[Tina A]

I did not no small turtles were illegal until I had already bought two. They are only maybe a inch big and won't get much bigger. How much water should they have, can they have too much?I am afraid they are too small for alot of water. I need help they are my first turtles. And can they make me sick if I hanle them?Please help!!!

[Julie K]

Turtles have maybe allergies but after you wash your hands clean there will be no problem.And put in water until the turtle could stick out its neck.

[*Jade*]

Small turtles are very common. In order to take care of them you must be able to feed them at least twice a day. Most turtles are vegetarians. Make sure that you always wash your hands after touching them because if their shell is over 4 inches wide they can cause seminal.

[Gypsy N]

It would help to know what type of turtles you have but I'll assume they're red-ear sliders because they're the most commonly sold babies. So you know, they will grow to 4-6 inches- if they don't then they aren't healthy. They should enough water in the tank so that they can completely submerge themselves but they also need a dry area to bask. As they get bigger and stronger they'll need more water so that they can swim around. Consider getting the largest tank that you can afford, as turtles need about 10 gallons of water per inch of their shell's length. In addition they need a UVA/UVB lamp as well as a basking lamp. Also, make sure you clean their tank once a week. Dirty water will make them sick. You will most likely not get sick from handling them, but you should wash your hands after you do so. Don't pick them up right away after you wash your hands though because the soap residue on your hands will make them sick.

[jesusislord_514]

Oh wow... lots of bad information being offered here. I'm going to bet that you got a baby red-eared slider (they're sort of the standard pet store turtle) and that the shop owners told you that it wouldn't grow much bigger. Sadly, that's the biggest lie in the pet trade. Female red-eared sliders can get up to a foot long (males are a little smaller).Sliders (like most turtles) are meat-eaters, though they will probably take plant material too. You should try starting your little guys out on feeder guppies (you can get them at a pet store) and earthworms. Once they get accustomed to living the captive life, start offering them pellets. (There are a variety of different pellet foods you can get that offer a pretty complete array of vitamins and such that they need.)If your turtle is a female slider, you're going to eventually need a tank that's over 100 gallons, but, in the meantime, you can make do with something smaller. (It takes years for them to reach full size, and this is how the pet stores get away with lying about it. Usually the turtles aren't well-cared-for, and they die long before they get big.)For an inch-long turtle, a 10-gallon tank is fine. As the turtle gets bigger, try to keep the size ratio of tank-to-turtle about the same as it was when he was an inch long in a 10-gallon. (Hopefully that makes sense.)You can't give your turtles too much water. These guys live in huge lakes in the wild. They will, however, need some sort of place to come out of the water and bask, and they need a UV light to bask under. (It helps them with shedding.)

[jack m]

