Habitat - Indoor :: new turtles and frogs

[njai]

hi my name is norris
i've had 2 turtle in 2003, but unluckily they dead in the winter of 2003
i've had them for almost 1 year.
i was sad when they died.
i've always wanted to get a new turtle but afraid they would die like my past 2 turtles.
now after 2 yrs i finally got 2 new turtles and 2 frogs with my gf today
we put them separately
i have a 20 gallon tank, one basking lamp in a normal desk lamb.
some gravel in the tank, not much
can you tell me abt the uv lights?
i dun understand the uva and uvb lights stuff
and do i always have to keep the basking light on?

[jenaero]

Do you know why the others died? Did you try to hibernate them over the winter? If so, don't try that again.

It's a good thing you separated the frogs from the turts because some frogs are toxic if eaten.

How big are the turtles? Just want to make sure your tank is big enough. Generally, they required 10 gallons of tank space for each inch of turtle. So if you had 2 turts that were each 3 inches long you'd need a minimum of 60 gallons. I know that wasn't your question

Keep the basking light on 12-14 hours a day. They need a day/night cycle. You need a uvb bulb. It imitates the sun's rays and helps your turtle metabolize calcium and vitamin D3 which they need for a healthy shell. If the bulb box doesn't say it has uvb, then it doesn't.

[steve]

njai,

you should read all the stickies - that should get u started. after that, if you have any questions, we'll do our best to answer them.

[njai]

both 1'5''
one has a "puffy" neck and always has a bubble on the nose,why is that?

[njai]

im bulding a hiding spot for my turtles with wood and clue gun
is clue toxic to them?

[marisa]

When you say bubble on the nose, is this when the turtle is in the water or out of it? If it's when your turtle is out of the water, does he have any other symptoms--does he yawn a lot, does he breathe with his mouth open, are bubbles coming from the mouth as well, does he swim tilted to one side?

Are your turtles active? Do they eat well?

You didn't say, but I'm assuming your turtles are RES (Red-Ear Sliders). If so they're aquatic, and need to be in water with a basking area. Building a hide box out of wood, if it's to be in the water, isn't a good idea. Most glue is toxic to turtles, the safest thing to use is aquarium silicone.

If you want to make a hiding spot in the water, you could use something as simple as a flower pot turned on its side.

[njai]

thank you all
my turtles are RES
they eat well, very active and swim good

[steve]

do you have any pictures? did you read the stickies and do you know what you have to do if you want to build a proper environment?

[njai]

i'll upload the pic later
the turtle always have their mouth open, is it normal?

[steve]

no its not normal. you should take your turt to see the vet. you should also look at some of the setups in the Photo Gallery so you have an idea of what you need to do.

[da sAUCE!]

njai...it sounds like your turtle has a respiratory infection. if you dont take it to the vet now, there is a 99% chance it will die like your other two turtles. after that is taken care of get a bigger tank i suggest 50 gallons or bigger for some growing room. a filter rated for 3 times the size of the tank. a UVB emitting bulb. a basking lamp that produces UVA and heat. cuttlebone for calcium. you should be good from there.

[marisa]

Do they have any of the other symptoms I described above?

[njai]

thanks again
my turtles are reali fine, i just worried too much
i bought them 2 fish today
1 turtle is reali shy, it hides everytime when i walk near by
1 is very active, chased the fish around whole day long, and kill them finally
but is unable to eat it, cuz the fish was abt the same size as the turtle
i went the a pet store today
asked abt the uv lights, but they werent able to answer my questions
i bought a basking light bulb with uva
but i heard turts need uva and uvb
is there any lights bulbs which contains uva and uvb and produces heat?

[njai]

1 more question
how far should the 75W basking light be from the surface?

[steve]

a basking light should be as close or far away as long as it makes the air basking area around 90 degrees F. it should also be far away so it doesnt accidently get splashed by water, which wold cause the bulb to shatter.