a male or female, since females get much larger. I think the minimum for a male would be a 55 gallon tank and for a female 75-100 gallons, but the rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle.
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There are lots of cool ways to set up a home for your slider. Are you moving to a house or an apartment?

If it is a house you might want to consider giving him an outdoor pond to live in.

Of course an APT. means a tank or even a rubbermaid tub set up.

For a female turtle 75 gallons is small but with good husbandry it will be okay. GO LARGER though if possible. It will be much better AND if find that you are not happy with it in the smaller tank you are going to want to step up anyway and will be stuck with the 75 gallon set up. (or be like me and just get more turtles to fill both tanks! )

Remeber mature females will need access to dirt to lay eggs in even if they've never been exposed to a male.

I'd have to agree with this statement, even though many female turtles would just lay their eggs in the water, many would insist on laying eggs on land, eventually the turtle could become eggbound or prolapse could occur due to the stress of the egg laying process. If prolapse occurs vet attention is required immediatly afterwards.(Just some advice, if this ever happens, put vasoline on the exposed area to keep in moist and keep the area from dying and becoming infected.)

my turtle seems to REALLY REALLY like the tank more than the waterland tub. and it sucks because i got a bunch of coconut bark and he/she seemed to like it.

well, anyway, how can you have dirt in the tank? and could you use coconut bark instead of dirt? and how deep does the dirt area have to be?

how can you tell if it's a female or male? i have a pic of the turtle, i'll try to post it tomorrow. i've had it for around 5-6 yrs.

thanks for answering my questions!!!!
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0.0.1 Red Eared Slider

Some people rig up ways to attach an area the turtle can get to outside the tank that has dirt. Or you can just put your turtle in a large tub of 6-8 inch deep dirt for a day one day a week. You may eventually be able to learn to feel the eggs in her body by palpating up in the cavity where the rear legs go in. Until you got good at that I'd put her in the dirt once a week just in case. I know nothing about cocoanut shells. If others think they are safe and would work, try them. Usually, plain old garden dirt will work or I'm sure you could used potting soil mixed with peat or something to give it a coarser texture. Put a basking light in the dirt tub so turtle can stay warm that day. Staying dry in dirt for one day is not going to hurt your turtle. Hope that helps.

A female RES's cloaca (anal opening) should be closer to her body than a male's. If you pull the tail out a female's opening should be inside the edge of the upper shell. I male's opening should be beyond the edge of the upper shell. Mature male RES's usually have longer front toenails than a female too. Attaching a photo might help us to sex it.