Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My sister in law moved to Chicago and asked if we would take in her turtle. Sure, why not, how big can it be?

Well, we now have a RES, full grown. His name is Barky Bark, we call him Gamera. They had it in a 20 gallon short with a couple of inches of water. I've got it in my 35 tall with about a foot of water and a nice basking area. Going to try and find someone to trade the 20 and 35 for a 50 - I think that's probably a better size tank.

I'm using a Filstar XP2. This turtle apparently likes the water at 80 or so. Any cooler and he becomes inactive. I've got a 100 watt UV and a 75 watt for the basking area. His tank is by a window. I made the top from light fixture eggcrate - great method for herp tank tops!

So, what else do I need to know? I already took the substrate out after finding him trying to eat the gravel. He gobbles food, so he's happy I guess.

Photos attached at the link.
Link

Barky Bark is a female turtle
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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

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sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]

Kinda thought from the shell it was a male. Oh well, another woman in the house. Females: 6, males 5.

Hehe, on sliders you tell sex by the nails and tails...in your case your slider has short stubby nails, compared to my male:

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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

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sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]

The water should be much deeper - at least as deep as the shell is long. You might want to look for floating cork bark at some of the pet stores, so that you can have a basking spot that lets you raise the water level without taking up room in the tank, and that also is less abrasive to the shell. The basking spot you have there is a shell rot problem waiting to happen, as the rocks there look like they can scratch or scrape the shell.

Since you seem pretty handy, how about trying to make a basking platform from small diameter PVC pipe? I've seen cork bark attached to PVC pipe that ran from the outside of one wall, over the edge, down the inside glass, across the tank at the water level, and back up and over the other side of the glass, making a sort of "U" shape with overhanging edges. Holes can be drilled into the the cork bark, so that the bark can be zip-tied to the pipe. This way you can use a smaller piece of bark, and make sure it stays under the basking spot, too.

Katrina

You mean like in this diagram? Sorry it's crude, but it looks natural that way :-/

If I read your description right, the frame would go from one end to the other at an angle and the bark would be at the end out of the water. This particular turtle seems to have a lot of problems with climbing - a gradual slope would be better. It actually sounds like a good idea; that way she could swim the entire length of the tank. The thing spends a LOT of time in the water, even all night. I assume that's normal for these.

Sorry, I've got more questions about Barky Bark.

I've been trying to find some accurate information regarding feeding. Information seems to be quite varied regarding feeding.
I've seen everything from feeding them what they'll eat in 2 minutes to 45 minutes. The container says 30 minutes. What I'm doing is since Barky now knows her food canister, is show it to her and if she goes to her feeding spot, I drop in some pellets and if she wants more, she pops her head up and down so I feed her some more. She'll look at me and squint that cute little eye at me, so I feed her more.

So what is the rule of thumb per day? 1/2 cup? 1/4 cup? All at once, over the day, a couple of times a day? Also, what kind of greens or veggies are good? Lettuce? Turnip greens? Parsley? I tried a couple pieces of lettuce and it was just sniffed at. Do Sliders like sweet or sour veggies? If she's had nothing but pellets all her life, how do I convince her to eat veggies?

Also, I've added a smooth rock so it's a lot easier for her to get onto the basking area without scraping her lower shell. I'm working on a wood based basking area for her. In the meantime I've been able to make the rock pile higher and I've also added another 3-4 inches of water for swimming. She sits there all day looking out the window and swims all night. Do these things EVER sleep?

And what about exercise? I've let her out a few times but she takes off to the hardest place to get her out from. Since she has a history of nipping, I don't want to reinforce this habit by grabbing at her when she's in an isolated spot. Should I set up like a 'playpen' for her to roam around in? Should it be a running track (long and narrow) or big and square?

Other than that, there's some spots on the shell where white is showing through due to shedding. I'm assuming this is normal. If not should I put in more of that "stress coat" stuff or is there something for turtles?
Link

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Proud dad of:
4 tree frogs
5 toads
3 cats
several fish
2 turtle

LOL, there food should not be measured in cups! No more than what would fit in their heads at any one time. Only feed pellets every 2 or 3 days, no more than would fit in her head. Greens should be offerred daily. Lettuce is mostly water, and is low in nutrients. Mustard greens, turnip greens, anacharis plants, and other aquatic plants are good. You can also vary her diet with crickets, earthworms or other live insects from the petstore.

RES will beg and eat forever, and overfeeding them is a big problem. They will become overweight and have kidney and liver problems. Please dont overfeed your turtle!
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A mans got to do what a mans got to do. A woman has to do what he can't.

Mom to:

1 little boy born 7/19/04
2 male RES, born 1999
1 ribbon snake, age unknown
3 FBT, ages unknown
1 female bearded dragon, born 5/2002
1 male lab mix, born 5/24/03
1 female calico cat, born 6/7/04

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sig file edited 1/29/05 [phw]