Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: hi

[evilsr20degg]

i was just given a turtle by my friend she sells them at the mall. either way i figured ide introduce myself and ill take pics once i get the tank and everything else set-up right now his tank is pretty bare just something for him to lay on and some water i have a light on him but at this point no filtration system and no real UV lights either ill be picking everything up for that later on this week.

will he be ok for 4-5 days with out the filtration system in there?

[Stacey]

You might want to feed in a separate container until you get a filter. It will help with the mess from the food and the poop.

Oh, and welcome

[marisa]

Hi and welcome.

How big a tank do you have the little fella/gal in?

[evilsr20degg]

its about 10 gallons maybe a lil larger. my roommate used to have 2 box turtles in it. so it should be plenty of room for a couple of months. im plannin on getting another one on the 19th.

[evilsr20degg]

oh and im lookin up what exactly i need to get so if someone could help me out i would greatly appreciate it. right now i have the tank, a clamp light with 100w bulb in it, and a basking place for the lil creature.

i know i need a filter type thing and what should i do for i guess it would be bedding(sand or bigger rocks?) sadly i cant get in touch with my friend till monday and im thinkin of ordering everything i neeed for him/her today.

[marisa]

A 100-watt bulb sounds like it would be too hot for a ten-gallon tank, so I'd be careful about the placement of it. Checking with a thermometer would be good (a temp of 88-90F would be good). Your turtle will need a UVB light as well.

You could leave the bottom bare. Some people (including me) use smooth river rocks larger than the head on the bottom. It's up to you.

You'll need a filter. If your getting a bigger tank on the 19th, I'd plan to get the filter then. Figure on one that's rated for about 3X the size of the tank (if you get a 20-gallon tank for example, get a filter for a 60-gallon tank).

[flutterby]

I only have a 40 watt (plus the UVB) and its more than plenty.

[evilsr20degg]

well i dropped the bulb down to a 60w....thats all thats in the house right now.

filter UVB i think thats all i need?? the tank just looks so dull. i should get him some guppy friends

[jenaero]

If you want to pretty up the tank a bit, get some fake plants that suction to the side of the tank (my girls like to sleep on them). I'm assuming your turt is a hatchling. When mine were that small I bought a reptile cave that they loved to hide in. I also have river rocks on the bottom that they like to push around. Guppies are good too. Chasing them around will give him some exercise.

On a side note, I shudder to think of 2 boxies being in that small tank. Did she upgrade or get rid of them?

[evilsr20degg]

the box turtles were dead when i moved in i dont know the whole situation with them but im sure my roommate did something stupid...hes not the brightest crayon in the box. as for the plants counds like a good idea i took a pic of the turtle and the tank a lil while ago ill upload them sometime tonight.

how can i tell if its a boy or girl...the name is set either way just want to know.

how often should i see him/her basking? and is it bad when i move even remotely near the tank he/she jumps into the water and hides from me?

any suggestions on filtration systems im lookin at them now not sure on what i need

this was one helluva surprise for me....at least she didnt give me a puppy

[3walcks]

hi and welcome. my best friend just surprized me
(well my 3 year old son ) with a baby res. i like you asked what i need and got the greatest help from these guys. i rushed to my local pet shop and got what i needed and when i bought the uvb bulb i just about had a heart attack. it was 31 something for 1 bulb. but i got it and then i was reading through old post in here and came across this site it is the best site to order your stuff out of. i found the same light bulb i got in there and still with shipping it was 10 $ cheaper so i recomend lookin there.
it is 4littlepets.com i know i will be ordering from there from now on. as far as a filter i have a little repto filter and i just added a aqua tech 30 to 60 gall. filter from tetra. i also have a 10 gallon ffor now so that sould be plenty enough. good luck and welcome

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

Welcome to the board:D

There is also www.craigslist.org