Hi all. I'm new to the forums . :D

[olo104]

Hi all. I'm new to the forums. And I am a first timer.

I have 'Mike' and 'Peter' for almost 3 years. They are both 2 red eared sliders, and both are male. When I brought them home, they were around a year old, so they are almost 4 years old now. I love them both very dearly.

Both of my red eared sliders taking bath. Everyday before I leave for school, I would feed them and placed their tanks under the sunlight, so they can enjoy the warmth. When I return from school, I would soak them in lakewarm water, while cleaning the tanks (they poop a lot and their shells are shedding at the moment). After that I would use a toothbrush and gently clean their shells (they really enjoy it). Then I would placed them back onto the tank and play some piano music for them to listen.

However the problem with these two, are Mike is always overactive and Peter is too quiet.

Anyway, there are lots of great information here, so I'm looking forward to learning from all of you.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
I know nothing about water turtles, but a LOT of our members do.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Wait, are they in water all the time or only when you soak them? How big is their enclosure? And what do you mean when you say you put their tank in the sun?

 

[olo104]

Wait, are they in water all the time or only when you soak them? How big is their enclosure? And what do you mean when you say you put their tank in the sun?

Their enclosure is around 60cm by 40cm. And no, the red eared sliders are not in the water all the time. There is a 25cm by 35cm floating board which they often climb on top, and usually I would put them on the floor and let them walk around. And soaking them in lakewarm water (not hot water) helps them to relax and poop (it is often done before or after bath).

And what I mean by ' put them in the sun', is that cause the tank is plastic, so it is light and easy to move. And when there is a good sun shine, I would move the plastic tank near to the window.

However, cause I am a first timer, so I am looking forward to learn more.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello there and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you, Mike and Peter.
I also don't know a lot about water turtles, so hopefully someone will be along in a minute to give you some good advice.
In the mean time there are a lot of goof threads about RESs here http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/water-turtles.101/

 

[Jodie]

I don't have turtles, but am wondering a coupe of things. Do you provide UVB? The window will block it from the sun. Also I know pairs of tortoises don't do well. Maybe there is bullying happening.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Water turtles need to be in the water all the time, and have a basking dock provided at all times. If their container is light enough for you to move, I can assure you it's too small.

 

[olo104]

I don't have turtles, but am wondering a coupe of things. Do you provide UVB? The window will block it from the sun. Also I know pairs of tortoises don't do well. Maybe there is bullying happening.
Welcome to the forum.

I don't have a UVB light for them. But I did my research on it. Providing turtles with UVB light will enable them to process calcium properly, so that they will not have a weak/soft shell. Meanwhile, for turtles to properly utilize calcium, turtles would need Vitamin D3. And if the turtle's food have Vitamin D3, then the turtles must need UVB light, oral supplements, or food containing calcium (otherwise it will result in shell deformation).

For instance, the food which my turtles are eating are small dry food with ingredients mix together (a bit similar to dry dog food). And because turtles need both Vitamins D3 and calcium, so my turtles' dry food includes Vitamins A, D3, E, B1, B2, B6 & B12, and calcium (ingredients: fish meat, shrimp). But still I am considering getting a UVB light, for safe measures.

In addition, before I was able to state out their genders, Mike always bully Peter (it was not until 4 months ago I was able to state out the genders). So they don't get along well. And one time Peter got injured from the bullying (I did bring Peter to the vet, and luckily it was not that serious). After that, I went to buy 2 plastic tanks for them to live separately.

 

[olo104]

Water turtles need to be in the water all the time, and have a basking dock provided at all times. If their container is light enough for you to move, I can assure you it's too small.

Okay. Thank you. It was very helpful for a first timer like me. I will take this under consideration.

Well, to be excat it is light enough push easily (but still a bit of heavy), but not pick up. It is too heavy to pick up it up.

But anyway, should I buy a glass tank? And as both turtles don't get along well, so is it best to buy 2 glass tanks? Or one big glass tank would be enough?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I have a couple of tips for you. Buy a bigger container. You can buy a great big plastic tub, that would be cheaper than an aquarium. Buy a good filter. Then set it up with a dock they can climb out of the water onto, and have a light positioned over the dock so they can sit there and warm up.

Feed them in a separate smaller tub and leave them in there for an hour or so before putting them back into their home tank/tub. This will keep the water clean longer. But a good filter is a must.

 

[olo104]

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I have a couple of tips for you. Buy a bigger container. You can buy a great big plastic tub, that would be cheaper than an aquarium. Buy a good filter. Then set it up with a dock they can climb out of the water onto, and have a light positioned over the dock so they can sit there and warm up.

Feed them in a separate smaller tub and leave them in there for an hour or so before putting them back into their home tank/tub. This will keep the water clean longer. But a good filter is a must.

Thank you.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello

You got some great advise , have a great tort day !

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome from the Desert !