Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

Recently me and my girlfriend rescued this Red Ear Slider from a very bad place. He was kept in a small carrying case with no water, heat, UVA/UVB lights, no place to climb on, and with water so low that he was unable to swim. He would just lift his head up above the water for breathing. He was kept like this for almost a year and a half, and because of lack of proper care he hadn't grown a bit. Surprisingly, he still survived and we were to rescue him.

We took him to a pet store and the guy immediately told us that it's going to be expensive to get this turtle set up. We were shocked, but we still did it. We got him a 15 gallon tank, with a zoo med basking area, a light for heat, UVA & UVB lights, underwater heater, and a decent filteration system. The only problem is that we are coming in on some difficulties with setting up the cage.

It seems as though the light bulb for heat is a bit too strong and the RES doesn't go to the end of the basking are to bask, he only stays at the edge. We tried adjusting it and it still stays pretty high. I am using my laser thermometer that I use for my boas to measure the basking areas and the water, and the basking area is showing over 100 degrees. Another problem we are facing is that we can't get a small enough fluorescent fixture to fit our tank and with the other light we can't really position it properly over the basking area. And from what I understand the UVA/UVB lights aren't very useful when pointed at the water. The last problem we are having is our filter system. WE are using a hanging filter system with chemical, mechanical, and biological media. It's a very nice filter, however, it's preventing the turtle from swimming. The sucktion is too strong and won't allow the turtle to properly swim. I tried reducing it, but that didn't work either. Also the fall on the water seems to be too strong and disrupts the water constantly. We tried raising the water, but we can only raise it so high and the waterfall is still too strong.

Sorry if this was a bit long, but this is the first time we've ever dealt with a RES and we are trying to make this turtles life a lot more enjoyable than it was. I've been reading a lot of care guides to help us, but these are the things I still can't figure out. I was thinking of using a mercury vapor light bult to get rid of the problem of having all those different lights running into each other, but the only problem is that they seem to be way too big for the 15 gallon enclosure and companies don't make any smaller than 100 watts. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know, so I can help this young turtle. Thank you very much in advance.

Good for you for taking it in ad giving it a home.

This should solve many of your problems. I am assuming
the turtle isn't much bigger than a hatchling?

You can use a regular old household bulb that you would
use for a lamp. Use whatever wattage necessary but if the
tank is 20 gallons or less, a 25 watt should be enough.
Make sure you test the temp and adjust accordingly.

You can buy a Reptisun 5.0 in I believe a 13 inch. Just
go to one of the home improvement stores and buy a fluorescent
fixture for it. Make sure there is no plastic or glass
in between the light and your turtle.

For the filter, be very careful as small turtles can be
drowned from the suction of the larger filters. Once again,
go to a home improvement store and buy a small pond or
statuary filter like used for outdoor water features. They
are very safe, inexpensive and for small turtles, keeps the
water pretty clean with normal cleanings.

I raised my hatchlings using all of the above. Good
luck and let us know if you have any other questions.
Here is one of my babies now (she is 8 years old and 3 lbs)

Linda

Thanks for the help! I currently have a Repti sun 10.0 at 18". I'm going to go and return it for the 5.0. I'm wondering though, is there a way to get the basking area light and the UV light pointed at the basking area? Because if I put the fixture on, it will block the light for the heat. Or does it not matter if I put the UV anwhere on the tank? And lastly, how long do you think before I will have to replace all these for something bigger?

- Ali

http://redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=14

go to that site and you will see so many pictures of set ups. They will answer all your questions on RES.

The general rule is to keep the heat lamp about 12-18" from the basking spot. At least this is what I've heard. But just check the temps with your hand, and if you can't hold your hand in front of the bulb(12-18" without feeling as if you were in the hot sun, get lower wattage.

Maybe buy some calcium power too to mix with its food. But be careful: try not to overdue it and lavish this turtle with a sudden barrage of health care, especially those from the pet shops.

ReptoMin will boost its vitality and vitamin intake. The heat bulb, although good for it to get out of the water, is not sufficient enough. Natural sunlight, eventually, will be what it needs, and for this, be very careful.