Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Okay, I got 2 hatchlings and they seem awfully inactive. I'm worried because they came from an Arts of Nature order that I tried to cancel in vain. None of my emails or voice messages were returned. Heck I didn't even know the order was coming...I never got the tracking number that I was supposed to get when it was shipped out.....LOOOONG STORY>>>>JUST DON't BUY FROM THEM, AT LEAST NOW as it seems they are having som major difficulties with, well, EVERYTHING.

Anyhow.....I had one hatchling dead on arrival and now I am worried abou the health of the remaining two. As I stated above, they are fairly inactive. Now, here comes the potentially stupid question...do hatchling turtles sleep alot? Especially due to all the stress they have been subjected to through packaging and shipping? Is this inactivity normal in general in hatchlings or, normal given the circumstances they were subjected to, or do you all have a feeling that they are not healthy??

Thanks for bearing with me on this long post!
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

Mine were always active, they do bask a lot, but they don't sleep all day. They should be actively moving and swimming and exploring their new home. They may have respritory infections, you should hvae a vet check them out before it is too late to save them. Make sure you keep them warm too.
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Okay, here's what is up...

Right now they are in a 10 gallon (Yes, I know it's small and yes, I will upgrade to a 90 gallon or larger when the time comes. I have done my homework) They are being kept warm with a 60 watt basking light, a water heater (water temp at 82 degrees), and a UVA / UVB producing lamp. They do move, don't get me wrong. But not much at all. They are usually under the basking light when they are not moving. They are about 1 inch in size (very small).
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

if you have done your homework then you know that these turtles need 5 gallons of water per inch of turtle, which means that if your turtles get longer than 1 inch, they will be too big for the 10 gallon take you have them in now. also, i was wondering if the baby RES are eating healthy? Are they eating the reptomin? bloodworms? you said they werent moving much, so i was wondering how their appetite was?!?! also, the baby turtles should be kept at a higher temperature (water temp) than older turtles. i have seen some people say to keep the baby turtles at a water temp near 80. so maybe if your water temp isnt this warm, they may become more active if you increase the temp. Just a few suggestions, hope they help!
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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}

Thank you for the advice. Why is it that everytime a newbie says they have done their homework someone tries to "catch" them with something they supposedly don't know or didn't research. As you can see I own another reptile and amphibians. I am familiar with their needs. And, yes, I do realize every reptile is different. This is why I have spent so much time researching their needs. This said, I do know that they (the turtles) need more space once they become larger than one inch. That is not the issue right now. I just got these poor creatures Friday afternoon. They are not eating much yet. However, I have read that this is not unusual given their change of home and age. My water temps have been between 82 and 84 degrees as I have mentioned before. My basking light is 60 watts and has been providing temps above 86 degees. I also have a UBA/UBV producing lamp. Is it usual for them (hatchlings) to sleep alot under the basking light? I cannot find this info. when researching. This is why I am asking for advice of people who own them now or have already "been there, done that." Thanks.
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

Excuse me UVA/UVB...don't know what I was thinking...sorry!
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

I'm sorry if you feel that we are 'attacking' you as the newbie... however, that is not the case. i think we all just want to make sure that peoplw who own these turtles know ever possible thing there is to know about them. one little thing that they DONT know can harm the creatures for life. that is why i just wanted to make sure u knew about the '5 gallons per inch of turtle'. i wasnt trying to 'catch' you in any way. and i am sorry that you feel that way.
With that being said, my turtles have never slept in the basking light. the turtles (from what i have read) are supposed to sleep in the water! i got mine when they were about the same size as yours, though i doubt they have been though as much 'hell' as yours have (if the company has handled them as poorly as they handled your order). whenever my baby RES bask in the light, they usually have their heads held high and they look around to see if anything/anyone is coming towards them. if anyone goes near the tank, the babies dive back into the water, where they feel safe. of course, as my turtles grew older they now stay on the basking area whenever someone walks by.
however, it is true that when a baby turtle has been moved (lord only knows what they had to go through before you actually received them) they will not want to eat. but after a few days (i would say about 3) they should begin to search through their environment, become curious and hungry! if they don't i would say that you need to take them to a vet to be checked. some people take their turtles to a herp vet when they first get them just to make sure they are healthy. the vet (if you have one near you) can tell you if they are healthy, or if they have some kind of respiratory infection or anything else wrong with them. the vet can also do a fecal check and make sure that everything is OK. i am not sure if the temps should be in the 80's. this may be too warm for them, but like i said i'm not sure. i always kept my hatchling RES water temps around 78. and the basking temp was about 85. they say that if your water temp is the same as the basking temp, the turtles will not want to get out of the water. also, watch their swimming. if they start swimming awkwardly, this is also a sign of infection of some sort. they can also be known to 'cough' if they have a RI.
Hope that helps...
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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}

Thanks...I'm sorry I don't mean to sound rude...this whole situation has just been frustrating. And believe me I completely understand that you want people to know everything about an animal that they purchase so that the animal does not suffer. I am that way to the extreme with German Shepherds and Iguanas-2 animals I know very well! So once again, I'm sorry to come across rude! It's really not who I am! This entire order from Arts of Nature was supposed to have been cancelled but they apparently don't think it is important to check emails or phone calls. I'm sure these babies have been through total hell. It's sickening. I have already wrote a LONG letter to Arts of Nature and to the Better Business Bureau.

From what I read and understand keeping them at higher temps would be beneficial to them...but I've never owned aquatic turtles before so I am not positive. I may have to make an appointment at a herp vet this week. I'd like to get my iguana checked up on again also...so I could get it all done at once I suppose.
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

i would say taking them to the vet at this point would not only be beneficial to them.. but you as well. it could possibly put some of your worries to rest. and also if there is something wrong, the vet may be able to cure it. and considering you were going to take your iguana anyways, i dont see what taking them in could hurt. good luck and i hope everything goes well!
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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}

By the way...I didn't go out and buy the 10 gallon specifically for the turtles. I already had it. So I'm using it until they get too big for it. Then I will upgrade to the larger tank. I also already had an internal filter that I used to use for my Firebelly toads terrarium and I already had the water heater for fish I had set up. So all I bought was the UVA/UVB lamp and Basking lamp.
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

i too ordered from them 2 turtles and yet have i got them the laidy did return my call and said they would be shipped this coming wedensday but will see,i ordered without doing my home work about them ,how long did it take you to get your turtles if it is ok to ask...

It took about a little over 2 weeks, however, none of my attempts at contacting the company were returned. I did do my homework before ordering and right after I ordered mine I heard that they had an unsatisfactory rating by the Better Business Bureau! My entire order is a joke. Nothing is what I thought is was going to be. Also, when I ordered there was a statement on the site that said that any order over20 dollars would recieve free turtle food and a Dr. Turtle medicated Sulfa block. I didn't recieve either and now that statement is no longer on the site. I wrote a long email to them and the BBB so we'll see.
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~Heather~
3 German Shepherd Dogs (Tasha, Kaiya, & Austin)
1 Iguana (Irwin)
4 Firebelly Toads (Kirby, Gus, Pico, & Tiki)
1 African Cichlid (Arnie)
1 Red-Eared Slider Hatchling (coming soon!!)
1 Eastern Painted Hatchling (coming soon!!)
Check out my website with most of my pets!

They do need heat so make sure there is a heat lamp and UVB light over head, if that doesnt help...check to see if they're breathing ok. Could be RI .....

My kids dont sleep alot, if they are they're usually under the lamp on their basking thing soaking up all the good rays.