I bought an ex one of these for her bday once (she was obsessed with them). It cost me around $300 to get everything for the setup. Shoulda just gotten her a ring or something instead haha.

$300! turtles were cheap. $10 for 2. found a old tank and a filter cost me $15 new. added some water and a basking rock and that was it.

OMG!! THIS IS ANIMAL ABUSE!!!!!! If you can’t take care of them properly then don’t have them at all! Getting the turtle is the cheap part but you need special equipment. I spend $500 a year to keep my turtles happy. And starving them? What kind of owner are you? I will be more than willing to take them in if you cannot take care of them of course.

Just my two cents

hey i bought my turtle from chinatown too..so far im giving him the pellets..and he is swimming in my fish tank with 2 goldfishes..and he had a log peice which he goes and sits on when he is tired of swimming..what food did u give ur turtles?..email me back..thanks

well i am 9 years old.my mom drove all the to new your and she bought to red eared baby slider turtles from china town in new yourk.my turtle was eating ok.when i started school she stopped eatind i feed her four pellets every day now she want eat like she is sopose to eat like

Turtles and GOldFish…I woouldn
‘t be supirsed if one day you found one less goldfish and on bigger turtle.

OMFG!!! what kind of turtle owners are you?? chinatown. OMG. those poor animals. they probably were not even taken care of properly! and the guy who sold them to you probably doesn’t have a f*cking idea what turtles need and that they are ANIMALS WITH MORE NEEDS than a dog or a cat!!! turtles are really difficult to take care of!!! i have like two turtles (yellow-bellied sliders named shirley and bubbles). i keep them seperate.
turtles want to be kept alone. they don’t need “playmates” as you call them! it would be far to stressy for them! the reason that you should keep your turtles in seperate tanks is: IF ONE OF THE TURTLES IS DOMINANT (THAT MEANS: WHEN HE IS THE BOSS IN THE TANK AND ALWAYS BULLIES THE OTHER ONE), THIS COULD CAUSE THE BULLIED TURTLE TO BE BULLIED TO DEATH!!!
never, never NEVER keep two turtles in one tank, if you don’t want one of them to die!!! @ the guy who bought 4 turtles just because they were cheap: you probably didn’t have the slightest idea that those little guys the size of a half-dollar can grow to be the size of a dinner plate, even bigger still!!! so please think twice before you get 4 babys just because they aren’t “so expensive”! for god’s sake…..the poor animals. and don’t let turtles get in contact with children (don’t let the kids take the animals out of the tank, it is better to just “touch the turtle with the eyes”…) turtles don’t want to be played with. THOSE ARE REPTILES AND NO FURRY ANIMALS SUCH AS DOGS, CATS, OR MICE, which love to play with their owner!
think about it.

and another thing. don’t keep your turtles too warm! only the basking spot should have a temperature of 35°-38° celsius. sliders want to be kept at a water tempearture of 25-28° celsius. higher temperatures would cause them to grow too fast, which isn’t good for their health! and don’t feed them too much PELLETS (it’s like eating fast food every day!!!! overweigt is very bad, also for turtles!!!) pellets contain far too much protein!!! this is also a reason why they grow too fast!!! feed them more salad or something similar. give them fresh or dried fish to eat. they also like slugs and earth-worms. and feed them waterplants that aren’t poisonous for your pet. or better, READ A BOOK ABOUT TURTLES because i have the impression that no one has informed himself about his pet…
so if you want your baby turtle to live long,
- don’t ever play with it out of the tank. don’t let it run on the floor. this only causes stress! (and the turtle also could catch a cold and die)
- always make sure you clean the tank and the filter at least once every week
- feed your turtle with the things it would eat when it lived in the wild (3x a week fresh fish, slugs, worms, salad, dandy-lions or unpoisonous waterplants every day). when the turtle is bigger than 5 centimetres, you can also give him nothing to eat once or twice a week. he really doesn’t mind (careful: when they are begging for food, it doesn’t mean that they NEED to eat immediately! hunger and appetite aren’t the same words…)
- never obandon your turtle in a lake (if you don’t live there where the turtle species comes from)!!! people often do such a thing. the turtles wouldn’t last long, especially in winter. they would freeze to death!!! or get run over by cars if they cross a street!! it’s better to look for a new owner who takes good care of the turtle!!!

hm….sorry i didn’t want to write in such a harsh way…but i just love turtles…and want people to see that they are more than just “a pet”. they need more care than people think.