you say turtle then turtles. i hope you didn't buy more than two becasue that's alot of space they're gonna take up in the future. but this is for one. double where neccessary._______________________________________ _____ok first what everyone else said that was bad, then a answer to your question.there is alot of bad info above this. as someone else mentioned. to piont out the bad:THE NOT RIGHT OR INCORRECT INFO:"Make sure that you always wash your hands after touching them because if their shell is over 4 inches wide they can cause seminal.""So you know, they will grow to 4-6 inches"(they get much bigger)"Sliders (like most turtles) are meat-eaters, though they will probably take plant material too"(younger = more meat, older they get the more veggies they'll eat until that about what they eat)"You can't give your turtles too much water. These guys live in huge lakes in the wild."(yes you can for now because they're so small they aren't the best swimmers yet. they need enough water but not too much like i said earlier about 6-8 maybe 10 inches and as they grow like 1-3 months from know about 1 ft. and when they're in the wild baby turtles don't go out in the middle of a lake. they stay to the sides where there arehiding places. only dumb ones would and natural selection will take care of them.)"UV....(It helps them with shedding.)"(it more helps with the metabolising of vitamins (a and d i belive) and minerals (calcium))"Turtles have maybe allergies"(i don't know what that's supposed to mean. they have no fur so no pet danor(SP?) and i've never heard of someone have retile allergies. there's not much to be allergic to)_____________________________________________se cond here are two websites with more than enough information for any questions you could have. either now or down the road.www.turtlecare.netwww.austinsturtlepage.comth ey are great resources and just because you can get answers here doesn't mean that you shouldn't read up on your pet. there's much to know and learn.____________________________________________ _and third the answerfirst off the smallest trutle you could get would reach an adult size of 5-6inches shell length. so the petstore guy who said they won't get much bigger was A) an idiot or B) lied to make a sale. where to begin?i'm assuming that these are water turtles and probably red eared sliders or a close cousin. if it is a tortise and not a turtle (land based not water) then this first set up is not going to work. here's are some ideal enclosure ideas. http://www.turtlepimp.com/gallery/Setupswhat goes in there?basics. food, heat, light, water, dry land, filtration, big enclosure.food- to start your little guys off try wardley, reptomin, or some other reptile floating stick or pellet. the more expensive the product the better made. retomin is probably the most popular but cost twice as much as wardley. wardly is ok but is real high quallity but will work. both are sold at petsmart walmart etc. also if indeed a water turtle get a few (less than 5) rosie feeder gupies. these provide exercie for the little guy. he probably won't be able to catch them yet but if he does big whoop there goes 20 cents. they also help to keep the tank clean and add a nice look. later in life like 6months from now start introduce veggies. you can introduce them now but it probably won't take to them for a while. veggies doesnot mean iceberg lettuce but does include carrots, romaine lettuce, also Good food= earthworms, nightcrawlers (make sure they are not raised on manure), redworms, mealworms (treat only, fatty), whole feeder goldfish (occasionally), snails, butter lettuce (wash well) or melon and other fruit (find out what your turtle likes), tofu, banana, strawberries, peas, kibbles, Reptomin, Tender Vittels. Blueberries, dandelion flowers and leaves, vegetable scraps from your kitchen, tomato, cooked sweet potatoes, mulberry leaves ... for turtle sticks like retomin break the sticks in half so they are easier to bite and shallow for now. when it grow you won't have to do this anymore. also with water turtles they have to be fed in water. if on land they will bite the food and carry it to water before they shallow.heat: turtles are cold blooded so they need supplemental heat. both air and water. a good submersible heater rated for the tank size is best. under tank heaters and fish heater that hang on the side are ok but not as effective. besides water heat if you've ever passed by a creek you've probably seen turtles on rocks sunbathing. they need this for warmth. a good heat lamp with 40-0 w bulb is good about 8-15 inches away from the closest the trutle can get. if instead you don't want the heat lamp a good ceramice heat bulb would work. it radiates heat but produces no light. this would help any algea problems you may encounter.light: although heat lamps produce light it is the wrong kind. it is different from the sun. retiles need uv light to produce and metabolize certain vitamins. a reptile uva and uvb bulb is neccessary. most petstores have them. but i suggest reading about it before going back to your petstore or locate another to shop at sso they don't sell you the wrong thing. do not put the uv bulb on glass or plasitc they filter the light and it is useless. either remove it from you lid or get a lid that is wire.Water: water by minimum should be as deep as the shell is wide. that way if they over turn they won't drown. max depends off species. but asumming its a RES the for now about 5-6 inches. changed depending on filtration. more on that later. Dry land: now with water requirements out tf the way, dry land requirements can be discussed. depending on species water to land ratio shoud be about 3 to 1 or 3/4 water 1/4 land. land can be a purchased molded 'rock' that has sucktion cups that attach to the side of the tank. or it can be several flat rocks stacked to make a wall and cliff type of set up or a piece of drift wood that floats around. no matter the route esspecially now with it being so young and small make sure that is is very sloped for easy exit and entrance to the water/dry land. the heat lamp or ceramice bulb should be above the dry land.filtration. turtles are messier than fish and the water gets spoiled really bad really fast. there are sveral wayss to deal with this. 1.) do nothing. the water becomes gross, bacteria grow and thrive and the turtle develops shell rot and other infections that could lead to death. make sure the water is clean. 2.) clean the water. a) change water daily or every other day depending on water to turtle volume ratio. more water eans more wate to equal same amount of dirtiness. b) use a filter. but not any filter. turtles are so much messier than fish. yuou need a minimum of 2 if not 3 times the strength in a filter that's rated for it. ie 20 gal tank gets a 40-60 gallon filter a 50 gallon tank gets two or three 60+ gallon filters. also use one that not only removes solid waste, left over food ect but also one that has charcoal or any other bio filter to remove amonia and make nitrites into nitrates or nitrates into nitrites. one is bad the other good. also the tank water with or without a filter should be cleaned every 1-2 weeks completely. as well as a filter cleaning or change. also submersible filters do better with turtles becasue of the low water level.big enclosure: remember 1 inch of turtle = 10gallons of water.if you have a 10 gal tank now go ahead and get rid of it. you have about 2-3 months before your pet out grows it anyway if you only have a 5 gal or less then you need to upgrade this wek end. glass aquariums are expensive. except fot 10 gals which run about 10 bucks. but a 20 gal isn't 20 bucks it more like 40 or 50. so that being said got to wal mart or a dolar store and get liek arubbermaid contain or off brand one. get the biggest they have and perferably clear'ish' so you can see from the side. they don't come very big the biggest clear one ive found wat about 26 gal and about $10 the biggest period was 50 gall but it had bad dementions. you want long and fat as opposed to really tall. but a 26 or so would do for about a year assumeing it a RES. then an upgrade to something bigger like a water container for horses. the big gray ones they keep snakes and live rock in at small pet stores.if it is a land turtle then all this won't work. they need all dry land with a water dish, a hiding spot, a heat lamp and NON PINE bedding, also the uva and uvb light. there diet is different for different species. so if this is what you have identify what you have exactly and read up on it.so light, heat, water, dry land, filters, tanks, food that about covers the absolute basics. definately try out those stes and read up to learn so much more. becasue what i jsut wrote was only the very tip of the iceberg.hope this helps.oh and RES can grow depending on sex 8-12 inches long. males being smaller.oh yeah the germs thign i almost forgot. they can but probably not. turtles carry sammanilla (SP?) in thier digestive track just liek humans carry e coli in thiers. as long as you don't putthe thing in you mouth, keep the enclosure clean, and practice good hygene (wash hand before and after handling the turtle) you should be perfectly fine.just to know read read this and found some errors that i corrected. also when i started this there was one answer. that' how long it took to put this together. not for 10 points but so you can get started with it and hel your turtle(s) to be happy without doing massive amounts of reading. agian i hope this helps.

