Saturday I went to this festival and they were tiny turtles, and I just had to have one.
I've never had a turtle before, but I looked up how to care for him and I don't think it will be too hard.
He is a two inch long Red Eared Slider. The lady I bought him from didn't give me any food so right now i'm feeding him "Natural Aquatic Turtle Food Hatchling Formula" by ZOO MED
I'm going shopping tonight for the things he needs.I need a detailed list of what he needs.
I have a light that I bought at pets mart two years ago for a lizard I had, and im using a regular light bulb for him now, do I need to buy a special light bulb for it?
Here is the light http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753959&lmdn=Reptile
I also have a ten gallon tank with a screen lid already. How do I need to set the tank up?
Like, does half need to be land or do I just need one small thing for land?
My house is 73 degrees right now, but it'll get warmer as winter comes, do I still need to buy a tank heater?
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com I can use regular sink water, right?
Heres a link to petsmart, if you could create direct links to each product that would be a big help.
http://www.petsmart.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2767037
Also for right now I would just like to buy what I NEED.
Include everything from water filters to supplements.
Here's an aquatic turtle essentials check list:
1) UVB lighting; Zoomed makes the best long tube style fluorescent UVB bulb to date (Reptisun), and T-rex makes the best MVB (mercury vapor bulb) on the market to date. Bulbs should be changed every year after which time UVB will no longer be produced even if visible light still is. UVB light is used in a reptile's metabolism, like food digestion and calcium absorption.
2) Heat lamp positioned over the dry land portion of the enclosure. Separate from the UVB lighting, except if using a MVB (these bulbs emit heat and UVB from one bulb.) Basking temp for most species is 90 F.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
3) REALLY good filtration system. Canister filtration is best for turtles, especially larger turtles. They are made to handle large volumes of water and large volumes of waste. Rena, Fluval, and Marineland are a few makers to look at. Be sure to do more frequent maintenance on the systems than you would with fish (more waste.) The recommended maintenance period with use with fish on these filters is normally every 4 weeks. You may get away with this with a baby turtle, but an adult will need to have the filter cleaned and media changed every 2 - 3 weeks, depending on the size and waste production of the turtle. If you are going to start out with a smaller filter first, I would get one that you are able to take apart and clean, not a cheap-y power filter (one that hang over the back of the tank.)
4) Don't use substrate; the turtle won't notice, unless you get a soft shell or a snapper. Substrate like gravel will hold poo and uneaten food and cause poor water quality. If you must have substrate, get a gravel vacuum and use it A LOT to keep it really clean.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
5) The enclosure should be 25% dry land (turtle should be able to get completely dry) and 75% water. Water should be 1.5 - 2 times the length of the turtle's shell deep. You'll need a turtle dock, or you can make your own, like stacking slate, red brick, ceramic tiles or pottery (no glazing.) A general rule of thumb is 10 gallons of tank space per inch of turtle length. For example, a 4 inch turtle should have a 40 gallons tank, at least.
6) Depending on the turtle's diet (most are omnivorous; they need veggie and "meat") you will need to buy appropriate food stuffs. Here's a good veggie list to use:
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.co ... Good "meat" sources are: feeder insects (like crickets, phoenix worms, horn worms, silk worms, red wrigglers, night crawlers, meal worms (occasionally; their outer shell is hard to digest), and wax worms (occasionally; they are mostly fat), feeder fish (feeder guppies are more nutritious than feeder goldfish), ghost shrimp, cooked unseasoned chicken, turkey, and beef heart, and tuna (in water, not oil). You can also buy pelleted food, but do not feed exclusively; it is not a complete diet.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
7) Calcium supplementation. Using a cuttle bone (just place in the water with the turtle) will help. You should also sprinkle some on food items several times a week; feeder insects are easiest as they will have to be hand fed. Plain calcium is best; you can feed it as often as you like. Calcium with vitamin D3 added should not be fed too often because the turtle can overdose on D3.
8) Water heater. The water temp should be heated and maintained at about 78 F.
