hey all! got 2 lil RES for rescue. Nobody from the store wanted to take them home knowing 1. they get big 2. theyre quite messy and 3. they need special attention. they have been in a small tupperware with a lil water nothing else. so when i saw it i was like wtf guys?! (talking to coworkers) anyway long story short, i think i owe this 2 turts as i lost 2 b4 when i gave it as a present to my gf and a 5gal kit (i didnt know. im sorry) now this 2 turts is in my 20gal (previously cricket storage), with 35% water, internal fluval 3 filter, heater, a basking site, a 100watts spotlight combined with a repti-glo8.0 flo bulb. ( did my homework this time ) tank is temporary of course. theyre very active, healthy and eating well! (crickets, pellets and live plants) in contrary to what ive expected. I thought theyll be ill and weak considering their situation when i got them. I see them bask, i have a timer on both basking light and uv bulb, Now heres the question, how long shud i let those 2 lights on? for now i put them on a 6hr on mode. Water temp is 79-80. Air temp is 82ish maybe more when lights are on. thanks guys!
It sounds like done well this time. Things to consider - Get a digital thermometer to go on the basking spot (100watts puts out a lot of heat) You can make the water level higher Get a cuttle bone for them! The cheap unflavored ones sold in the bird section work fine, break off a couple of small pieces and peel the hard part off. Dust the a couple of crickets in calcium with D3 once a week and see if the turtles will take them from your fingers (should help keep some of the dust on), do the same with a multivitamin dust about every week and a 1/3 - 1/2. I can't tell in the other pictures but in the second pic, the eyes look a little too bulgy/puffy -this could be from not getting enough vitamins. Lights should be on a summer time schedule of 12-14 hours on. If you're wanting to save money on a larger aquarium you can check your local newspapers, garage/estate sales, craiglist, and freecycle - you might get lucky and find a very large for cheap or even free.
