Yellow Bellied Sliders

[rebecca1987]

Hi, i'm looking into getting a turtle, and was just wondering if anyone on here could help me learn a bit more about looking after one before i go out and get one!
Firstly...
What size tank is required? Is it ok to have more than one in a tank, and if so how large would the tank then have to be? Are they compatible in a community aquarium, with anything other than other turtles?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

[daz30347]

for a single Yellow-Belly you are looking at at least a 6x2x2, bigger for more, which is fine.You would be better off with a map turtle or a musk turtle for a starter as they are reasonably small and do not require such a large tank. Red Eared Sliders are in between the two if you want something which isn't mahoosive but not small either.
Any turtle has the possibility of eating fish/crabs/lobster etc... so its not recommended, but i am currently thinking about the idea with my RES.

HTH John

[netty.ray]

my res has a 8inch shell and still growing

[Graham]

Not quite true, RES and YBS both grow to the same size with females reaching around 12", and female maps are not much smaller at 10", the tank required for an adult map isn't going to be significantly smaller than that for a slider. Males of both species are smaller of course, but it's not possible to sex the hatchlings that you typically buy them as.

For tank sizes have a read of the sticky at the top of this section, where you'll also find an article on filtration.

You might want to join a specific forum such as the Terrapin Tank, which I'm not allowed to post a link to, it's easily found through Google though.

[rebecca1987]

Hey, thanks for the quick replies! Much appreciated!
Just had another google search to see if i could find out anymore, i REALLY want one! i am definitely going to have to buy everything for it, including the tank (a uv light?) etc, I want to make sure i get everything right! I've read they need a land area as well? any suggestions for how this can be achieved? I'm still not sure which type of turtle to get, to be honest i was naive in thinking there weren't that many types! Whats the smallest type that is available to buy in the UK? I have the space for a reasonably large tank but would rather have 2 smaller turtles than one larger i think.

[Graham]

The smallest species available in the UK is the Common Musk, they rarely exceed 4-5" as adults whether male or female, they are hardy little turts and very entertaining to watch, an ideal beginners turt.
Whichever species you get you'll need a UVB lamp and a spotlamp for heat, or a combined Mercury Vapour lamp.
Most species don't need a land area exactly, just a basking area where they can get right out of the water and completely dry, it doesn't need to be very big.
One thing you need to consider if you have more than one turt, whichever species you get, is that at some point they may not get on together and may need to be separated. This is most likely to happen with two males as they can be quite territorial, or with a single male and female as he may pester her too much.

[netty.ray]

sorry to jump in graham my musk has got alga on his shell should i clean it off or just leave it?

[Graham]

You can clean it off gently with a soft child's toothbrush and water.