Question about the care for Red Ear Slider Turtle

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k0y0te

k0y0te

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 8, 2009
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Florida
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First im sorry for such a long post. Please bare with me.
I have a friend that going to give me 3 small red ear sliders. All of them are between 4"-6". I have done some research but still have some questions. I am getting complete setups. I dont know much about the setups right now but what i do know is that 2 of them are in a 75 gallon and one is in a 30 gallon. I have a 250 gallon indoor that i would love to see them in. The pond is located in my fishroom (converted garage) The fish room is not heated but it is a/c'ed. At the moment the only thing in the pond is 3 bluegill. i did have others but i pull them out for the winter. I live in central florida so i never see snow but it can be chilly at times. I understand the risk of haveing turtle with fish but im willing to chance it.

Now for my question(s) Will i need to get a heater for the pond??? will they be ok without one??? I getting a few heatlamp with the setup. will they be ok with just the heatlamps??? Some sun hits on the pond in the afternoon but its only for about an hour or so then the trees block direct sunlight. My friend that im getting the turtles from feeds them pellets, veggies and feeder fish. I know from keeping fish that feeders are a no no(unless u raise them yourself) but is it safe to give turtles the feeders???

With the setups i am geting, filters, lamps, items they can use to sun on to get out of the water, is there anything else as for equipment i should have???
 
Not sure I have ever seen a 250 gallon anything so I can't picture how big it is but just be aware that red ear sliders get to a pretty decent size. Also you mentioned the pond being in a room but the sun hits it. If the sun is just coming in through a window it won't be good enough. You need to have a UVB lamp in addition to the heat lamp and glass blocks UVB
Feeder fish are just as nasty for reptiles as they are for fish unless, like you said, you are breeding them yourself. However even then they cannot be fed as a staple diet because they have high amounts of thiaminase which leads to a vitamin B deficiency.
There are also theories that turtles fed live prey are more aggressive and less personable with their owners. I don't keep turtles so have no experience to say...
You can give fish as a treat from time to time but small pieces of cooked chicken are a much better treat that turtles really seem to enjoy. pellets and dark leafy greens should be the main diet.
 
Hmm Just realized that the bit about thiaminase blocking vitamin B absorption is something that happens to snakes that are fed feeder fish.... I am not actually sure if it effects turtles in the same way
 
thx for the info :)
 
Turtles have the same issue with thiaminase as well, but it depends on what type of feeder it is, things like guppies, minnows, etc are quite fine. What I do is put about 40 a month in my tank and let my turtles feed on them as they choose, while still feeding them pellets, veggies, etc on an every other day schedule. You will need a UVB light for them as already stated, but other than that it seems you have a nice little area for them
 
cool. thx for the info. should i get a heater for the pond???
 
that will be a great set up. they are also tough little guys so dont sweat the small stuff. ihave seen theseguys so abused and doing fine. as for heater you dont need much can deal with pretty cool temps. bluegills will get tails shredded. leave light for basking on longer and enjoy. oh i have kept turtles before 2 red ears and a16" common snapping turtle
 
What is the water temp now in the pond, if its 70 or above you should be fine
 
right now its 72 f but i have seen it drop to the low 60's during the winter
 
a water heater might be needed then
 
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