Pet Care and Medications…

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

i love my two red ear sliders. i also got them at chinatown. the pics of the two turtles are cute. There names are Bully & Baby. and its actually because one is smaller than the other one. I really am thinking of separating them and buying another tank for the other one because Baby still looks smaller like before when I first got her. Bully is more aggressive. I actually take 30 minute naps with my turtles-Bully is the one to search for a warm spot of my body and takes a nap there (like under my underarm. the other day i cut their nails and Bully bit me lol. baby is always passive. and they watch tv in my lab lol theyre incredible and cute!

I am 12, and i just got 2 bought 2 baby red-eared sliders about 5 month ago. And people who get really mad a people who buy baby turle, we found out it was illegalAFTER we bought them. I do have a problem though. All i have is a ten gallon tank for 2 4 inch turtles. We dn’t exactly have any money rihgt now. Is there a cheap alternative to glass tank?

i read on the internet that people don’t keep their turtles right all the time. for all those who keep their turtles in plastic tubs or kiddie pools: please buy an aquarium for your turtle. i really can’t imagine people keeping their turtles in small PLASTIC TUBS or KIDDIE POOLS without propper turtle tank equipment! poor animals. please buy an aquarium that will be big enough, even if the turtle will be fully grown and as large as a dinner plate one day. do it, even if you are forced to buy a tank that is 1,50 metres long and 60 centimetres wide and high. your animal will be much happier, because sliders are very good swimmers and they REALLY WANT TO SWIM ALOT.
my two yellow sliders are 5 inches long and they have a very large tank of their own.
when they were just babies, i kept them in an aquarium which was 80 centimetres long, 40 centimetres wide and 40 centimetres high. and now they have a tank that is 4 times larger.

–> i did this just for the health and happiness of my two beloved turtle-friends

theresa,

please, don’t cut his nails….he’s gonna need them for later, when he wants to mate with “baby”. but also if you don’t want them to mate with eachother, please don’t cut the nails of your turtles….also if they scratch you when you handle your animals. you should put some gloves on if you don’t want him to scratch you with his nails.

i can understand why “bully” bit you. he doesn’t want you to cut his precious nails because you would ruin his chance of finding a nice turtle-lady (in the wild) for himself to mate with.

ok turtels have survived since the dawn of time they out lived the fucking dinosaurs
they made it thru evoloution and the ice age so to who ever that was up there geting all mad and parental
i personaly think that you are a big no it all and overexaertateing
my sister got my turtel 6 years go when i got him he was the size of a nickel
i got a big plastic tank and some pellets and put water and a rock in it n left him there
he lived no big fancy aqerium but naturaly when he got bigger we got him a glass tank it cost about 12 bucks
and hes still going strong THESE ANIMALS ARE VERYY HARD TO KILL TRUST ME he is perfectly healthy and happy ive taken him to the vet there is notheing rong
they can adapt to any enviorment as long as u have water a rock n pellets and a big enuf tank bowl etc it can be plastic wich is cheaper whatever… YOU DO NOT HAVE 2 SPEND 500 DOLLERS TO MAKE UR TURTEL LIVE LONG they get on with prety much by them selves they dont need too much

also my sister has forgotten to feed out turtel when i was away …. he got out of the chage n the cat found him and he lived thru that i wasent home when this took place if i was it would have never happend but still they are hardy animals there great fun and there not as delicate as u might think

Hi,im from Malaysia.My turtles are fine and they doing well.
I saw one of my relatives had two BIG turtles,they live in small little tank,no filter,tap water only and the water level is low too…

My relatives said they DID NOT BUY OR GET SO MUCH EXPENSIVE THINGS FOR THEIR TURTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SO WHY YOU SCOLD ,THEY STILL HEALTHY!!

i think “shirley and bubbles” is right about that. maybe you just don’t inform yourself enough. after what i’ve read here… they really need more care than you think. do you ever read any books on them?
i know that they ajust to any environment too, but that doesnt mean that they are happy in it. a tiny tank and some pellets just isn’t enough! they need more than just some pellets. they dont eat pellets in the wild! its like you feed them fast food every day (like she already said). and this can cause serious organ damage. maybe you should think about it…

don’t call her a a know it all. she just wants to help -.- maybe you should appreciate the tipps she gives you. i’ve been keeping turtles for about 15 years now. and yes, you need to spend about 300 dollars a year to keep your turtles happy and healthy. turtles die early if they are kept wrong.

i am not critisising anybody. i am just putting the cards on the table for you.

