Yellow Bellied Slider Turtles!

[jellypigs]

I'm looking at buying two baby yellow bellied turtles. I'm looking for a tank thats about 20 gallons at least (which is actually proving quite difficult seeing as i have a budget ) I just have a few questions for those of you who have turtles already:

So, tanks come with the UV light in the lid? So, do i need to buy an extra basking lamp or does the UV provide sufficient heat and light for my turtles to have a lovely bask!? If i do need another light for basking, where the hell do i connect that up?

Any other helpful advice would be VERY much appreciated. I'm so excited =)

 

[chelle]

hubby has 2 sliders they are entertaining critters and quickly learn to beg for food everytime they see you so beware over feeding!! he fitted a reptile light to his tank, best to ask in the shop where u buy the sliders for advice.
they grow quite fast and are very strong so get the largest tank you can possibly afford (secondhand is always an option!)or have space for. they need quite a large basking area plus some reasonable swiming space. also make sure you wash your hands well after handling them as they can carry salmonella

good luck!!!!

 

[jellypigs]

hubby has 2 sliders they are entertaining critters and quickly learn to beg for food everytime they see you so beware over feeding!! he fitted a reptile light to his tank, best to ask in the shop where u buy the sliders for advice.
they grow quite fast and are very strong so get the largest tank you can possibly afford (secondhand is always an option!)or have space for. they need quite a large basking area plus some reasonable swiming space. also make sure you wash your hands well after handling them as they can carry salmonella

good luck!!!!

Thank you! The tank i've seen is 48 inches long, which is big enough to last i think!?

 

[my fat fish]

that tank will be big enough 4 now but eventuall would be ideal to have a 100gal+ im going to wright a pin up topic about thses later as i think it would be useful thers alot more to turtles they meets the eye lol
also make sure u dont use gravel in the tank terrapins have been known to mistake it for food during feeding time and it eat it n well die lol they dont have the best eyesight

 

[jellypigs]

can i use sand?How about a list of things i need? I have a basic idea but i'm getting confused. I need an idiots guide! Thermostat to heat water etc.

 

[my fat fish]

well ya in look i made that thread somewher it aint compleat yet but ill get ya the linkhttp/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=215147

 

[chelle]

good thread fat fish

jelly i personally wouldnt use sand, turtles produce LOTS of mess and waste and honestly it will make ur life much easier to keep the tank bottom as clear as possible. hubby uses some peices of large slate so that u dont get that 'bare tank' look they are easy to remove when u are doing ur weekly water change and clean (believe me u will need to do this otherwise ur turtles will stink!!!!) its also a good idea to have a container to put ur turtles into when feeding them not only does this give u time to interact with them but also reduces the mess in the tank ..... we use a large ice cream container and my daughter turtle sits and watches them whilst they eat

 

[jellypigs]

Yeah i've gone against sand now. Will definitely invest in some nice rocks and things to keep him entertained!

Am going to feed him in a seperate tank too, or most of the time anyway. He'll get used to that after a while and then won't feel so bad when he's in there for an hour or two whilst i clean his home, right? =D

 

[my fat fish]

wouldent recommend takign him out each time to feed him as they also get stressed out being moved around alot. tho it is recomended to handle them for 2 mins a day from when there young.
as for the home cleaning just use a big filter (try and kill the current as much as u can tho whilst young) then just change 20-30% of the water each week like you would ur fish and rember to declorinate the water aswell