Help!!! Have taken in a yellow bellied turtle, but have not gotta clue!

[supatips]

I keep musks myself

I ended up with a yellow slider yesterday and am currently after some advice like you are with yours

The one I have is only about the size of a 50p at the moment

One thing I can say for sure is you need a basking spot in the tank I cannot tell by the picture if your tank has one or not also leave the lid off the tank as the humidity caused by it is not good to the turtle

The basking spot serves as an area where the turtle can climb out and get warm/dry off completley

Also you need a UV tube too again you may already have one but I cannot tell from the picture again

How big is the turtle at the moment as one thing to bear in mind with these types is their adult size which if you have a female could be anywhere between roughly 9-12 inches

Hope thats been of some use

[millie_moo]

hey i have my male RES in a 4ft tank atm(will be bigger when i can afford it), although your turtle looks bigger than him.
all the above links and posters are ace - lots of experience and always helpful
this is an old pic of bob's tank i have changed bits since then but it shows a basic way to set up - the lights on the basking spot are now a UVB mercury vapor bulb 2 in 1



p.s external filter all the way!!

[supatips]

Originally Posted by millie_moo

hey i have my male RES in a 4ft tank atm(will be bigger when i can afford it), although your turtle looks bigger than him.
all the above links and posters are ace - lots of experience and always helpful
this is an old pic of bob's tank i have changed bits since then but it shows a basic way to set up - the lights on the basking spot are now a UVB mercury vapor bulb 2 in 1
image


p.s external filter all the way!!

Thats a great setup and gives me loads of ideas for the YBS I have

Sorry to threadjack slightly but how deep would you have the water for a youngster about the size of a 50p can the water be too deep at all?

[millie_moo]

he now has an under water shelf too so he can rest on pop his head out of the water, they are strong swimmers so try the water about 8inches and see how he goes as you can always take some out, i'll try and find a picture of his shelf to show you

[Davuu]

sorry to sound a killjoy but.. you rehomed it to give it a better home, but.. you cant afford to give it a better home, the tank its currently in, it hardly has room to turn around, and it will get bigger.

But you dont want to get a tub because it will make your living room untidy... health and welfare of turtle V cosmetics.

You can make it look nice, there are some nice examples on here of what people have done with larger setups, you can really make it look nice, Just because its a tub doesnt mean it has to look ugly, get some plants a bit of decor, theres lots you can do.

If not... do you have a garden? you could make an outdoor pond? again there are lots of experienced people on here that can help with that.

I just feel that your heart is in the right place, but you need some guidance. Im a sucker for taking in rescued things, I took in a blind rabbit and a guinneapig that had a fractured pelvis and an ear infection (both being sold at a pet shop as healthy) because I felt sorry for them and thought they would be put down if no-one took them:/

But the bills to fix them/ give them a decent quality of life were enormous, esp as I didnt have insurance as I just got them on impulse to rescue them. In the end, much as I loved them I had to admit defeat and rehome them to someone who knew what they were doing properly and had the funds and resources which at the time, I didnt.

[Shellsfeathers&fur]

Originally Posted by Turtlenewbie

And where am I gonna put a tub! thats gonna look even more of an eye sore in my front room the tank I have is about 4' long just want help on how to set it up properly!

Well sorry for my suggestion, but working on the recommended basis that the turtle ideally should have 40 litres per inch of shell then that means that a 4' tank is too small. Females can reach 12"+ hence why I said about a tub/indoor pond.

Good job you don't live in my house.