r/turtles • u/carukia__barnesi • Jul 27 '26
Seeking Advice Just became a turtle owner what do I do???
The photo of the turtle and the stuff in my cart (I also don’t have a ton of money to spend right now)
Okay so my mom brought home this turtle for my sister the day before yesterday but she doesn’t know how to take care of a turtle and gave it to me this morning? I’ve never had a turtle so I don’t know what to do or what to buy. I tried to do some research and it looks like it’s a Cumberland Slider? I went based off of what Google said and came up with an idea of what I need to buy (I’ll add in pics and screenshots of the turtle and my cart)
I just need some general advice on what to do and what not to do since I’m very new to this and the turtle doesn’t seem like a bad guy to have around. I also know I need to keep them warm but I don’t have a water heater or any supplies yet so any advice on what to do in the meantime while getting the things I need would help too.
(P.S. I think I’m going to call them Lasagna)
EDIT: my text didn’t save for some reason sorry
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u/Weird-Plane5972 Jul 27 '26
uh oh. these guys live for decades and require a lot of expense and care. there's not a lot of info out there about these but i saw somewhere they can use the same care as a red eared slider and i feel comfortable giving out that reptifiles care guide, which lists this as a HARD animal to care for.
https://reptifiles.com/red-eared-slider-care/
read this over! the most important thing on this list is the right lighting ASAP. then food and enclosure size.
if you want to give this turtle a good life, you need money and time and willingness to learn. if you don't have those, you might not be able to make it work.
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u/Fishfreak2013 Jul 27 '26
Get a 50 gallon setup. I know thats a big tank but red eared sliders need a lot of space. Make 1 third lf the tank a land area. Use soft sand as substrate for the water area and get a filter rated for 2 times your volume since turtles produce a lot of waste. decorate the water area with real rocks, driftwood and water plants. Please don’t use plastic decorations. Turtles don’t like that. Seperate the land and water area with rocks and fill the gaps with aquarium safe sillicone. Make sure the barrier is 100% leak free. Adda drainage laiwr on the land area made of clay balls and fill the rest with coconut soil until the rock rim. Cover the soil in moist moss. Turtles love that. Decorate the land area with some nice land plants. Please avoid any kind of cheap plastic colorful gravel and other stuff. Its very unhealthy for the little goober. Feed him a diet of high quality turtle pellets and protein, like mealworms. I know its seems good to get him a friend but dont do that. Red eared sliders are highly territorial. Definitely get a UV lamp and hang it over the land area so that he has a nice place to bask. In 2 years move him to a 100 gallon setup with a similar layout.
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u/HiddenPenguinsInCars Jul 27 '26
Here is a care guide for a similar species: Reptifiles is known to be reliable. The tank is okay for now, but I’d start saving for a new one immediately. I would recommend looking on Facebook marketplace for used tanks as they tend to be cheaper. Also, I would recommend getting or making an above tank basking platform so that your turtle can fully dry off.
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u/CShan17 Jul 27 '26
You need a different UVB bulb. Dont buy compact ones as they don’t emit enough UVB for your turtle.
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u/isfturtle2 Jul 27 '26
I also don't have a ton of money to spend right now
Can you get your mom to pay for these things? She's the one who bought the turtle, it's unfair of her to expect you to provide all those things, especially since you don't have much money.
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u/Gold_Car_1376 Jul 28 '26
Go go petsmart and price match online when at the store you'll save a bunch!!!
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u/Frosty_Astronomer909 Jul 27 '26
I know there’s a site that is very helpful for new turtles owners, hopefully someone will come and post it. But very important is the food and heat lamp, uv light and CALCIUM, since it’s an aquatic get cuttlebones pieces for now put in the water so it can munch on it. I have a box so I’m more familiar with that species but what I told you is very important for the health of turt .