Habitat - Indoor :: New turtle owner habitat question!

[Horapico.kate]

I have these two baby turtles, I know one is a RES but I'm not sure about the other. The guy at my local pet store sold me a "baby water turtle starter kit" but it's really just a small plastic box.. I'm guessing about 5galons or less with some rocks in it. When I asked about a heat lamp he told me to just put them in front of a window once in a while. Soo.. I'm gonna assume that's not quite right and am wondering how big of a tank I should get these guys?? I'd like to just get the one they will need when they are full grown but wasn't sure on the size for two of them together.. Any tips for a turtle novice would be appreciated!

[vicky_anish]

Hey Horapico.kate,
First welcome to the club, You will Love these guys, I think the other one is a painted turtle, even I am not sure as the three kutties (turtles) i have are RES, alright to answer your Question
So the thumb rule is, If your turtle is 2 inch longer (Shell) you need 20 gallons of water. Assuming both of them are 3 to 4 inches you will be needing 30 to 40 gallons of water.
You are right the pet shop owner does not know about turtles, ( Tell him not to sell them :p ) You will be needing UVB light bulbs which you will be getting at any pet store or you can order it online, You also will be needing a basking area for the RES, WHich means apart from the water for the turtle to come and rest, check the other link where it says basking area viewtopic.php?f=6&t=15260 ,
You can have the light on top of it, If you want the RES to be healthy you can take the turtle to the sunlight for 2 hrs everyday Hope this helps and all the above is related to the Red Eared Slider, i do not have idea about the other turtle.

[steve]

Welcome! I think you might have a Yellow bellied slider or Peninsula Cooter. You will want to get rid of the gravel. You will also need to be looking at a much larger tank (or even 2 large tanks), regardless of gender or species. So, get the largest you can now, even if it's a storage container and go from there. Don't use a window as a "basking light" and "uvb" source. Are they eating yet?

[Horapico.kate]

They are both eating mini pellets turtle food.. I haven't tried to feed them anything else yet. But they are about 2in or less long and I didn't get them from the pet shop although he does have turtles and 200+lbs tortoises..

[steve]

With 2 turtles, you looking at fairly large upgrades if you go by our recommendations. If one if them is a male, you will almost definitely have to separate them.