HELP!!! NEW BABY SLIDER TURTLE?

[Jarsha]

So I got a baby slider turtle today and I have him in a tank with warm water, stone things on the bottom, a light on the top and a big rock in the middle for him to crawl up onto so he doesn't always have to swim.
His name is Jeffrey btw :3

What does he eat?

What does he do for entertainment?

Can I take him out and handle him?

How often do I need to clean the tank?

What other things should I put in the tank?

What other things do i need to know about him?

Help is GREATLY appreciated!
Thanks soo so much!

** Edit
I've taken care of reptiles before, and am familiar with them, but I've never owned a turtle before and I know they are different from lizards so I needed some specific info on them.


Thanks everyone for the help! I'll take good care of him, and I really appreciate you guys helping out. smile  

[xena91388]

Hmm. . . You know, you should REALLY look up how to care for a pet BEFORE you get one. It's very irresponsible to get a pet before you know whether or not you can handle it.

Now, I myself have never had a slider turtle but I have kept gopher turtles and fish as pets.

For most aquatic reptiles, your tank needs to not only have water and rocks but also a dry warm ledge to rest on and "sun" bathe.

Turtles can take a good bit of handling so it'll probably be ok to take him out once in a while to pet him or give him a treat, just make sure you wash your hands before and after, turtles carry salmonella.

Put aquatic plants in your tank and maybe even a snail or two to help keep it clean, change the water filter every two-three months and give the tank a good scub-down about every six months.

Supplement your turtle's diet with fresh foods like lettuce, strawberries, insect larve, etc to keep him healthy.  

[jesusgirl115]

Ahhh! I have a pet tortoise (which is like a turtle but lives on land only) and his name is
Gary < 3 < 3

You Really Need To Take Him To A Vet! I don't know where you live but you can go to the pet store where you bought your turtle and ask where a vet that does reptiles is.
or just Google it. Make sure you go to a vet that does reptiles and knows what he/she is doing!

Can I take him out and handle him?

Yes! Animals loove to be loved! You can pet him and hold him (don't drop him O_O)
Reptiles are very intelligent.
My tortoise Gary recognizes my voice and comes straight to me when I call him.
Now when you handle your turtle make sure when you pick him up you place both hands around the side his shell (in between his front and back legs) until your thumbs are on top and your fingers on the bottom of him.

You can also let your turtle walk outside for a little bit. Just stay next to him to make sure no one steps on him O_O and no dogs or birds will pick him up (he is food for them believe it or not)
oh and my tortoise loves it when i take my thumb and run it across the top of his head (lol he's just like a dog)

Now your turtle might hiss at you when you pick him up but that is because he doesn't know you and isn't on the ground/in water. nothing personal he just needs to learn to trust you : )

AND ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER TOUCHING YOUR TURTLE OR WHERE HE LIVES. HE MAY HAVE SALMONELLA WHICH DOESN'T BOTHER HIM BUT YOU CAN GET EXTREMELY SICK

How often do I need to clean the tank?
I try to clean mine once a month.

What other things should I put in the tank?
Make sure he has a warm dry place where he can lay.
Try to get a UV Light. Which is sold at PetCo. or PetsMart for about $10-$20
Also look to see if it's cheap on Ebay.

 

[Gurotsuki]

What does he eat?
Vegetables like lettuce, Turtle feeds, or even Guppies

What does he do for entertainment?
Stay no motion on a stone doing sunbath, or just swim around.

Can I take him out and handle him?
Yes, beware of his claws.

How often do I need to clean the tank?
Twice a week minimum. Clean it whenever the water turns greenish-black.

What other things should I put in the tank?
Some water grass/water weed, some rocks for him to do sun bath.

What other things do i need to know about him?
He loves sunbath, you can put your tank near the sun or buy a ultraviolet light. He is an omnivore.
He'll jump into the water when scared. Be gentle and slow when interacting with him.
Give him some calcium often (it'll sell in pet shop, labeling turtles' calcium or stuff) for his shell's growth.


This turtle is a very famous pet in Malaysia. It is cheap and easy to take care.
I had two red-ear turtles but I released to my school pond because they are too big, like around 30cm, and I live in an apartment, so yeah, no big tanks.
Bye bye Fia and Lia.

 

[Jarsha]

xena91388

Hmm. . . You know, you should REALLY look up how to care for a pet BEFORE you get one. It's very irresponsible to get a pet before you know whether or not you can handle it.

