Habitat - Indoor :: New cage

[norvigiboy319]

I just moved my turtles into a new cage and was wondering if they like a lot of water or shallow water. shallow as in about 5 inches deep.

[TheComputerGremlin]

RES are aquatic, so as much water as you can give them. By cage, I hope you mean tank, because a cage won't hold much water! Ideally, you want 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length, and you want the tank as filled as you can without the turtles being able to escape and fall and hurt themselves. What size are your turtles? How big is your new tank?

[Caphits]

First off, this is the wrong section. This would either go in general topics, or habitat - indoor.

They like lots of deep water. You should slowly increase the depth of the water 1" per day, until it is as full as it can be, without them being able to escape.


Your turtles are probably around 2" right? Idealy then, right at this moment, you would need a 60 gallon tank. And might need up to 360 gallons when full grown, depending on sex.

[norvigiboy319]

Rafiki is 5 cm, speedy and bro are both 6 cm. and my new tank is 2 feet in length,
1 foot in width and 17 inches in height. I don't know how many gallons that is, but is it good enough?

[Caphits]

Your tank is around 20 gallons.

Yep. Like I said, right now, at this moment, a 60 gallon tank is what you would want idealy. Perhaps your turtle "to be named" could find a new home, so that you dont have to buy such a monster tank when they get older. 3 turtles will be tons of work.

The 20 gallon will work for now, but you will have to upgrade pretty soon. A turtle generally reaches 4 inches in the first year with proper care. And 1" per year after that.

[untsmurf]

If you need a cheaper alternative, you can look at stock tanks or large rubbermaid tubs. The sides of the tubs should be reinforced to prevent bowing, but it should provide the space you need for well under $100.

[norvigiboy319]

thanks but also I was thinking of making an outdoor pond because my neighbor has amazing setups in his front and back yard that he designed himself, and I was wondering if I should wait until the RES are 1 year or older or if I could even put them in the outdoor cage now.

[theartbook35]

I think it would be best to wait until your turtles are between four and six inches before you decided to put them in an outdoor set up. Outdoor ponds can be stressful for hatchlings, since raccoons, neighborhood cats, and predatory birds are known to try to or successfully run off with captive pond turtles. (Part of why I have decided NOT to make an outdoor pond).