Feeding and Nutrition :: Help with new turtle

[aprildc82]

Hello everyone I'm April 23 from Fl. Yesterday someone gave my 1 year old son a tiny slider turtle as a pet. As nice as the gester was I am left to take care of him/her. I have no idea how !!!. I went out and got an aquriam(sp) with rocks so it can climb out of the water. I was reading that younger sliders eat bugs and small fish. The person at petsmart just gave me pellets and it dosent look like he/she has been eating them. The petsmart person told me to break the pellet in half and give it 3 pellets (6 halfs) ever other day. Is that right. Oh and do I need a heat lamp. Since I'm in Fl I was told I wouldnt need a lamp until winter. The turtle lives in our sun room so it's warm out there but does it need to be warmer. Please help. Thanks.
April
(pic of turtle at the bottem)

[TNTurtles]

you really dont need to post the same thing in 2 different forums, most people are on later in the afternoon and they will be by soon enough to answer. We check all the forums.

[sarah]

Hey There April!!

So...your one year old son got a turtle? lol Awkward gift....

So..You bought gravel? Or river rocks? Gravel isn't a good idea, just for the record.

Also, You'll need a UVA and UVB light, but you can probably put off getting a heater. I live in Texas and my turtles don't need a heater during the summer OR winter.

How high is the water level and how big is your turtle?
Also, I'd read through the info on here. Pet store people very rarely have the right information :p

Good luck.

What'd you name the turt btw?

[cam722]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Let me start with, don't believe 99% of what most petstore people tell you.. more times than not it's just plain WRONG!!! The advice given to you was just that. A turtle the size of yours (I'm assuming it's the size of a quarter/half dollar) is a hatchling (under a year). They should be fed every day. You may not need a water heater for the summer but you will need a heat lamp to make sure the basking temperature is warmer than the water. You will also need a UVB light source unless you intend to take your turtle out in the sun.

As for the amount of food.. what type of food are you feeding your turtle? They make special pellets for baby turtles which are easier for them to eat. The amount seems a bit too much and at that size/age, they should be fed every day.

What is your setup like? Size of tank etc.?? Also, if you have a glass aquarium, please be careful not to place it in the sunlight as that can heat the water to dangerous levels and cook your turtle..

You may want to read the basic care information on the main website. You can start here..

http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care.html