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 #2086621


Leoman911
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 Spotted turtle

Umm hey guys my cuzzin bought a spotted turtle today for me he figured he had got over it was only 10 dollars so. He bought it for ma not noing I speacialize in land turtles so I kinda need help ask questions and ill be sure to anser
10/20/09  09:01pm

 #2086674


Tpau15
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2086621


 Spotted turtle

You can start by telling us what the set up is like for the turtle currently, like what lighting, size enclosure, food you are feeding, water to land ratio, etc..

Here’s a good site to get you started on proper care and maintenance: Link

-tpau15
10/20/09  10:27pm

 #2086676


Leoman911
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   Message To: Tpau15   In reference to Message Id: 2086674


 Spotted turtle

Okay its a baby its in a 10 gallon umm its abou 9 to 1 water to land and it just has a basking light
10/20/09  10:33pm

 #2086680


Tpau15
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2086676


 Spotted turtle

By basking light do you mean just a heat lamp? All diurnal reptiles, like your spotted turtle, need two types of lighting in order for their bodies to work properly: UV light (found only in fluorescent or MVB, Mercury Vapor Bulb, sources, and heat, found in standard incandescent bulbs. They should have this lighting available to them for 10 - 12 hours a day. Spotted turtles are not the greatest swimmers, so they should have an enclosure with 50/50 land and water, and the water should be fairly shallow.

Read the information in the link I provided and it will help you a lot. If after reading the information you still have questions, ask. It’s much easier to help when the list of potential short comings is smaller.

-tpau15
10/20/09  10:40pm

 #2086948


Leoman911
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   Message To: Tpau15   In reference to Message Id: 2086680


 Spotted turtle

Yeah its just a heat lamp and I have a uv fixture but the light needs to be replaced but for now ill use my leopard gecko light and what should the land be? Made of?
10/21/09  02:13pm

 #2087005


Brandnew.
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2086948


 Spotted turtle

leopard geckos dont need lighting.

equipment u will need:

heat lamp
UVB light, 8% min. id go for a large rating.
aquarium power filter
aquarium heater to heat water (with guard)
thermometer for water.

the land area should probably be soil with moss on top.



10/21/09  03:23pm

 #2087073


Leoman911
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   Message To: Brandnew.   In reference to Message Id: 2087005


 Spotted turtle

Yeah I know about the leo thing I keep the light for veiwing and breeding but ill put the light on the turtle and I have most of that thx
10/21/09  05:03pm

 #2087077


Leoman911
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   Message To: Brandnew.   In reference to Message Id: 2087005


 Spotted turtle

Thx I have everything but the umm water heat and filter and thermometer but that’s easy thx and my leos light is for breeding and veiwing purposes
10/21/09  05:06pm

 #2087650


Gottee guy
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2087077


 Spotted turtle

Go ahead and buy a 50 gallon tank. Way better in the long run.

You don’t NEED a water heater, as long as the water is constantly around 75 degrees. Too warm of water will make the turtle feel that it does not need to bask, thus forming algae on its shell and not getting the much needed UVB rays.
Too cold will keep them out of the water.

Get a filter that at LEAST filters the water in the tank twice over in one hour. Which means in neophyte terms, if you have a 10 gallon tank, get a filter that filters 20 gallons per hour. At least, but better is better.

For 50% land, you can custom make or buy a divider to make half land.

Leos don’t need a heat lamp, but do need a UTH.
10/22/09  08:56pm

 #2087800


JackAsp
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   Message To: Gottee guy   In reference to Message Id: 2087650


 Spotted turtle

They like it cool, and they like it shallow. And they like a planted, terrarium-style land area to explore. In the wild, they hunt for prey on land and then carry it back into the water. Room temperature is warm enough for them, worry more about over-heating than under-heating. Use a UVB strip light and the best ventilation you can manage, don’t bother with a heat bulb.



10/23/09  03:58am

 #2087897


Gottee guy
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2087800


 Spotted turtle

Forgot to say, mega-ray bulbs are the best UVB lights you can possibly get. To date. You will not need a basking lamp if you have a mega-ray because they also let out heat. They have sufficient UVB for 2 years for your reptile, unlike other lights that you have to replace every 6 months.
10/23/09  12:21pm

 #2087953


JackAsp
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   Message To: Gottee guy   In reference to Message Id: 2087897


 Spotted turtle

A Mega-Ray would probably be much too hot. For something low-temperature like a spotted, I think it’s better to go with strips and just change them early.
10/23/09  03:23pm

 #2088475


Leoman911
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2087953


 Spotted turtle

Thanx guys and by the way it ate its first worm yesterday
10/25/09  01:22pm

 #2088853


JackAsp
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2088475


 Spotted turtle

They’re pretty carnivorous, but still have the same MBD risks as other turtles, so you might want to order some of the higher-calcium insect larva. Phoenix worms and silkworms are nice and small, and if he likes earthworms he’ll like those. Hornworms are great too (they’ve been about 50 percent of my diamondback terrapin’s diet for a long time) but they grow so fast that finding ones that are still small enough for a baby spotted could be a problem. Look into Coastal Silkworms or Mulberry Farms. You can stock up on phoenix worms, because they last forever, but don’t go crazy and order a million silkworms. Turtles do love them, but they don’t have the greatest shelf life in the world. Although if you’ve got boxies or something, and they’re still awake this time of year, I suspect they’d be delighted to help you get rid of any surplus.
10/26/09  07:26pm

 #2089056


Mikeornata
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2086621


 Spotted turtle

where did you get a spotted for only 10 dollars?



10/27/09  01:49pm

 #2089057


Leoman911
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2088853


 Spotted turtle

Lol u know what its funny you said that but idk how to hibernate boxies but my male is very droopy now should I hibernate them and do you hibernate spotteds oh yeah and my geckos can help too lol
10/27/09  01:51pm

 #2089060


Mikeornata
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2089057


 Spotted turtle

again where did you get a spotted turtle for ten dollars?????
10/27/09  01:54pm

 #2089128


Leoman911
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   Message To: Mikeornata   In reference to Message Id: 2089060


 Spotted turtle

From a man selling them at a shopping center oviously not knowing what he had unless my cousin paid more and just lied lol idk
10/27/09  05:30pm

 #2089223


JackAsp
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   Message To: Leoman911   In reference to Message Id: 2089128


 Spotted turtle

With boxes, once they’ve stopped eating for a few weeks, you move their cage into a room where it stays about 55. They’ll still wake up and drink occasionally, or of you want to be extra sure you can dig them out and soak them a few times a month. With spotteds, I’m not sure how it differs. They’d probably need a lower temp, since they wake up VERY early, but nobody really habitually hibernates baby anythings in captivity. It’s better to keep them active and eating when they’re still that delicate.



10/27/09  11:32pm

 #2089324


Leoman911
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   Message To: JackAsp   In reference to Message Id: 2089223


 Spotted turtle

Oh okay thx for the info
10/28/09  12:21pm


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