redearslider.com

Hello everyone!
New to this site and looking for information. I obtained Verda the red eared slider a little over 6 months ago. I'm not sure how old she was when she entered our home but she was only about an inch long. The cutest little thing automatically stole our hearts. My boyfriend and I didn't know anything about caring for turtles when we first received her but we have done extensive research ever since. She is currently in a 20 gallon tank ( we know the 10 gallons per inch rule but this tank was all we could afford at the time ). She has both a UVA and a UVB lamp which is on for 12 - 16 hours per day placed directly above her basking rocks so the temperature varies from 83-95 degrees. We leave her Red heat lamp on overnight so it is a comfortable 70-80 degrees for sleeping. She is an avid basker however in recent weeks I have noticed that she is spending more time than usual on the bottom of the tank. She has always begged for food but lately she swims significantly more against the sides of her tank. We do have a liner around the sides except for in the front but I wonder if we should cover all sides? She eats everyday because I think she is still a baby. Approximately 6-8 Reptomin pellets in the morning, then some bananas, apples or other fruits along with red leaf lettuce in the evening and then maybe a few more Reptomin pellets later on in the evening. I noticed about 3 months ago she seemed bloated so we limited her food intake a little bit but now I worry she's either not eating enough or she's eating too much. As I mentioned earlier when we first got her she was about an inch long. Now a little over 6 months later she is about 5 inches. Is this rapid growth acceptable? I've read so much information on red eared sliders however nearly every book, blog, and website is different. I want to be sure she is comfortable and that we are doing everything correctly!
Thanks so much!

That's...A lot of growth. I haven't personally heard of a turtle growing that quickly, but you do seem to have good environmental parameters. What does the shell look like? Can you upload some pictures?

Also, you should look into different kinds of pellets. Reptomin is okay, but should never be used as the sole pellet in the diet. You can also cut out the fruit, it just fattens them up because of the high sugar content.

I use reptomin every morning and never have any issue my turtle has grown an inch in 2 months. I think it's just the turtle as long as she looks healthy personally i wouldnt worry

Firs of all, Turtles can grow fast or slow depends in a lot of things. Food, age etc. Can you take a picture. I'm pretty sure your turtle is fine. Maybe that's why I don't post pictures? A young turtle can grow several inches in one year.my turtles depending on species grew 2" 3" inches in the first year. Young turtles can grow real fast.

Verdatheturtle wrote: Approximately 6-8 Reptomin pellets in the morning, then some bananas, apples or other fruits along with red leaf lettuce in the evening and then maybe a few more Reptomin pellets later on in the evening.

I think that's too many pellets for a less than year old. And maybe too much sugar from the fruit.

Mine's grown quickly, but she's healthy and active. She subsists on salmon, pellets, lettuce, fruit. But she eats once a day. Sometimes if I'm away, she'll skip a day, in which case she gets a little extra. She's also not gluttonous. I notices sometimes she'll leave food floating, rather than gorge on everything. I think that comes from expecting regular, diverse diet/feeding/food.

I think pay attention to behavior and intuitively adjust, along w/ your research. If she's behaving differently, adjust.

I think overfeeding, for sure. You don't want the body to grow faster than the shell!

Hey guys, new to RES's and turtles here tool, my turtle's shell looks weird, almost as if it's pyramiding, could you please take a look at it and let me know what's wrong? I've been trying to handfeed it some veggies but it just won't eat them.

http://imgur.com/mlOWmqg

Cute little Jr! I don't see anything wrong myself. Young turtles might not eat vegetables. Its ok. It will eat them when it gets older. You can try some carrots or jello shots. What do you feed it now?

I feed it reptomin pellets, its about the only thing it eats. I've tried grating carrots and lettuce and still nothing.

Try this~~
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17486

You also might consider Omega One pellets. They are a lot better than Reptomin.