Trachemys scripta elegans, Mans Punching Bag XI

I have heard the stories of calcium blocking foods and I know I have listed some above according to other “expert” sites.  But let me say this, I have been feeding these types of diets for over ten years now and have yet to ever have a reptile suffer calcium deficiencies in any way.  These theories of calcium blocking are based on human standards from the FDA and are not proven to be accurate by any veterinarian studies that I have seen.  If fed in moderation and not exclusively these foods will not cause calcium blockage.  Are we done now, with that ignorant argument?  As a matter of fact if you e-mail me a qualified veterinarian’s report I must be able to verify that the Veterinarian in question is actually practicing or has practiced somewhere for more than a year in the United States.  The study must state that specifically within a varied diet that includes vegetables and proteins that the calcium blocking vegetables in proportion to the others included in such a diet will cause a calcium deficiency and I will send the first two people to do so $25 via PayPal.  If you want to add a calcium supplement of some kind I would use non treated bird cuttlebone and just let it float around the tank.  The turtle will break off pieces itself and eat them.

We have seen that these “cute” little turtles are expensive and when all things are considered I would guess that most people doing the right thing and researching before buying will actually pass and get something else which is probably a good thing.  I would rather you purchase a different reptile than buy one on impulse only to have it suffer or worse be released into the wild to fend for itself.  While this article is thorough it is not intended to be nor should it be considered the only authority.  I would recommend as I always do that you read a book or at least another article about Red Eared Sliders Trachemys scripta elegans before purchasing one.  I wrote another such article for Associated Content which if you like to read that one as well you can find it by clicking here.

Trachemys scripta elegans, Mans Punching Bag X

You’re going to drain as much water as possible and then wipe down the entire enclosure with a rag removing any algae and other materials that the filter somehow missed.  After that you’re going to add all the water back as well as the turtle and then after the tank is refilled you will add the filter and plug it in.  After about ten minutes plug the heater back in the reason for the time lapse is that sudden shocks of temperature drop to the heater may cause it to malfunction.  Never for any reason, place your mouth on the siphon to get it started as you may get more than you bargained for with used turtle water.

Dietary needs are met through offering a varied diet of greens, fish, shrimp, worms, and even crickets.  In my experience the juvenile turtles will eat just about anything.  I prefer feeding frozen foods like krill and live worms such as night crawlers.  For greens give a rough chop to Green leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, red leaf lettuce, endive, kale, romaine, and zucchinis.  I would make about half cup of this mixture and place that in the aquarium to float around.

You’ll have to remove this daily and I use a fish net to do so as the juveniles will only eat small portions but once you figure out what they will eat its easier to adjust the amounts of foods to their needs.  Adult Red Eared Sliders Trachemys scripta elegans diet will be 75% plant matter.

Trachemys scripta elegans, Mans Punching Bag VIV

Maintaining a healthy habitat will ensure a long life for your Red Eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans not to mention you won’t be spending hundreds of dollars at the vet.  Once a month move the turtle to another container of appropriate size that’s filled with water.  They won’t be there long so there’s no need to heat the water but it shouldn’t be cold either, about room temperature would be fine.  I use a five gallon paint bucket for one turtle or one of the large tubs that we see at the beach with ice in them and rope handles for more than one.

Turn off the filter and unplug the heater, let the heater sit for about 10 minutes.  During this time you can take the filter into your bathroom and use the bathtub to rinse and clean the filter and all the media inside.  Once a month you will change out the carbon and once every three months you can change out the pre-filter which is a sponge like material.  Now we go back and bring out our siphon.

Siphon, what siphon?  Well, unless you plan on bucketing all that water out you will need a siphon to get the water in the tank into another receptacle.  Any aquarium siphon will work but if you truly want the easiest one you will spend about $80 depending on where you buy it but it’s called oddly enough The Python.  It attaches to your kitchen faucet andboth drains and fills the tank within minutes by way of a valve change.  The price always kept me from getting one so I use the regular siphon and bucket routine. Next