Tips from anyone who has/had one on upkeep/location/comfortable temp? I've got one from a friend who was going to get rid of it, & Im thinking of putting it in my office. Do you have to regulate their body temp with a light like other reptiles?

1/13/2007 10:36:06 PM

Yeah, you need UVA and UVB light, their shell gets nutrients from the sun so you'll have to mimic it. I don't remember alot about turtles but keep one side around 80 and the other 76...don't use a heated rock, it could burn them. I'm pretty sure you'll need some aquascaping but that depends on what kind of turtle it is, make sure to have dechlorinator. They're not too complicated minus the lights.

1/13/2007 10:53:10 PM

the only thing about having it in your office is what happens on the weekends and holidays when no one is there?

1/13/2007 11:10:23 PM

My roommate and I used to dump bags of fish in the water part and it'd be good for a couple weeks usually

1/13/2007 11:11:51 PM

ya really easy, i got two babies, had them wow for like over 4 years now.
Just proper heating with head lamps. I got them a in water/out water ramp so they can get in and out easily to dry off.

Watch how much you feed them do not over feed them is also key.

if you are going on vacation you can get a fish feeder and put the pellets in there.

1/13/2007 11:26:02 PM

Place some earth worms/grubs in the soil, so they can learn how to feed themselves naturally. You can also feed them lettuce to clean out their guts and intestinal trac.

1/14/2007 12:07:48 AM

I think its a yellowbelly slider. I have a co worker who'll do the feeding on my days off, and were not closed again till thanksgiving (If i do leave I'll make arrangements to have him fed.

RE: the light source: Where do get a UVA/UVB light? Home Depot?

Also, he has this sort of hazy film on the top of his shell. Should I use a toothbrush or something to remove this or leave it be? Im not sure, but I've never seen anything like that on a turtle in the wild

1/14/2007 9:31:49 AM

I found just a desk lamp to work fine but somebody else may know better. Also give him a rock or something to bask on if he wants and obviously enough water that he can submerge himself. If he can heat himself up and cool himself off he'll do pretty well on his own regulating his temperature.

1/14/2007 10:00:13 AM

Yeah his tank-like thing that came with him has a little ramp for him to climb on & 'sun' (complete with cheap plastic palm tree).

I'd have used a desk lamp & not asked any questions except for Kiwi's mentioning of needing UVA/UVB light for the health of his shell. I dont have any natural sunlight coming in my office & I want to makse sure he stays healthy

1/14/2007 10:24:26 AM

When I worked at the museum, we fed our yellow-bellied sliders turtle brittle, they loved that shit. Just change the water often, they make a huge friggin mess.

1/14/2007 11:21:40 AM

justfuckingoogleit

1/14/2007 11:30:23 AM

go to petsmart...tell them you have a turtle...ask about lights/food sources

1/14/2007 11:46:22 AM

Cuff and Link

1/14/2007 12:12:34 PM

turtle! turtle!

1/14/2007 12:50:36 PM

I've researched online on how to care for him, but most of these sites look like a class project by some kid and don't really provide any helpful information

I live on the outer banks, the closest petsmart is over an hour away

[Edited on January 14, 2007 at 1:53 PM. Reason : .]

1/14/2007 1:53:02 PM

There is plenty of information out there. just google "Care sheet for slider turtles". i found tons of good informative sites.
Please make sure you provide UVA and UVB light. The bulbs can be expensive but you run the risk of metabolic bone disease.
They need larger tanks than most people think and the water gets messy fast and needs to be cleaned very regularly either by water changes or a filtration system.
Sliders can get to be around 12 inches and will need larger habitats as they grow. (and don't believe the misconception that keeping it in a small tank will make it stay small NOT TRUE)
Search online for supplies if there is not pet store nearby. Any petstore will carry the supplies you need. so look around for a "Pet supplies plus" or any mom&pop run store. Petsmart isn't the only pet store in the world (although it is starting to monopolize it)
However you can order from Petsmart online and have what you need delivered.
or http://turtlesale.com/home.html
[link]http://www.petdiscounters.com/Turtle-Supplies-c19.html[link]

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesturtles/a/aquaticturtles.htm

[Edited on January 14, 2007 at 3:04 PM. Reason : links]

1/14/2007 3:01:07 PM

You can purchase a small filter for the water to help keep the water cleaner longer, if you have a large tank only do a small percentage of the water during a water change, there is good bacteria growing that will help the animal. Glass filters out a lot of the UVA/B rays so putting it up to a window is a bad idea.

Oh and don't listen to this crap:

Quote :

"I found just a desk lamp to work fine but somebody else may know better. Also give him a rock or something to bask on if he wants and obviously enough water that he can submerge himself. If he can heat himself up and cool himself off he'll do pretty well on his own regulating his temperature. "

The rock is a good idea but turltes use the suns heat to warm themselves. They can regulate their temperature alright but if you work in a cold office or even room temperature they won't be happy. Some UVA lamps put off heat but check out all the bulbs. When you set up the tank put the heat source on one side so he can travel and cool off on the other(most likely where the water is).

As far as the film goes, if you can wipe it off do so, the shell is a protective covering to prevent infections and such, if it sticks to the shell maybe get it checked out.

Also I didn't know you lived on the OBX so ignore what I said about the Pet Pad.

1/14/2007 9:30:03 PM

here's some stuff you could get offline from petsmart...or at the least it may give you an idea of some things that you might need to buy for its health and want to buy for its leisure.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/search/search_results.jsp?In=Reptile&N=2036842&Ne=2

1/14/2007 10:54:35 PM

9/10 petsmart employees dont know shit about animals. just cuz they work at a pet store doesnt mean they know what the hell they're talking about.

1/15/2007 1:43:10 AM

ask this guy

1/15/2007 2:42:41 AM

Or this guy:

1/15/2007 11:00:35 AM

i bet google has a ton of useful information

1/15/2007 11:28:39 AM

awww you're still alive! what're you gonna name the turtle

1/15/2007 12:02:37 PM