@ shirley and bubbles: you’re totally OK. i like you already.

@ lola suicide.

i’m not saying anthing against you or that your turtle got out of the tank and that the cat found him.
and: i also don’t feed my turtles every day. i feed them 3times a week. and they also don’t mind if they don’t get anything for 2 weeks. they really don’t mind. so, i’m not saying anythin against it that your sister or what ever forgot to feed him. he won’t die from it. in the wild, he also doesnt find something to eat every day. that’s all for now.

If I need to spend about 300 USD a year,in Malaysia that would cost me alot!!could cost me about RM 1020 !!

but it really is nessecary…there is always something that breaks. and you need to change the filter material regularly, and don’t forget the food that also costs a lot.

Hi
I am 14 years old and i just bought a redear slider. The pet shop where i brought it from told me that it will not need a turtle tank of its own just a small pot where i can keep it and change the water everyday. He also gave me a box of turtle food and told me to feed him 3 times a day.

But I am not sure abt this .Can you guys tell me where to keep my turtle(I dont have a pond) and if he needs a filter , heater ,light , etc..

Please help i am totally clueless,

Hi John,

you are absoulutely right not to belive that man in the pet shop. He totally hasn’t got a clue… So I will help you
don’t worry, you can’t do anything wrong here (i have been keeping turtles for over 15 years now).

yes, you need a big tank for the turtle. sliders can get pretty large, and i’m sure you want to give him a nice permanent home, where he can swim and sunbath and just feel happy for ever.

Here is exaclty what you need:
- A tank (aquarium is best suited), that will also be big enough for him when he is adult (this means: length of the tank = 5 times the length of the shell. it also should be wide enough. and you should be able to fill it with enough water. just make sure that the water level is about as high as the shell of your turtle is long. but you can also put more water in it! this is not a problem!)

- Sand (dont put gravel in it, he might eat it and it could cause serious problems), and sand is way easier to clean. and he has something to dig in (my turtles also love to dig. they do it all day long.)

- a big filter to keep the water clean and clear. make sure you change the water every 10 days, and clean the filter every 4 weeks.

- an basking spot that is big enough for the turtle, so he can crawl out of the water to take a sunbath and to dry completely.

- a spot-lamp for sunbathing, and an uv-lamp. the uv-lamp is important, because it makes his shell hard and healthy. the spot-lamp is there to replace the sun. make sure that the temperature on the sunbathing spot is about 40°Celsius. This is important for his digestion, he can only digest well if his body is warmed up enough.

- a digital timer would also be usefull, so you don’t have to switch the light on/off all the time. and also take into account, that the light should burn like this: summer 10-11 hours, autumn 5 hours, winter 2 hours or not at all, and in spring 5-8 hours. this is important so he gets a feeling which season it is at the moment.

- an aquarium heater with enough power (it depends how big the tank is!). i suggest that you read about the temperatures on red-eared sliders because they vary over the year.

- food: pellets are okay, but don’t feed him too much of it! it is like feeding fast-food every day and this isn’t so healthy for him.
I feed my turtles with the things that they would also eat in the wild:
fresh fish 3x a week, lots of green stuff (dandylions) every day, worms and slugs 2x a week. they love a change in their menu once in a while. or would you like to eat the same things every day?
and: if he is still a babyturtle, you need to feed him 2 or 3 times a day and every day. but the older he gets, you should reduce the food slowly and if he has reached a length of 4 inches, you should only feed him 4 times a week and only once a day). but be careful: don’t starve him just make sure that he has 1 or 2 days in a week where he gets nothing or just green stuff. it is healthier for him this way.

- some aquarium decoration like: fake plants, some roots, etc.)

please note:
you might have to spend very much money on all these things. so if you want to make your turtle really happy, you should follow these tipps. because unfortunately, people don’t inform theirselves propperly about their turtles, and they just buy one (which is really sad for the animals, as they are often kept really really wrong…)

and last but not least: here is a link to the website where I always get my turtle stuff. the quality is really good and it is not so expensive.
http://www.reptilica.com

have fun

Hello John,
I’m 19 years , male , Yangon (myanmar). I have 4 red ear turtles. I’m trying to learn about red ear turtle. I’m the first owner of red ear turtle. This is my first time.
Nice to meet with you.
In myanmar that red ear turtle is only USD $2. Very cheaper
hehe..I love them so much. They are so cute.I would like to ask some question to John.
They like sand?

