Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi all ,

i don't have an RES yet, but have been planning to have one for several months. i have been doing all the research i could and have finally decided to adopt one. i'm new to the turtle world, but not too new to kingsnake

i'm starting off with a 15gal tank for a hatchling RES until i can find a cheaper 55gal tank from craigslist in the next 2 or 3 months. if i don't find one, i'll just buy a new one with a stand. i don't plan to use any substrate. i also plan to follow the feeding recommendations for carnivorous youngsters with some fruits/veggies and slowly move towards more veggies and less meats as s/he gets older. i also plan to dust my RES's food with calcium & repitive interchangably every other day for vitamins and MBD prevention. i plan to have a new 75w basking lamp - that seems to keep my lizard's hot side at an average of 86F during the day... i also have a fish in my room, as well as aquatic frogs, and their water temps are between 72F - 78F (my room temp, i'm assuming). i also have amquel and some water treatments... i also plan to get a filter.

some questions i had were...
1) how frequently do i feed my RES as a hatchling? as an adult? ((every other day?))
2) what's the best turtle dock/ramp? it seems as if the suction cups would just fall right off is there anything better than stacking stones? because i'm thinking more of the ease of cleaning...
3) i'm going on a 1-wk cruise to cancun this summer - should i just put in a few feeder fish and some pellets?
4) how old will an RES be when s/he reaches their maximum size?
5) what does a rosy red look like? i tried to google it, but it didn't really work

i think that's all the questions i have for now....

thanks and happy new year everyone

[aimEe]
-----
0.1.0 Albino Leopard Gecko (Marlene)
0.0.2 Fire Bellied Toads (Norman & Forman)
0.2.0 African Dwarf Frogs (Hobo & Bobo)
1.0.0 Fighting Fish (Blue Balls)
0.0.2 Hermit Crabs (Kirby & Furby)
1.0.0 Black Lab / Pit Bull (Mikey)
aimee.i8.com

Greetings,

Rosie Red are small fish that look like minnows, except they are an off red almost orange colored fish. I have four in my tank with my 1" RES. He does not eat them. I think they are too big for him. However, they do add some additional entertainment and they seem to eat some of the scraps and help keep the tank a little cleaner.

-Ravon

Check your local newspaper want ads, garage sales, flea markets, and thrift stores for aquariums - you can usually get them cheaper that way.

Dusting foods with powder is a little pointless, IMO, becuase most of it just washes off in the water. Offer a high quality pellet and suppliment with fresh veggies and feeder animals (insects, earthworms, fish). Make sure your feeder animals have been well fed.

Sliders can grow up to 12 inches for females, and up to 8 inches for males.

I prefer to feed hatchlings every day, some people say every other day. Generally, feed no more than the size of the head at each feeding. Healthy adults should be fed every two or three days. Add pieces of cuttle bone (the kind sold for birds) to the water for extra calcium. Make sure you remove the hard back before putting it in. You should have a UVB light such as Reptisun 5.0 or a mercury vapor bulb.

I like floating cork bark for basking spots for smaller turtles. As they get older, you can make ramps out of PVC pipe and wood or plexiglass. I've also seen branches wedged at an angle into aquariums, so that part sticks out of the water.

Finally, are you adopting or buying? Many rescue groups get in hatchlings, and there are hundreds of sliders out there that need new homes. You might even find a group that does fostering, so you could "try out" a turtle for a few months. Visit www.anapsid.org to see if there's a rescue or herp society near you, or try www.petfinder.com to see if there are any for adoption in your state.

Katrina

Posted by: aimee_s at Sun Jan 4 02:45:59 2004

i'm starting off with a 15gal tank for a hatchling RES until i can find a cheaper 55gal tank from craigslist in the next 2 or 3 months. if i don't find one, i'll just buy a new one with a stand. i don't plan to use any substrate. i also plan to follow the feeding recommendations for carnivorous youngsters with some fruits/veggies and slowly move towards more veggies and less meats as s/he gets older. i also plan to dust my RES's food with calcium & repitive interchangably every other day for vitamins and MBD prevention. i plan to have a new 75w basking lamp - that seems to keep my lizard's hot side at an average of 86F during the day... i also have a fish in my room, as well as aquatic frogs, and their water temps are between 72F - 78F (my room temp, i'm assuming). i also have amquel and some water treatments... i also plan to get a filter.

some questions i had were...
1) how frequently do i feed my RES as a hatchling? as an adult? ((every other day?))
2) what's the best turtle dock/ramp? it seems as if the suction cups would just fall right off is there anything better than stacking stones? because i'm thinking more of the ease of cleaning...
3) i'm going on a 1-wk cruise to cancun this summer - should i just put in a few feeder fish and some pellets?
4) how old will an RES be when s/he reaches their maximum size?
5) what does a rosy red look like? i tried to google it, but it didn't really work

i think that's all the questions i have for now....

thanks and happy new year everyone

[aimEe]