Hello all, I have an RES that is 10 years old, and I have had him since he was a hatchling. While I see no signs of poor health, I am concerned/perplexed that his size is 6 inches long--I would have expected him to be larger by now. I have heard different things about whether or not tank size itself affects turtle growth rate. I have him currently in a 30 gallon tank, (30 x 16, and water filled about a foot high), and have been keeping him in this for a few years now. According to my reading online, this would be a suitable minimum size for a tank for a turtle of his size (http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html) and so I have not bought a larger tank. I know that I do need to upgrade his tank size soon, though. Just wanted to get feedback from other RES owners about the growth rates of their turtles. His size is unexpected, but I don't know whether or not it is really "bad". Again, he appears healthy- no pyramiding or softshell, and he is quite active in his tank. Other info about his habitat: Magnum 350 canister filter used for filtration Diet is 70% reptomin, 30% romaine lettuce, occasional apple slices Has a full spectrum fluorescent, and an incandescent basking lamp in 12/12 lighting cycling water temp is 84 degrees F has floating basking island under lamp Here is a picture of him (hope it comes through) Thanks for the feedback, Meghan
My male RES is 7 years old and is 6.5 long and 5.5 long. I just put him in a 150 gallon tank (60 long and 24 wide) after he spent the last 4 years in a 75 gallon (48 long and 18 wide). I would certainly get a larger tank. How high is the water level? A 30 gallon filled at 66% is only 20 gallons.
Well, I know a lot about turtles, especially RES's. The average size for a male RES is 5-7 inches. A females size is 10-12 inches. The tank size does effect it. A male RES should have _AT LEAST_ a 55 gallon. A female is a whole other different story. I have a 100 gallon (7 feet long, 28 high, 20 wide) with a albino RES(MALE) and 2 painted turtles and another regular RES (male). Another way to tell the difference is the front nails. In am male, They will be very long. In a female, they will be short. You cannot sex them until 3" across. Hope i helped
His size in the right range if you are positive he is actually a HE. I agree that his tank definitely needs to be upgraded, I would suggest a 65 gallon tank for him. Usually the rule of thumb for turtles is 10 gallons of swimming water per inch of shell length. For example, my turtle is 4 inches long, so he has a 40 gallon tank filled entirely with water and an above tank basking area. An above tank basking area may be something to look into if you are tight on space but want to upgrade the tank to give him more swimming area. Also, does your full spectrum lighting include UVB rays? Many of the full spectrum lighting does not include UVB, it should say on the box/bulb. If it is UVB, do you change the bulb every 6 months? This can cause stunted growth.
84 degrees water temp seems a bit high. How do you get the water that warm? An adult turtle's water should range between 75-78 degrees F.