Thank you so much for reading my mail.
Godbless you
From
Aye Chan

My mom bought me 2 red ear slider, they are very small like 4 cm in diameter. I wonder , at their age are they adept in swimming? They seem to struggle a lot even in shallow water.

Hello,
New owner of red ear turtle.

I’m from Myanmar Country.

I have red ear turtle.
But I’m not Profession.

I’ll share to you what i know abt it.

They are too samll and like a fresh water a lot.
You need around 1′x 1′ plastic box.
And don’t fill water a lot in that box coz your turtle is too small and still in da child.
They like sand but your current red ear turtle level is no need.
Some island in maddle of box. They need to sleep there and relax.
Their food is only floating level of food and they are vegetarian.
You can feed them 2 times per day.
They need to morning sun light coz their shield need it.
Only 20 min per day.

Don’t touch to them again and again.
They are too small and only child.

If you want to touch them , you need to clean and washing to your hand.
They like fresh air and fresh water a lot.
If you turtle reach 6 Months you need to fill more water.
At that time they are swimming a lot and living in underwater.
They are reproduction in March and June in the underwater.( I think)
At the time you need to fix the sand in the box.
But That sand need always dry.
Some time the male turtle eat their egg.
So you need to take care and watching them.

At the same level of age, you can know red ear female turtle is more bigger than male.

If you want to know a lot finding page of red ear turtle on the internet.

I’m only sharing to you what i know.

Be Happy
From
Chan Aye

they are on mott street in chinatown. the shop is a gift shop. its near a ice cream shop they take really bad care of them. i saw one that had 20 baby turtles in a very small plastic tub filled up with water and no land.the most commen way i see them take care of them is put then in a 5 inch by 2 inch plastic see throught cage with water not high enougth to reach up to their backs.amasingly there a police station one block away!!!! trust me i live in chinatown

its funny to see you guys freaking out about the poor conditions they were previously kept in, and the other people asking where to buy them. heres a few things you might want to know before heading to chinatown to get some turtles: firstly, it is ILLEGAL to buy or sell these, just because you can dosent mean your not breaking the law. ALSO, these turtles are being sold to the local population primarily as FOOD, meaning the reason theyres alot of them in one cage etc, is because by the end of the day they all will have been sold to be used in soup etc, except for a few “roundeye” that come through and think that delicous turtle would make a good pet.

OMFG :’-( the poor turtles!!! how could you possibly eat such a little guy??? IT’S UNBELIEVABLE WHAT THE CHINESE DO!!! OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!

my turtles do this weird thing sometimes. The male turtle puts his hands out and the female turtle puts her head in between. Then, the male turtle starts shaking his hands and its really weerd. Almost, like he does it in a petter. And sometimes they sit on top of each other and put their arms and legs out like superman. Thats kinda funny to watch but does anyone have any idea what their doing?

I have three aquatic turtles, two yellow-belly Florida turtles and one map turtle. One of my turtles bites the other two and had to be moved to a separate tank. First, does any one know why that one turtle bites?
Also, I have had the turtles for four about three and a half years. And within the past two years, the water in my sixty gallon tank has turned green!!!! and I cannot fix it!! I have changed the water three times, and it stays green!!! HELP!!!!!!!

Just wanted to make a correction to the message I left at 12:18. The water started to turn green starting two months ago (not two years). And since, I have changed the water three times and NO LUCK!!!!

well, maybe you turtles are just too many in one tank and if you say that you’ve had them for 4 years or so, i would get a bigger tank. or better: if you have male / females together in one tank, seperate them.

i think the water turns green because 3 turtles make a lot of shit ???

Two of the turtles live in a 60 gallon tank and the other lives in its own 40 gallon tank! Each of the habitats provide plenty of room for the turtles to have a nice basking area, as well as, water to swim in!!!! So I think their tanks are quite large. Also, about the shit, I do agree with you. However, since the water has started to become green, I have cleaned out the tanks completely, more than normal!! So it’s not just that simple!!!! Thanks anyway.

sorry i didnt know that 60gallon is large…i live in germany and i don’t know how many litres 60 gallons are

i had the same thing when my turtles started to get kinda big for their old tank and the water was always green… because of the shit

but if you say that your tank is very large, i don’t know where the green water comes from… can’t help you there…exept…maybe you’ve got algae in the water that makes it green. i don’t have any other explanation for it…

It is alright! Thank you for trying to help me. 60 gallons equals approximately 227 liters. Sorry I had no idea of your background!
Algae is a factor I also considered for the green water. I just do not understand why when I clean it does it turn green immediately. When I say clean it I mean talking EVERYTHING out of the tank. Cleaning all items taken out, as well as, my fiance and I carrying the tank to the front yard and spraying it down with the hose. While spraying it we use a razor blade to carefully scrape the inside of the glass to be sure that it is COMPLETELY clean.
The only other factor I can see may be the issue is the basking lamp. My thought is that maybe I leave the basking lamp on for to long, and this is causing algae??? I am going to investigate that, and hopefully get my problem remedied.
THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUGGESTIONS!!!

