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Post by yockers on Aug 27, 2011 10:47:12 GMT
So I have now got 3 Yellow Bellied Sliders. They were adopted by my work from Turtle Rescue but as I got a new job they asked me to take them with me  Now that they are mine I want to make their lives as interesting and enjoyable as possible. I have some funds to do this so I was wondering what I can do to enrich their lives. At present their is a basking area...and thats about it. The tank is 4.5ft across 2.5ft tall. I've 1/2 filled with water. They all seem quite happy - a couple of squabbles but no major concerns. I was wondering how I could make the tank a bit more interactive for them? |
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Post by turtlegirl on Aug 27, 2011 20:13:11 GMT
Welcome to the Forum Yackers
We are always pleased to see new members, particularly those who have been kind enough to adopt some of our rescued turtles and give them a good home
I am glad to hear that they are doing well and you are enjoying them. Do they have names yet? Perhaps you could post some photos later on in the Just Homed section of the Forum. We are always glad to see photos of some of our rescues in their new home
Sounds like you have a good setup but here are some ideas for enriching their lives
DECOR - My big slider tank has a large hollow fake half log which they enjoy sitting on as a resting area just below the surface and also hiding/swimming under. Females can escape unwanted attention from overenthusiastic males by hiding under log!
TREATS - I give my turtles dried fish and shrimps as a treat a few time a week. Easiest way to get this is to buy some Chowda from the shop section on the Forum. They also love fresh prawns with shells, mussels and cockles..plus any unwanted bits of raw fish from human meals, especially heads which are a good source of calcium (You will need to use a plastic crate as a separate feeding tank for this -otherwise their home will stink of fish! I use a feeding tank most of the time to keep main tank clean and make sure they all get their fair share of treats)
PLANTS -both fake plastic and real plants look nice in tanks. Real ones will almost certainly be eaten so don't waste money on anything exotic. Water lettuce, duckweed, elodea etc are fine snacks.
UV LAMP - make sure they get exposure to a UV B lamp fro a few hours a day, esp in winter. This should be placed above their basking area, high enough so they can't touch it and burn themselves. You can get combined heat and UV reptile lamps to save space
OUTSIDE SPACE - if you have access to a secure escape proof (they can climb 2 ft fences and squeeze between bars in gates by turning sideways standing on their hind legs!)garden, patio or even a large balcony they love the chance to get some fresh air. This allows them to dry out their shells completely, get lots of UV light for strong bones and exercise their legs out of the water.It is important to provide shade outdoors and not allow turtles to overheat as they can become dehydrated.I use a large 120cm rabbit hutch as an outdoor enclosure, the kind that has a wire cage that clips onto a 20cm deep plastic tray which can be filled with water with a rock for basking.This protects my turtles from neighbours cats AND stops turtles escaping. On warm days I make sure they have some shade by placing a towel over part of the cage
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Post by Turtle Rescue UK on Aug 27, 2011 21:41:34 GMT
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Post by linzi64uk on Apr 10, 2012 16:34:27 GMT
Hi Dan
Just tried to open the above link but was told, the WebPlus.net page was under construction? Has the help page been moved to another part of the forum??
Lynn x
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Post by turtlegirl on Apr 10, 2012 20:02:51 GMT
Turtlesquad was our old website which has now been replaced by this one.
You will now find 10 questions and lots of other very useful info on turtles in DOWNLOADS section on this site
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