Red Eared Sliders Need Love Too

Hey Guys!

I have been getting emails about putting up some “legitimate” info on turtles up… Here we GO!

Turtles used to be kept in unfiltered, confined basically gross fish bowls and consequently they ended up getting Salmonella and causing health scares…… Ok so basically make sure you house your turtle correctly. Aquariums and the equipment needed to run them are very expensive. However don’t worry… be happy! I have mastered perfect turtle care on starving student funding.

1) Tank- For anything above 4″-5″ you need 20+ gallons for them to swim in! Don’t worry Emma that won’t be for a while! Ok guys if you don’t want to step up to the $200 a nice aquarium is going to cost you buy an IRIS or Rubbermaid tank. You know what I’m talking about! Go to The Container Store and for $30 you can get a 33 Gallon Tub! Thats Huge! I have 2 Adult and One Juvenile Turtles chilling in one of those and they love it! I would strongly suggest against gravel as all it serves as is a turtle turd sponge! Also it may look pretty but once the turtles get to it they will re-landscape for you!

2)Water Heat- These guys live outside in ponds so they are pretty darn hardy. Just make sure the tank does not dip below 50 degrees for extended periods of time as that will result in hypothermia.

3)Basking Platform- They will need a basking platform above water that they can warm up on and absorb some essential UVB and UVA rays from either your lite or the sun! DO NOT BUY THE STUPID FLOATING LOG! I got one and every time my adult turtles get on it, it sinks!

4)Heat/UVB Lamp- You will need one of these if your turtle does not have access to unfiltered sunlight. For instance being next to a closed window will heat him up but wont let UV rays in. The basking spot should be about 85 degrees. 5 degrees either way won’t hurt.

5)Water-  This is the most important part!  They live, eat, pee, poop, drink and reproduce in the water they swim in.  Consequently its quality is very important to you!  Whenever you put water into a tank for an aquatic animal you need to de-chlorinate it as well as getting out the ammonia, hard metals and other harmful chemicals.  To do this you must have water treatment ’stuff’.  Also I would suggest a bottle of good bacteria that dissolves solid waste in your tank.  It can be found down the reptile and/or aquatic aisle in most pet stores.  Ok last but not least make sure you have a good filter that you maintain rigorously.

6)FOOD- Finally the most interesting part!  Ok first of all if you don’t have a cuttlebone or “Turtle Log” you need to get one.  This is a block of calcium (the most important part of a turtles diet) that floats on the water and the turtles chew on as needed.  Then…. well variety rules.  Feed you turtle the most varied diet you can find/afford.  These guys are omnivorous so they eat anything!  I would suggest trout chow and/or turtle sticks as the main part of their diet.  Then let them have some fun and feed them fish, mealworms, wax worms, earthworms, crickets, cockroaches and for full grown adults baby mice.  Also put fresh greens in there occasionally as this is good for them!

Have fun and if you guys have any questions comment!