Tank the Yellow Bellied Slider Hatchling Questions

[Jarledge]

Okay, so a friend of mine purchased this baby turtle while in Florida and decided immediately that she couldn't keep it. So, I took it to give it a good home. I have been doing a lot of research and needless to say I have questions. First off, I purchased an "everthing you need for turtles" package deal at PetSmart per the salespersons advice. It came with a 20 gallon tank (with a side cut out for the filter which I found interesting because now it won't hold 20 gallons, maybe even half that), floating basking platform, filter, two lamps and bulbs, food, and water treatment (to treat tap water). Shouldn't I get one of those slow release calcium blocks for the tank too? Per my research, when this baby grows up a little, h/she will need a bigger tank. My second question is what else should I feed it other than the turtle food? I read that they eat feeder fish and crickets but is that something I should worry about with it being so small? I tried a collard leaf and a strawberry but h/she didn't seem to like that. Any suggestions? Oh, and I noticed that the water was cloudy yesterday when I got home (I set the tank up on Friday night with all fresh water and the cloudy water appeared on Wednesday), I did a 50% water change but it still appeared cloudy this morning. I don't have a whole lot of water in the tank right now because the turtle is still very small. It might be 2 gallons or less. The turtle is about an inch wide so I have enough water in the tank where he can swim and not touch the bottom. I sloped the river rocks up so there is a shallow water end where he can touch and then it slopes some more into another basting area completely out of the water. Maybe a different filter is needed for the cloudy water issue? Oh and how much should I feed this little guy, I have been feeding him (or her) twice a day, two round pellets each feeding.
Sorry to bombard with questions but should I leave both the lights off at night? One is a daytime UVA light that I leave on for 12 hours and the other is a UVB light that the salesperson told me to leave on at all times. Just want to double check that since the salesperson also told me that this "everything you need for turtles" would be fine for an adult turtle. Yeah, I don't think so. H/she will need at leaset a 55 gallon tank when it gets full grown....

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Oh and do turtles like living by themselves or should I consider getting another hatchling to keep it company? Just wondering...would hate to have a loner if they naturally live in groups.

 

[Chest Rockwell]

Sure a calcium block is great, so is a cuttlebone. I feed my Turtles freeze dried shrimp, pond snails-live or freeze dried, turtle pellets, algae wafers, live crickets coated with Reptical(calcium powder). They love nibbling on Amazon sword plants.. The cloudy water is a bacteria bloom which is for good, should clear up in a couple days. All tanks go through this; research nitrogen cycle. Replace your uvb bulb every 6 months. As Turtles mature they become more omnivorous. I would not have another turtle; hence they are cold blooded reptiles they prefer solitude. Do throw a few guppies for the turtle.

 

[bshenanagins]

Just some future advice, DO NOT buy off the shelf "all you need for a turtle" product packages cuz they are complete junk. That tank is too small and it will quickly outgrow it. Plus the filters you get wouldn't even filter a guppy tank properly. Not bashing you just giving you some economical advice. Check out Austin's Turtle Page, great information for aquatic turtle owners.

 

[Horsegirlmaddy]

I think you may have gotten the lights mixed up- UVB is the daytime bulb that triggers turtles to produce vitamin D, which is need to absorb and use calcium. This should be on 10-12 hours a day. UVA is the heat bulb, which should be left on at all times over the basking area, provided the light doesn't interrupt the sleep cycle (I like heat emitters that don't produce light or infrared bulbs so they can be left on day and night). As mentioned, the UVB bulb should be replaced every 6 months. Growing turtles need a fair amount of food- several turtle pellets twice a day as well as some meaty food such as cut-up beef heart or silversides, and small feeder worms such as mealworms and wax worms (not sure what's available for feeders in your area). Good luck!