I had two hatchling RES brought to the shelter where I am director. It is illegal to sell or adopt out turtles under 4 inches in diameter (anyone know why?) so I have them here in my home which I was told is not illegal. I have read the basic care sheets, but have a couple other questions.
At this size can they have a pleco or some type of bottom feeder to help keep their tank clean?
Do they need aquarium salts?
They aren't eating for me, I have two kinds of food, juvenille aquatic turtle pellets, and another floating stick food. Do they have an "adjustment" phase where they do not eat?
Krill, chicken and ham are safe if cooked? And shredded I assume.
Are there any other solutions (vitamins?) they can have?
Any help is wonderful..........Thanks!
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New RES mother
Replies (2)
In what state are you located? State laws vary. For the most part, it should be legal to adopt them out.
Don't expect them to eat for the first day or two or even three. It takes some a little longer to acclimate than others. Just make sure you have a basking spot where they can haul out and get some heat and UVB light. You can start offering greens immediately, although some hatchlings won't eat greens for a few months. Do not offer processed or raw meats - not good. You can try cooked chicken or shrimp/krill (small pieces can be microwaved in a cup with a little water) just to get them started. Frozen blood worms (the kind sold for fish) or even live blood worms or small pieces of earthworms, if your pet store has them, are often accepted before other foods. Small crickets are another good starter food.
I HIGHLY recommend artificial or live plants for hiding spots. Hiding spots are so beneficial to a turtle's psychological health, especially to a juvenile. An exposed hatchling is a stressed hatchling, and stress can lead to illness. You can buy artificial silk plants at most dollar stores as well as Wal-Mart - cheap but very beneficial. Just throw them in the water, and the hatchlings will climb all over them.
A good book to have on hand is The General Care and Maintenance of Red-Eared Sliders by Philippe de Vosjoli from Advanced Vivarium Systems, Santee, CA (1992), available in most pet stores or Amazon.com
The following websites are good, too:
http://members.tripod.com/~Draybar/draybarturtles.html has some great ideas for aquariums.
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/basiccarebasking.htm
http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/chrysemyscare.htm
http://www.turtlepuddle.org
http://www.angelfire.com/il3/janice/pondconstruction/construction.html shows how to build a pond and has links to ponding sites, should an adopter be interested in building a pond once the turtles are grown.
Katrina
Your babies could also be fed baby guppies, platys, / goldfish. After around 3 months, one of my babies started chasing the baby platys in his/her tank. Its a blast to wach. I also feed em dried shrimp (sold as fish food) & turt pellets, but they dont seem to be very enthusiastic for quite a while now.