Now, I myself have never had a slider turtle but I have kept gopher turtles and fish as pets.

For most aquatic reptiles, your tank needs to not only have water and rocks but also a dry warm ledge to rest on and "sun" bathe.

Turtles can take a good bit of handling so it'll probably be ok to take him out once in a while to pet him or give him a treat, just make sure you wash your hands before and after, turtles carry salmonella.

Put aquatic plants in your tank and maybe even a snail or two to help keep it clean, change the water filter every two-three months and give the tank a good scub-down about every six months.

Supplement your turtle's diet with fresh foods like lettuce, strawberries, insect larve, etc to keep him healthy.

Thanks for calling me irresponsible but I have taken care of reptiles before, but i was a bit unfamiliar with this turtle. plus it was just dumped on me, I didn't buy him at the pet store. My neighbors couldn't keep taking care of him and basically dumped him on me and I figured it would be best to put his tank together first then go online quick and figure out what to do.

Also thank you for the information, it was really helpful and I'll make sure to take good care of him.  

[Jarsha]

Thanks everyone so so soo much for your help. Jeffrey is now all settled in and I'll make sure to keep him healthy and well fed. 4laugh  

[xena91388]

Sorry for jumping on your case but you don't exactly make it clear didn't buy him and it really irks me when people buy pets before preparing only to end up abandoning them later and devastating areas where they become invasive like the boa constrictors in the Everglades.

Also, turtles are attracted to bright colors like red and orange so once in a while you can put brightly colored ping-pong balls in his tank to play with.

Tetra304

xena91388

Hmm. . . You know, you should REALLY look up how to care for a pet BEFORE you get one. It's very irresponsible to get a pet before you know whether or not you can handle it.

Now, I myself have never had a slider turtle but I have kept gopher turtles and fish as pets.

For most aquatic reptiles, your tank needs to not only have water and rocks but also a dry warm ledge to rest on and "sun" bathe.

Turtles can take a good bit of handling so it'll probably be ok to take him out once in a while to pet him or give him a treat, just make sure you wash your hands before and after, turtles carry salmonella.

Put aquatic plants in your tank and maybe even a snail or two to help keep it clean, change the water filter every two-three months and give the tank a good scub-down about every six months.

Supplement your turtle's diet with fresh foods like lettuce, strawberries, insect larve, etc to keep him healthy.

Thanks for calling me irresponsible but I have taken care of reptiles before, but i was a bit unfamiliar with this turtle. plus it was just dumped on me, I didn't buy him at the pet store. My neighbors couldn't keep taking care of him and basically dumped him on me and I figured it would be best to put his tank together first then go online quick and figure out what to do.

Also thank you for the information, it was really helpful and I'll make sure to take good care of him.

 

[Jarsha]

xena91388

Sorry for jumping on your case but you don't exactly make it clear didn't buy him and it really irks me when people buy pets before preparing only to end up abandoning them later and devastating areas where they become invasive like the boa constrictors in the Everglades.

Also, turtles are attracted to bright colors like red and orange so once in a while you can put brightly colored ping-pong balls in his tank to play with.

Tetra304

xena91388

Hmm. . . You know, you should REALLY look up how to care for a pet BEFORE you get one. It's very irresponsible to get a pet before you know whether or not you can handle it.

Now, I myself have never had a slider turtle but I have kept gopher turtles and fish as pets.

For most aquatic reptiles, your tank needs to not only have water and rocks but also a dry warm ledge to rest on and "sun" bathe.

Turtles can take a good bit of handling so it'll probably be ok to take him out once in a while to pet him or give him a treat, just make sure you wash your hands before and after, turtles carry salmonella.

Put aquatic plants in your tank and maybe even a snail or two to help keep it clean, change the water filter every two-three months and give the tank a good scub-down about every six months.

Supplement your turtle's diet with fresh foods like lettuce, strawberries, insect larve, etc to keep him healthy.

Thanks for calling me irresponsible but I have taken care of reptiles before, but i was a bit unfamiliar with this turtle. plus it was just dumped on me, I didn't buy him at the pet store. My neighbors couldn't keep taking care of him and basically dumped him on me and I figured it would be best to put his tank together first then go online quick and figure out what to do.

Also thank you for the information, it was really helpful and I'll make sure to take good care of him.

It's all good, I understand. I also feel the same way, I can't stand when people abandon their pets because they don't understand how to take care of them. *glares at my neighbors*
I was actually thinking of doing that because I read somewhere that they like ping pong balls and brightly colored things.