Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

My roommate is moving in with two 11 year old red eared sliders (full grown.)
They are currently housed in a ten gallon tank together, and we know that this is just too small. I was thinking of building a square shaped plexiglass enclosure for them, so that they have as much room to move in all directions. I was wondering what would be a good size for the two of them? is 2ftx2ft enough, or should it be larger?
Is a filter a good system for keeping the enclosure clean, as it will be in our living room, and the larger it is, the harder it will be to transport into the bathroom for cleaning.

Also,
If the sliders have been raised as vegetarians, is it better to not incorporate meat into their diet now?
Thank you for any input.

I'm not sure how to respond to your question, I find it hard to believe that one full grown RES would even fit inside a 10 gallon tank...let alone live in it with another one. An 11 year old RES should be between 9 and 12 inches depending on sex. Are you sure they are RES?

Definitely get them out of the 10 gallon tank. A longer tank is better than a square one because they will have more room to swim. Measure the turtles shells from front to back without the curve to determine their size (I'm dying to know what it is). A general of thumb is that you should provide 10 gallons of water for every inch of turtle. So, if you had two 5 inch turtles you would need a 100 gallon tank. I know it sounds huge and many turtles get by with less, just make sure they have enough room to actually swim around the tank and get some exercise.

To your other question...are the turtles getting any turtle pellets or just veggies. The pellets have protein in them and are a good staple. As RES get older they lean toward a more vegetarian diet so the veggies are great for your turtles. Give them unlimited greens and pellets 2 or 3 times per week.

I hope that helps and that your turles enjoy another 30 years.

Nancy

Thanks for your response.

I am an experienced reptile keeper, however, I have only ever kept lizards. I am new to the shelled world, and both my roommate and I look forward to getting them into some more comfortable living arrangements.
The turtles are currently fed mostly veggies, with the pellets more sporadically.
I will measure them as soon as they are here in our posession, but as of right now, I cannot.
I know it seems hard to believe, but im pretty sure that it is a ten gallon they are in.
I really cant wait to get them going on exactly what they should have.
I have sought out care sheets, but to be sure.... do they need supplemental lighting or heat?
Thanks

Yes, they do have heat/light requirements.

Water should be kept around 70-72 degrees. You might not need a heater at all in the warmer months, but might definitely need one during fall/winter, depending on how you heat your house. They will also need a heat source on their dry basking platform so that they can warm themselves....this can be as cheap and easy as an incandescent bulb in a clamp light.

They will also need a UVA/UVB source. This is usually done in a tube bulb, like a Reptisum 5.0 for example. (That's a very common one.) So, you will probably need a tube (florescent) light fixture for this one. Just remember....if it doesn't say UVB, it's not...there are lots of bulbs that are just UVA....so read carefully when you buy.

One last option.....you can get a mercury vapor bulb, which is both UVB, and heat emitting for two bulbs in one....but expect these to cost much more that an incandescent heat bulb and a UVB tube light....an MV bulb probably averages around $40.