Turtle Talk

[metrogirl]

Red Ear Sliders

 

Anyone have any experience with them?

 

I rescued one that someone dumped. She's decent sized. I took her to a fish store to see if they could direct me as to how to feed her.

 

Check.

 

Now, I'm just looking for anyone that may have experience with them, how they maintained them, what they fed their turtles. I also read that turtles need their exercise time out of the water a for a little bit. How did/do you go about this?

 

I know I could google pretty much all the info I am looking for, but I guess I am seeking more personal experience here.

 

Thanks

[DaBladeRoden]

I had a painted turtle once, but I was young back then and no one knew about proper pet care in those days.

[jengh]

Oh man, I rescued one and that thing SMELLED!!! Oh it was horrible. I found Tom the Turtle a new home pretty damn quickly.

[Loki71]

Do I smell Turtle soup for dinner? lol j/k have fun with the new pet Met.

[Supa_gurl]

Awww I want a turtle. I know they smell, but they are so cute. And I could decorate it's shell for Christmas with glitter....Oh the possibilites!! Have fun Metro

[jengh]

Awww I want a turtle. I know they smell, but they are so cute. And I could decorate it's shell for Christmas with glitter....Oh the possibilites!! Have fun Metro

 

HAHAHAHAHHAAHA I just laughed out loud at that one.

[KateW1623]

I love my red eared slider! His name is Pierre and he's a badass. I had a hard time keeping reptile or fish pets healthy. He's a sturdy little guy though! He tells you when he's hungry and pretty much takes care of himself otherwise. I went to the pet store eventually to buy another turtle and a cooler aquarium because I figured he got bored in there.

 

But they're super cool!

 

Oh, and mine doesn't stink that much. Maybe it's because he's in water? I don't know. I only clean out that tank every couple weeks...and it's really tiny. FOOD! The kind of food you use matters because some breaks down really fast and some they can eat before it falls to the bottom and breaks down in the tank.

[laisla]

i had one, named Napoleon. i'll reply properly to this thread a bit later on!

[laisla]

i'm sure you could find all the basic things about taking care of a red-eared slider in manuals and on the internet. but i will try to give you some advice from what i know. things you'd need is a tank with water in it, with a big rock that your turtle can sit on that is dry. you also need some light or a heat lamp in the tank. something like this is nice link removed just make sure you fit the rocks according to the size of your turtle. you want to make it easy for her to get out of the water onto the rocks, and not to drown.

 

don't get the small pebbles for the bottom of the tank because one time my turtle tried to eat them!

 

you can feed turtles almost anything...as long as it's not rhubarb (poisonous), or cooked food which still has the skin on it. i used to give him little bits of cooked chicken, but only the meat part. no seasonings or anything else. you can feed her vegetables, fruits, fish, and of course turtle food.

 

the main thing is to keep the turtle's tank wet in some areas, dry in others, and warm. if the tank is cold your turtle will become lethargic and won't eat or move much. for the first week or so my turtle was moody and would not eat, until he began to trust me then he started eating from my hands. they may refuse the food you give them, if so the easiest way i found to feed them was to put some food on the water while they are swimming. usually they feel safer and would grab the food rather than if it was just sitting on a rock.

 

when you are feeding her you should take her out of her tank and put her in a smaller tank, or a big bowl, what ever she fits into. put some water it but also put a big rock or something she can stand on. this way when you feed her, your entire tank won't be dirtied up. turtles are messy eaters!

 

i don't know if a turtle owner has to take their turtle out of its tank. i did once in a while, i would let him out on the lawn cause i wanted him to be in touch with nature but make sure you're always around her....she could hide easily in the grass and you don't want her getting lost or going onto the road.

 

what else....well i have nephews, they were much smaller when i had Napoleon so we almost lost him a few times when my little nephew would take him out of the tank and play with him (innocently). after a while we'd wonder where the turtle went. my guy was small, he was only about 1-4 inches, so he hid very well! behind the fridge, at the edge of the rug...you've gotta be careful if kids or other pets are around.

 

oh and if you see any whitening of her shell or redness in her eyes, it might be an infection and can be easily treated if you visit the pet shop or maybe a vet. one time Napoleon had these red eyes, so we got special eye drops for him which cost almost nothing, and they cleared up in a few days.

 

always wash your hands after handling her. especially around kids.

 

hope that helps somewhat i really liked my turtle, so sad that he died.

[jengh]

hahahaha, I did this with my snake too! I'd let her climb in trees.

 

Aww, sorry he died

[laisla]

yea it was my fault i was younger and didn't really have the money to have a proper tank set up for him. so i kept him for only about 2 years.

 

i called him Napoleon cause his expressions (ok he had one expression) looked so cocky and military-like...haha...i'm weird.

[jengh]

Awww, I'm so sorry! I accidentally killed one of my gerbils and still hate myself for it.

[metrogirl]

Thanks for the info la'isla....Great info.

 

I have her in a container now, but I don't have a heat lamp, so I guess I will get one this weekend. I did see somewhere that you should take them out of the tank for a bit, so I suppose I will let her roam around while I watch over her.

 

I'm glad to know that I can feed her a variety of things.

[laisla]

yup you can...i never bought turtle food, i just fed him whatever i had. as long as you give them a variety of food so that they get their vitamins and protein. the only food i bought were krill treats