Urgent Care

This is an unfortunate situation. I just moved into a room in a house and I'm only here for a short time (10 weeks or so). There are two RES that have been abandoned here by their previous owner who has been negligent about retrieving them. They are both between 4.5 and 6 inches. They have no lights, their water is gross. I have no idea what/if they have been eating. One of my housemates said something about them eating the goldfish in the tank.

They have about an inch or two of water that has to be full of feces and fish guts. They probably need veterinary care, but I'm a little hesitant to start putting money into them. I'd love to clean their tank out and give them fresh water to wade in and a reasonable habitat. Is there a way I can avoid spending a lot of money and getting these turtles into a reasonable living situation for the mean time? I have no experience with turtles but am happy to learn.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Unfortunately, Turtle care is expensive. Turtles that size need a large tank. If they are both female, you'll need a tank that is over 100 gallons, since there are two. One mature female alone should have about 120 gallons, so two would need even more. Then there's a filter large enough to keep that much water clean, that'll be a couple hundred dollars. Don't forget the lights, basking area and food.

I think it is great that you are interested in taking care of them, but it can be expensive and Red Eared Sliders can live a long time. Veterinary care is probably the least expensive component of getting these turtles in a good home.

-Michael

Welcome to the site. Michael is right, you need to consider the expenses of keeping them. First, you can figure out their genders now... a male will have thick claws a thick tail. How big is that tank? If you have a plastic storage container larger than that tank, then you can use that as a temporary tank. Make sure the water is around 78F.

The tank is big, definitely ~40 gallons. I think I found a rubbermaid tub in the backyard I can clean out and let them stay in for now. I'd rather them have clean water more than anything right now. I'm looking up vetrinary numbers in my area to see what they have to say and how much a check up will cost if I decide to keep them. I could take on the financial expense of the turtles, but I'm not excited about it at this moment. I'll update when I have more information.

Just an update. I talked to a vet in my area and they gave me tips on setting them up in a clean rubber tub for now. It's not ideal, but it's much better than their dirty tank. Their health doesn't seem too bad, though one has something on his shell that has me a little concerned. I'm holding off on veterinary care for now because I keep getting told that the original owner is supposed to come out here and pick them up. Of course, the owner has been saying that for about 3 months, but I was told they sounded like they mean it this time.

Let's hope this happens.

I don't think I'd give them back to the original owners. Perhaps if 3 days had gone by and they realized they forgot their turtles then okay. Moving is hectic and I can understand that, but after 3 months its obvious they didn't care about them.

-Michael

Urgent Care :: Moved into new place, found abandoned turtles

Who is online