Hi! I have a red neck water turtle that is about 7 years old that has been swimming in water his whole life. I have tried soo many different things to get him to get out of the water because he needs some heat from a lamp. Ive bought floating “rocks” and many other things. I need help for ideas on how to make the turtle come out of the water. Ive asked a couple of pet stores and some of them told me to take the heater out so the waters will be very cold, which will make the turtle want to go on the floating rock, however i’m scared of torturing the turtle, or that he’ll go in hibernation. please get back to me thanks

About the cold water, I have raised three aquatic turtles, they are four years old now. I have a total of two aquariums to house them in and have never used a water heater. My turtles thrive in their habitat and bask in their lamp consistently. I do not think you would be torturing your turtles if you try taking the heater out and see if it helps! In my smaller tank, the turtle uses a floating rock to bask on. In my large tank, I have a built up a landing area with an ample amount of space for the turtles to bask on. Let us know if anything works!

After reading all these comments all I can do is laugh now. I got two baby RES and I have a 55 gal tank, a huge floating rock, plants, two top filters and proper lighting. I alredy spend over 500 $ on their stuff. I clean my tank ever 7th day and do a 95% water chance and treat all the new water the day before. Most animals can live through a lot, but they love having loads of space. When they get big I will have a indoor huge set up and wall to wall aquarium.

My ex boyfriend decided to get my son a turtle, red ear slider, last night. pretty expensive here in Canada though. 75.00 for one turtle some food and a light. I am not too sure on the feeding part. From what I have read on the net the diet should consist of 25% pallets, 25% live fish and 50% fruits and veggies. How do you feed the turtles? do you give the pallets and fruits and veggies all at once a couple of times a day? I really need help here. I really dont know much about turtles and my ex was a dink and got one just spare of the moment without letting me research them first. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated thanks!

ya, my turtles cost 40.00 ea here. I got two baby males, but now that they are just a littler bigger, just after two weeks, I think I have a male and a female - i don’t think that is going to be good. One seems like his tale is longer and pointier - the other seems shorter and rounded….hummm/…they are still very small though.

On the feeding issue, im only getting use to that myself. I give them 2-3 pellets in the morning depending on how fast they eat it -which is not very fast. Then in the night I give them like a bite of chicken ea for a little treat or half a pc of shrimp between them. They are starting to know at supper time they gets a little treat, I guess where they are still new and shy they hide, but supper time they will meet me at the top of the tank bec they know I got something …lol.

Any other suggestions on the food or the male/female thing, I’d love to know.

If its going to be a problem, I might see if my friend wants one of them, I only got them 2 weeks, and he is getting one soon…..does anyone have comments on that?

I just bought a red eared slider and I am completely committed to him being happy. But I have an issue with him. He never wants to get on his log to bask and I’m scared that his shell will get soft. What can I do?

hi,
im a owner of two red ear slider baby turtles im 14
my question is if anyone has a tank bigger than 20gallons for sale and live around los angeles county

HELP HELP

I have a res. and she does not seem like she is not growing much anymore, she is still very small. Now she is on her rock a lot and doing a “yawn” sorta motion, almost like she is taking breaths a lot. Now she has not eaten in 3 days. What does this mean?

We got two turtles about 2 months ago maybe as babies from a well known petstore in Canada. One turtle is twice as big as the one I am having the problems with now, and is very active and loves to eat. I really don’t think she’s being bullied as I have a 60g tank with lots of spaces, plants, proper lights etc. I am really worreid about her. If someone can offer advice or tell me what this is, can you please tell me? Is she suffering in anyway? Help.

Melissa

Do all china town have Bim Sum or u live in philadelphia or near it if u do replay so i can go there to buy one too all shops like pet smart monster pets are way to much china town dont give a shii as long as u buy ^_^ reply plz