Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: I think I might need help

[NikkiD]

Hi everyone,
I just got two turtles yesterday from a coworker who could no longer keep them, (had a baby and was afraid of the germs). The first thing I did when I got them was give them all new water, since the water had stuff floating all in it. Now the water is nice and clear. I got them rocks to climb onto, and I UVB light above it for them to bask. And the filter is running well to keep them clean. Unfortunately they had to go for two car rides in the past 24 hours because of the move. They seem to be fine now. At the moment, they ar both sitting on top of the rocks basking in the light, (the little one on the big ones back). Right now I'm mostly afraid that I missed something or doing something wrong. They are at least a year old now, not to sure exactly how old they are. The little one seems to be shedding from his back, while the larger one seems to like it's privacy, hiding under a floating rock. Is there anything I should be looking out for or need to do to ensure their health right now?

[cam722]

Hi and welcome..

For starters I'd suggest you do lots and lots of reading.. You'll get sick of us all saying that.. but it's the best "defense" against sick turtles.

You can start with the main website index ..

http://redearslider.com/index_topics.html

another thing you'll get tired of hearing, is my next question.. What is your setup like, tank size, heating, lights, basking/water temps, filter.. and what you feed them and how much and how often.

After getting that info we can help you a bit more [/url]

[NikkiD]

I think I've pretty much read every part of this web site. The tank is a 25 gallon tank filled roughly half way up, so they have no way to escape (I read they like to try to escape). I have a heating pad attached to the bottom of the tank keeping thewater at 74 degrees. I have a themometer in the tank, with green and white lines so the if it's in the green area, it's good, if it's in the higher or lower yellow areas, it's not so good. I have a UVB bulb, 15W/120V right above the basking area. I have a large whisper carbon Turtle tank filter, which seems to work great. I used a few drops of "Clear Water" and Biotize waste degrader. I read that after a year old, they eat every other day the amount the size of their head. My problem here is, I don't know when the previous owner fed them last. I got them yesterday around noon and I gave them a little food around 3:00 or so, but they didn't really eat. The same with this morning around 11. I have basic pellets that were bought at Wal*Mart. The little one has been swimming around all afternoon while the larger one is basking. They seem relativily happy, but I don't really know how to tell.
Also, since I live in an apparment with other people, I'm keeping them in my own bedroom, for now, until I'm sure I can trust my roomates with my new babies. The filter is relatively quiet and doesn't bother me in the day, but at night I need quiet to sleep, is it ok to turn it off, or should I just deal with it and get over it. Also, I know they like to bask, but should I turn off the light at night, since if they were wild, the sun would go down anyways. I don't want to screw up any sleeping habits. I'm trying to go by this web sites helpful instructions, but there are a few uncertainties that I just want to make sure I get right.
Thanks for all the help, I appreciate it.

[jenaero]

I noticed you have uvb (great, btw) but you didn't mention uva for heat. They'll need that too if you don't already have it.

Welcome

[NikkiD]

I meant to mention that. I have a plain 75W soft white bulb from Wal*Malrt that I have in a plain desk lamp. I only plan on using that when the sun isn't out. I read that natural sunlight if just better. Is that ok?

[cam722]

You're right about the day/night cycle. You should keep them on no more than 12 hours a day, or the same length of time the sun is out. I had to laugh at the part where you said you need quiet to sleep as I'm just the opposite, I can't stand total quiet so the noise of the filter is a good thing for me. I really can't comment on whether it's good or bad to turn off the filter at night but I'd err on the said of .. just learn to deal with it, or find a quieter filter

I've never heard of anyone using a heating pad under a turtle tank. Most of us use fully submersible heaters. Is it a heating pad made specifically for reptiles? I have seen those, I'd not want to use a regular heating pad because of the weight of the water. I'm just kind of freaking with electric and water so near to each other like that..

The regular lightbulb is good for heating the basking area, it's not really just for light. Sunlight should be direct and not through glass or anything else as it filters out the beneifical rays. So put the UVB and the UVA over the basking area. You're better off going to like Home Depot or a store like that and buying a clamp lamp to attach directly to the tank than using a regular lamp. That way you can direct the light specifically to the basking area.

[NikkiD]

The heating pad came with the tank from my coworker, who said he'b been using in this past year. It is a reptile glass tank heating pad, 120 VAC/60Hz/24W made by ZooMed "Save the Reptiles" which is keeping the water at a constant 76 degrees.
Thanks for all the help.

[NikkiD]

I forgot, I meant to show everyone a pic. So the camera quality isn't the best, but I guarentee, they're adorable.

[NikkiD]

Oh, and they put themselves like this, I had nothing to do with the pose, I swear!!!!

[cam722]

Turtles are known for stacking Even though the photo quality isn't great, their shells appear to be in rather good shape. I'd direct that UVA light over all the basking area.. and you may need to upgrade that basking area soon as it looks like small/medium zoomed dock and your turtles are getting to the size where they won't both be able to comfortably bask on it.

[buffyfan9005]

They do look to be in good health.

As for turning the filter off at night because of noise...I did that once and the next morning the water was misty. The noise of my filter was just the water hitting the tank water hard as it cycled so I moved the filter further down in to the tank and it fixed the problem. Is your filter just machnically loud?

[TinySlider2]

Welcome to Turtle Talk... Thanks for sharing the picture. They are very cute.

[sonyj]

Welcome, I love the pic. They are so cute when they stack.

[missibsu]

Your turts are so cute! I hope you know what you are in for in the long haul. I bought two turts, and then discovered that they might have to be seperated later. That means buying two of everything! How big are your turts? 25 gallons will probably not last you very long, if it isn't too small already. I upgraded from a 10 to a 30 and now a 75, and I have only had my turts about 5 months.