I'm going to be taking on a red-eared slider soon (next Monday, to be exact) and i'm still confused/lost on some of the care and or supplies. I hope you guys don't mind the incoming WOT. Hope it makes sense, I tend to ramble.
So basic overview: the turtle is tiny. Only about an inch and a half long. I plan on housing it in an old 40g breeder.
1. Can the turtle drown? Amidst my research I read various articles that turtles under four inches can drown. Is this true? Because of this i thought I would give him/her five inches of water in the 40g B and as time progressed, add more water. Is this an okay plan? Or can I go ahead and fill the whole thing?
2. How old does a turtle have to be in order to be adequately sexed?
3. How long do I wait to let the turtle settle in before visiting the vet? I have a vet that treats exotics that I take my hamster to. I figured I would go ahead and take him in as soon as I could to get a good physical assessment and start a patient history.
4. Do I have to condition the water? This is probably super stupid. I had a fish as a kid and I thought they just needed any water so I used faucet water and it was then I learned that you have to condition water for fish. Rip fishy. But are turtles the same? Do turtles also need their water to be conditioned or do I just use tap water? If I do need to condition the water, which product do you recommend?
5. What lamps do I use for basking?
Those are all the questions I have for now. Hope to hear from you guys.