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Post Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 3:36 pm   Hi there!

My name's Azure, and I've been recently quite interesting in picking up a long time pet. Right now, my thoughts are on turtles as they are far less noisy then parrots. I've been doing a lot of research and I've decided that if they are available in my area, I'd like to get a RES, however I want to be sure that I'm able to get a suitable habit for the turtle to reside in, as I have read a lot of horror stories and I know just how fragile turtles can be if not taking care of properly, as a first time owner I want to do everything as right as possible.

With that in mind, I have a lot of questions. I've heard you're suppose to have roughly 10 gallons per inch of turtle, so with that in mind, as a starting sized tank would it be better to purchase a 60 gallon as the starting tank and increase water as the turtle ages and grows? And buy a larger tank later on? I've also come to understand that a diet cannot simply just be standard pellets, in this case, what kinds of diet supplements are good for them? Romane Lettuce? Bloodworms? And what kind of costs does one look at for vet bills for turtles? I know I have a Herp in my city and if they are unsuitable, I am only 3 hours away from a major city and would be able to make the trip to ensure they receive quality care. What about monthly cost increases due to the lighting and heater? Are they significant?
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Fireflower
 
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Post Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 11:53 pm   Re: Hi there!

Welcome to the forum! I'd check http://littleresq.net/ for turtles to adopt in Canada. RES are great swimmers, so I think it would adapt quickly. Any reason you are looking at 60 gallons? Romaine/Red Leaf/Green Leaf are good for them, but you can mix it up with other leafy greens and veggies. Worms and other live prey are not necessary, though they do get pretty excited over it.

Vet bills can vary, but I would ballpark it to about $75-100 a visit. As far as bill increases, I have not done the math but it should not be significant. The main hog would probably be the basking bulb (around 50-100W), on for about 8-10 hours a day.
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steve
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 6:57 pm   Re: Hi there!

Thank you Steve for you link, it was very helpful. I figured that a 60 Gallon would be good for while the turtle is still a baby/young, and that I'd be able to replace the tank with something along the lines of 100-130 within the first or second year of having the turtle. After that, I'm sure I would be able to use it as a feeding tank, or for dry docking if necessary. Unless that would do more harm than good? So my best option for food would be to keep the diet varied. I actually got a message back from the local herp vet and it's going to be 58+Tax for each visit and prescriptions shouldn't be too over the top in additional costs.

I'm having some issues figuring out what kind of filters would be best, now I've heard its best to go with a higher powered filter then what your tank is, is this correct? If I went with a 60 gallon as my start up, would I purchase a filter for a 75 tank? What kind of UVB lights are best? What about heaters? What about aquariums?
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Fireflower
 
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Post Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 9:36 pm   Re: Hi there!

You will want to minimize the frequency of upgrades, because nearly everything will have to upgraded. You also won't want to use a glass tank as a feeding tank, dry dock area as it would be a bit of a hassle.

If you adopt an older turtle, then you will know what size tank you should get because you will know it's sex (females are much larger). If you get a hatchling, you will have to wait until it's around 4" to know... so you can probably get away with a 20-40 gallon tank to start off.

Canister filters are the way to go, though those are suited for larger tanks. If you did get a 60 gallon, and it was filled to the top then you need to look at a filter for a 180 gallon tank. Aqueon tanks are good, and they also make good heaters (Aqueon Pro). For lighting... it depends if you want to use one bulb or two for your setup.
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steve
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