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New Baby RES, a few questions....

Jenn_A Aug 05, 2011 09:23 PM

My husband rescued 4 babies, slightly larger than a dollar coin, a few weeks ago. It's been hot as hell, their water was drying up and the site is scheduled for construction. Releasing them is not a good option, been the hottest summer on record (112 today) and everything is dried up. Anyway, I do know some, and they are growing and doing well. Have the light, filter, hides, dock and feeding turtle chow, insects(mostly wild caught) and up until a week ago, wild caught minnows and small perch. So here are my questions:

Is there a reliable way to sex these guys? I don't want more!

Will they fight if kept together?

They are in a 10 gallon tank now, water level is to the top, and I'm not heating the water, as room temp is around 80. But how warm should the water stay once winter hits? Do not want hibernation.

Right now my snake is in 125 gallon tank, we are building her a new cage, and plan to move the turtles in there. How long can I expect this to be big enough for all 4? 6 months, a year? Will it be big enough to house 2 of them for the long haul?

Do I need to supplement calcium or anything else? I have a hard time trusting turtle pellets I get at wal-mart, and pet stores carry the same brands.

They LOVE the minnows, but the creek dried up. They were eating as many as they could catch(maybe 1 or 2 a day)as I'd catch 20 and then just dump them in the tank. Should I feed them this much? I think they'd eat live prey till their shells split if they could catch it.

Anything else I should know? I do know they take alot of work, are dirty, and generally not very good pets, but the whole family now watches them instead of TV! I think we'll deal with the down side! One last thing, how do you load pictures?

Replies (1)

Linda G Aug 25, 2011 01:31 PM

You need to lower the water level to about half that. Place a basking spot on one side. Keep the basking light over this with a something around a 25 watt bulb. Check the temps. It should measure 85-90 degrees. The basking area needs to be something they can easily crawl on to that is completely out of the water. Feeding pellets is fine but I would make sure it is Reptomin pellets. They are way too young to sex right now. Keep in mind these guys get huge over a period of 4-5 years if feed correctly. My girl is 11 years old and is 12" shell length and just over 4 lbs. I raised her from a tiny hatchling They will not be able to live together if there are males(which most likely are) as they become quiet aggressive and will terrorize the others turtles sometimes even biting off body parts. You don't have to be in any huge hurry but I would find homes for some of them. Are you sure they are RES instead of Painted turtles? I would definately get a larger enclosure ASAP. Something like a 20 gallon makes maintaining temps easier. You don't want to cook them. Lastly, make sure you have a UVB source. I highly recommend the Reptisun 5.0. These can be bought online as they are expensive at petstores. This should be replaced every six months and can extend over the entire tank.
This is CRUCIAL for hatchlings!

Hope this helps. I have attached a couple of pics. The first if her outdoor pond and the second is her in her aquarium (120 gallon)in winter.

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