Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Franklin and Aj are 2 yellow bellied sliders? My friend had them for 2 years in a ten gallon with hardly any water, and did not feed them that often, she fed them though.

Well, I rescued them from her and put them in my nice ten gallon, and started feeding them on an every-other day basis... They are about 1 inch in shell length, and have been that way ever since she got them. The swim a lot, and Bask a lot. They eat all of their food too. They just do not seem to be growing.

The water in the aquarium is 3/4 full, and there is a turtle ramp for them to get up on. So, there is PLENTY of room to swim (since they are so tiny).

Does anybody know why they are staying so small? Or will they hit a growth spurt sometime soon? They are over 2 years old, and I have had them since October. So, any replies would be very helpful. And they seem to be incredibly healthy as well.

Thanks for taking you time out to help!
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Sami

1.1.0 Red Earred Sliders
0.2.0 Yellow Bellied sliders
0.1.0 Black Cat

Turtles should grow very slowly, sudden growth spurts aren't good for them. If you keep feeding them properly and they have room and a place to bask, and plenty of calcium and UVB you will see them start to grow eventually. Don't worry about trying to get them to catch up all at once. Offer them greens everyday to munch on too.
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a little natural sunlight,
some calcium powder with vit D3 dropped in their water and a more varied diet should help.

once inch after two years is small.

But you don't want them to grow too fast.

I heard that D3 is good for the turtles, but how in the world do you give it to them? what is it for? and where can you get it? and of course... how much does it cost? my friend said the vet gave her a powder to put on the turtles food that was for D3? I'm not sure... just wondering! thanks in advance
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~ Evie

Pets:
German Shephard {Dusty}
German Shephard/Collie mix {Shadoe}
2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
Snail {Gary}

D3 is a vitamin, turtles usually get it from their UVB light or the sun. Some calcium supplements have D3 added also.
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Thanks for the advice!! I am going to get a cuttle bone this weekend because of school... and I can manage to take them outside in the sun for about a half hour a day... is that good?
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Sami

1.1.0 Red Earred Sliders
0.2.0 Yellow Bellied sliders
0.1.0 Black Cat

30 minutes is better than nothing. The longer the better. Best if you could make a permanent place for them outside. UVB lights are not equal substitutes for direct unfiltered sunlight. I alway wondered how anyone got anything into a turtle by sprinkling a powder on food that is going to be eaten in the water. Doesn't seem very efficient to me. UVB rays stimulate the production of Vit. D in the skin. Calcium cannot be absorbed from food if the body is not getting enough Vit. D. Here's a good website:
care and diet info.

you might want to consider your temps.... if the water is too cold, then they cannot warm up enough to digest thier food well, so even tho they eat, they do not absorb thier food because they are too cold. if they are just an inch long and have had poor care in the past, the water should be in the 80`s, but no hotter than 85. if the water is being kept cooler than this, you will notice a HUGE jump in activity once you warm it up more. also, the basking spot should be in the upper 80`s and no hotter than 90. if you are unsure of the temps, get a couple of thermometers from walmart. i prefer the ones with the suction cups so you can stick them to the side of the aquarium. get one for the water and one for the basking spot. the reason that i am recommending warmer temps, is because they are young, and also because the warmer temps boost immune system function. so, since they were not cared for right, they are more suscpetible to infections and disease. you might also want to take a fecal sample from each to the vet so they can check for parasites. if they have intestinal parasites, then it could stunt thier grwoth as well. if you need the name of a vet in your area, you can check melissa kaplans website. and they may have some listings on this site as well. good luck!

meagan