Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A few weeks ago construction workers had cleared out all of the grass in a canal that I usually catch snakes in. Well, I was there today, and found an adult (I think) RES stuck in the dirt, with marks around it in the mud. So I pulled it out, and it was missing half of its right back leg, most of its left back foot, and was extreamely skinny. So I took it home, and set up a cage for it. I've never owned any kind of turtle before, and am wondering what they eat when they are adults. Also, should I keep the water low enough so it can stick its head out (since its missing legs)? I would also like to know how big of a tank it would need, and how much of it should be land. Thanks for any help in advance.

Adults eat pretty much anything. Most of their diet is aquatic plants and greens. Once or twice a week they should get some protein, either turtle pellets or crickets, earthworms, superworms, snails, ghost shrimp, pretty much anything like that. The rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle, so a 10 inch adult would need a 100 gallons of water. If yours can't swim, you will have to adjust that. Usually they just require a small basking spot, just enough for them to climb out and dry off.
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I'm guessing hes between 6 and 8 inches. I don't think he can swim, but I'm not really sure. When I jumped into the canal it didn't even move. It was just sitting there at the bottom of the canal sticking its head out of the water. I'm just assuming he can't swim because its missing so many parts of its legs. It could barely walk when I had it up on land. Anyway, thanks for your help.