Yellow Bellied Turtles

[stucolls]

Evening guys, spotted some lovely yellow belly turtles in the LFS earleir on at £25 a shot.

My questions are, have a spare 7gal ank, is that to small? if so whats the ideal size for say 3 of them?

Wht equipment may I need, I know I need a water heater, and a reptile UV light, will I also need a filter? and does it matter if its internal or external?

And finally, what do they eat?

Many thanks

Stu

 

[three-fingers]

Fraid thats too small, where I work the minimum recommended tank size for Trachemys scripta turtles is a 6 foot long by 2 foot wide tank. 3 of the would need something slightly bigger than that so they can all have basking spots, maybe a 6 foot by 3 foot or whatever combination gives a big enough basking area .

Females reach just over a foot in shell diameter (males a few inches smaller), and you really want to provide them with adequate swimming space and a decent basking area.

You would need an over-sized external filter, these guys are very messy compared to fish.

When they are small you can use internal filters, but a 7 gallon tank will not last them long at all if looked after properly.

You can get turtle pellets, but these aren't the best for their whole diet. Younger growing turtles need more protein in their diet, so you should feed the pellets in combination with bits of frozen whitebait, prawns, mussel/cockle, bloodworms or whatever. Older turtles should have more vegetable matter in their diet, so live aquatic plants in the tank or feeding of green leafy vegetables from supermarkets in addition to pellets and a some protein would be good.

 

[brooksy]

Evening guys, spotted some lovely yellow belly turtles in the LFS earleir on at £25 a shot.

I guess your LFS is the same as mine (Aquator Torquay) as this where I saw the yellow bellied turtles!
Brooksy

 

[stucolls]

lol indeed it was!! they look so cool! I loved watching them swim! just need a decent size tank now!

 

[brooksy]

I know what you mean. Went in today with the wife and in the end I had to drag her out. They are great to watch. I am now looking for a tank too!

 

[stucolls]

Im thinking ofmaybe a 2.5 to 3 tank I already have a 5ft for my tropicals, noway I could get another that size!!

 

[brooksy]

Im thinking ofmaybe a 2.5 to 3 tank I already have a 5ft for my tropicals, noway I could get another that size!!

I only have a small tropical tank at the moment so I will probably go for a 4 or 5ft tank.

 

[three-fingers]

Im thinking ofmaybe a 2.5 to 3 tank I already have a 5ft for my tropicals, noway I could get another that size!!

Wayy to small for adult sliders. If you want turtles for that size of tank look into musk turtles.

Even 5 foot long is pushing it for a an adult slider, and it would need to be about 2' wide tank so they can actually turn round and move.

These aren't like other reptiles, these guys need to have a tank big enough tank so they can swim around and live their entire lives in. Lizards and such can usually be kept in smaller tanks because they can be taken out for a run around.
Remember sliders need a big enough area to be able to swim, and a proper basking area.

 

[stucolls]

mm good point, I will look into the musks, didnt mean to sond like I was ignoring your earlie post

 

[brooksy]

I was thinking of a 5ft tank while it was young and then transfering to a bigger home when the time comes.

 

[stucolls]

you never mentioned tht Musks are known as "stinkpots" I think I will avoid them! whatabout painted turtles?

 

[Zawiha]

you never mentioned tht Musks are known as "stinkpots" I think I will avoid them! whatabout painted turtles?

You Could go for mississipi Map turtles,
if your fortunate to get a male they max out around 5-6 inches like mine.
Whilst the females usually get a little under a foot.
Possibly a better bet for a smaller tank

 

[Buslady]

3 YBS as adult will need a 250 gallon tank, that's if they're male.
Think pond as they grow up.