[Dean B]

You will need to have as much water as it takes to have a depth at least as high as the turtles shell. You will probably need a water heater. Turles like the water to be 75 - 86 Degrees F or else they wont eat. You will also need a water filter so you only have to change the water once a week instead of every second day if you don't get one. You will also need a landing area that the turtle can get access to, so it can dry off and warm itself under the lamp. The landing area is the turtles basking area. The temperature under the light and on top of the lading deck should be 82-88 Degrees F. Get two thermometers. One for the water temp. and one for the basking area. Hope this helps!

[Brittany]

Wow, ok turtles get HUGE. I'm going to asume that these are a type of slider. Males get to be 8-9 inches and females get to be 12 inches, so yes they will get MUCH bigger. It's illegal to sell turtles under 4 inches. You'll be fine, just don't tell a cop. I did the same thing not knowing the law. They should have 10 gallons of water per square inch of their shell. They're 1 inch so they EACH need 10 gallons of water. Honey, they're aquatic turtles, NO they can't have too much. This is why they have little flippers to swim with. Yes they can make you sick if you handle them. They might carry Salmonilla, but just be sure to wash your hands throroughly and you'll have no problems. Since I'm here, I'll give you some more advice on the care of turtles.They NEED both UVB and UVA lighting. UVB prevents metabolic bone dissease, synthesizes calcium, and produces and synthesizes vitamin D3. Their water needs to be between 75 and 85 degreese F and they need to have a basking spot completely out of water that is between 85 and 95 degreese.You need to feed them a steady diet of pelet food (T.Rex and ZooMed's make awesome turtle food), and add some snails, small crickets, and meal worms to either diet for added protein. When they get bigger (about 4 inches) then you can feed them feeder fish (goldfish, rosey reds, platys, other minnows) but not yet because your turtle's too small.Be sure to have a good filter made for turtles or a fish filter said to do 2x more than your tank size. Change the filter regularly and clean the tank once a week. This also helps keep away diseases.You can add a plant called Anacharis to the tank too which helps keep it clean. It eats their poo and turtles have a LOT of poo.Good luck with your little guys and if you have any more questions just ask!