Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, We've owned our Red Eared Slider for just under a month. I've been reading everything I can find (online, in books, etc.) to be sure we give it the proper care. My question is, "When" is it considered an adult? I bought it at about 2 inches (head to tail, I didn't measure just the shell). I'm wondering because I "believe" I should continue feeding it twice a day for a bit, but am not sure what size I should start switching to once a day and then every other day or longer.

I've read that the babies are more carniverous, but should I still offer greens to them?

Do most of you feed your turtle in a separate tank? I can see this would definitly make for a cleaner tank in the long run. We've been cleaning the tank once a week (while feeding it in the tank). Also, do you offer a bowl of water for it to drink?

Also, we have it in a fairly large tank, for a baby, 36 inches long, and I wanted to be sure I have adequate swimming & basking areas, as well as the lights. I got a light that has "optimal" amounts of UVB & UVA but I don't know what "optimal" conditions are. It says "The UVB rays (290nm-320nm) and UVA (320nm-400nm) are what the reptile needs". I have NO idea what "nm" stand for. Is this adequate? Should I go for the Reptisun long bulb instead?

Sorry for so many questions, I'm just trying to do the best I can for this little guy and was hoping somebody to help me with these questions I have been unable to answer! Thanks in advance!
Denise

the turtles lengh is always measured from the front to back of it's SHELL only... as far as i know, you should only be feeding your turtle once a day. the 'basic' feeding is usually to feed it the amount of protien that can fit into the turtles head once a day. i would say after about a year or two old is when you should start feeding every other day. you can definitely start offering greens now. my turtles are about 2 years old, and i feed them protien (pellets, crickets, earthworms, ...) every other day or every two days, and i offer them greens everyday. my turtles love the dandelion greens and collard greens. i honestly have no clue about the lighting, i am just starting to figure that stuff out now! i hope i have helped at least a little
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~ Evie

Pets:
0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.1 Snail {Gary}

sorry... forgot something! feeding in another container is VERY beneficial for you, the owner. i usually separate my turtles into another container to feed them and leave them in there for a bit so that they crap there too. i have noticed that they 'defecate' soon after they eat. this saves me from additional 'dirt' from the turtles in the tank.
-----
~ Evie

Pets:
0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.1 Snail {Gary}

I am confused by your question about a bowl of water to drink. The turtles live in water and must eat in water, so no, they do not need a bowl of water to drink. You are feeding them in the water aren't you?

As for the lights, I have seen UVB measured in percentages. Like, 5% of what the sun would provide. If you get a name brand light that specifically states it provides UVB you should be fine. I have used ESU coil lamps and ZooMed Powersun. I know a lot of people use the long Repti-sun bulbs. Any of those are fine. If the light does not provide heat then you need a heat light also.

I agree with Evie, cut back feeding to once per day. You really can't feed them too little. ALL captive turtles are overfed compared to those in the wild.

Good luck! Nancy

Thank you all for your answers! They are appreciated! Yes, I am feeding him in the water. I read somewhere they needed "fresh water" to drink and I didn't understand what that meant. I wanted to make sure I was giving him everything he needed and just wanted to see if his drinking water was supposed to be separate from his swimming water.

I do have the ESU Super UV Coil Lamp, it just doesn't seem to give off heat. I will get the heat lamp as well for him.

Also, I will cut back to once a day feeding. He seemed super hungry this morning and ate more than usual so I will now start the once a day feeding. I don't want him getting fat

His shell is about 1 3/4 inches long. Is he still a baby? Meaning, once "I've" had him for a year I should switch to every other day feeding? Or do you switch when they reach a certain size? Thanks!
Denise

as far as i know, turtles are only supposed to grow about an inch a year.

the reason you are only supposed to feed them once a day (and only as much that would fit in their heads) is because overfeeding can seriously damage the turtle and it's shell. i think it's something like the body grows faster than organs and that can kill the turtle because the organs can't compensate for the body size. but you can feed the turtle as many greens as they will eat. greens dont cause the turtle to gain weight, it just gives them necessary nutrients.

also, if you arent already, you need to feed the turtle some calcium. whether it be by egg shells, cuttle bone (found in bird dept., take the hard backing off and let it float in the water) even if your turtle(s) dont eat it, it will dissolve into the water and as they soak in the water they will get it that way. or there are some other people that use some kind of calcium dust that they put on the turtles food.

i hope this helps
-----
~ Evie

Pets:
0.1.0 German Shepherd {Dusty}
0.1.0 German Shepherd/Collie mix {Shadoe}
0.0.2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
1.0.0 African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
0.0.1 Snail {Gary}

Thanks again for the help I did get some Calcium & Vitamin D3 dust this week and tried it today for the first time. I think I'd like the cuttlebone better and will pick that up the next time I go out. He loves live crickets (and earthworms). I was under the impression that the bones in the crickets helped with calcium??? I just hadn't been giving him any "extra" calcium until today. It says to coat the food once or twice a week. Hopefully this will be enough And now that I finally have the correct light he can absorb it as well! I appreciate all the info here! Very interesting reading for a newbie like myself
Denise

The calcium powder will just likely wash off the crickets or any other food that goes in the water, so I don't recommend them. Cuttle bone and a good UVB light are better than calcium powder. The exoskeleton on the cricket does not provide calcium. Insect exoskeletons are composed of chitin, which is an insoluble polymer, and there's no calcium in it.

You can look for some pelleted foods that contain Vitamin D3 - Turtle Brittle by E-Nasco is a really good one, but you would have to break apart the pellets for such a little guy before feeding time. Got to http://www.enasco.com/prod/Home and enter in "Turtle Brittle" in the search engine on their page. You can only buy it on-line as far as I know. Reptomin isn't bad, Wardley's and ZooMed also make a decent pellet, although those are still a bit too big for your guy.

Earthworms are a great food - good calciumhosphorus ratio, very nutritous.

Do you have lots of hiding areas? Turtles, especially hatchlings, like to have a secure place - hatchlings are the potato chip of natural world, and they know it. They're happier with some place to hide, and a happy turtle will have a better immune system. You can get artificial silk plants at dollar stores or Wal-Mart, and just rinse them off and put them in the tank. The little guy will be amusing hiding and climbing in them.

You are aware that your turtle could grow 8-12 inches long, right? Remember, the "inch a year" recommendation is the IDEAL, but not an absolute. I've seen some very healthy turtles that grew 2-3 inches the first year. The idea is moderation. You want slow, steady growth. If it makes you feel better right now to feed small amounts twice a day, it won't hurt. BUT, once you start to notice some growth, cut back to a little more once a day. At about 2 to 3 inches is when I start feeding every other day. Your turlte is still considered a hatchling at this size. At about 2-3 inches I would say he's a juvenile, and at 4-6 he's an adult, although females don't really reach sexual maturity until 6 inches.

Offering greens - Romaine, leaf lettuce, collards, dandilion, ect. - every day or every other day is a good idea, even if he doesn't eat them yet. You can also see if an aquatic/ponding center or plant nursery sell water lettuce or water hyacinth. They float in the water and provide a sense of security for the turlte, but they often eat it, too, and it's a good food.

Katrina
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"Thanks again for the help I did get some Calcium & Vitamin D3 dust this week and tried it today for the first time. I think I'd like the cuttlebone better and will pick that up the next time I go out. He loves live crickets (and earthworms). I was under the impression that the bones in the crickets helped with calcium??? I just hadn't been giving him any "extra" calcium until today. It says to coat the food once or twice a week. Hopefully this will be enough And now that I finally have the correct light he can absorb it as well! I appreciate all the info here! Very interesting reading for a newbie like myself
Denise"