new to forum and first time turtle owner!

[coco&chanel]

hi, we have purchased two yellow bellied turtles today with the set up that was recommended by our local pet shop. we have a 24x18x18 tank with a turtle dock, an exo terra 5.0 uvb bulb and a filter for up to 100l. we have some exo terra river bed sand and pebbles at the bottom. we have never kept turtles before and were wondering whether we have got everything and are doing everything right? the shells are around 1.5" long. how often do we feed them? also, since putting the sand in the water has stayed quite murky - i take it the filter will clear this up?

as we are new to owning turtles any advice would be great!!

thanks
hayley

[James_T]

Hi there,

Have a read of this: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/shell...terrapins.html

You'll need a heat source for the basking area, a normal household spot bulb will do for now. The basking site should be heated to around 32C. To clear the water up, you may need to do a couple of big water changes. You'll also need to plan an upgrade, otherwise you'll struggle to keep the water clean.

[Graham]

As James says you'll need a heat lamp in addition to the UV, assuming it's a flourescent tube you're using? They don't emit enough heat for the 32-35°C you need for the basking area.

You don't mention a water heater either? If they are hatchlings then you'll need to heat the water for at least the first 6 months or so.

Hatchlings need feeding once a day every day, an amount equivalent to the volume of their head, as they get older you can reduce the feeding frequency, but obviously as their size increases so will the amount of food.

In addition to the caresheet that James linked to have a read of this Slider specific one The Terrapin Tank - www.TerrapinTank.co.uk -

[scots_pine]

Just like Graham said,

And as for the sand, stick it in a sieve or similar and run hot water through it until the water runs clear

[coco&chanel]

yeah we have a water heater as well. been told to keep the water about 25-27. its currently on 27. we got given some turtle food and we also got some bloodworm. we have fed them the turtle food once a day. how often can we feed the bloodworm? is that seen as a treat or can we do that everyday?
also, should they be a certain distance from the uvb?

[Graham]

For a 5% UVB a distance of 6" will be OK, much more than that and it won't do any good, when it needs replacing in 6 months time you'd do better to get a 10% compact instead.

Bloodworm is best fed as a treat, it's nutritionally poor.

[coco&chanel]

ok thats great, thanks. so apart from the turtle food what else can we feed them? or is it just the dried food?

[Graham]

You need to feed them a variety of food, a diet based on good quality pellets is a good start, as it ensures they get essential vitamins and minerals and some basic protein. You can add to this various small aquatic inverts, crustaceans, snails etc..., and aquatic plants such as Duckweed, Watercress, Canadian Pondweed (Elodea canadensis).
Small pieces of lean meat and fish can also be offered as occassional treats, but be careful not to feed too much protein.

If you read the caresheets that we posted links to they should answer all of these basic questions.