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Name:
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BAJ
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Subject:
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Thanks, I knew
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Date:
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5/5/2004 12:54:27 PM
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WITH PROPER CARE, sliders are good in captivity.
But remember, they are water turtles, and they like to swim. That does not mean that a few inches of water in a plastic bowl is good enough; I used to keep them in NO LESS than a 10-gallon aquarium; by the time they outgrew a 20-gallon aquarium, I knew that it was time to release them back from where I had captured them.
But, filling an aquarium with water isn't good enough, because they also like to bask. So make sure they have a rock pile, or somthing similar, that allows them to get completely out of the water.
And, keep that water clean! For years, keeping sliders in an aquarium pesented me will all sorts of Catch-22s. The water had to be deep enough for them to swim AND deep enough to allow the filter to work (which meant, the aquarium had to be filled almost to the top.) But when it was that deep, I couldn't create a rock pile along the sides of the aquarium, or they would be able to crawl out. Finally, I discovered "under gravel filters," which made it possible to keep the water level a little lower, and to build a basking spot along the side of the aquarium, AND (most importantly) to keep the water clean.
But, those under-gravel filters collect all of the waste exactly where they say. So cleaning the tank means emptying it completely, doing some scrubbing, and starting all over.
Feeding the turtles is easy at first. Most pet stores will carry Repto-Min turtle food, or something similar. (Plus, I'm sure you can get it on-line now.) Supplement this with a little bit of lettuce, and before long you'll want to start catching tiny minnows and putting them in the aquarium. Don't overdo it with the Repto-Min and lettuce; they won't eat more than they need, and the leftovers get gross in a hurry, which just means more cleaning.
I tried to keep the aquarium in a spot that got good, but indirect, sunlight, and I had a full-spectrum light for nighttime use, though I kept it turned off unless there was something I needed to see. (In the winter, I used it more, to make up for the shorter days, and the fact that the aquarium was inside instead of on the porch.)
All in all, things worked out fine, and I was able to return EVERY turtle (except one) back to the lake; sometimes that was at the end of the summer, and sometimes it was two or three summers later. BUT, it takes some WORK, and a COMMITMENT. Turtles (and lizards, snakes, etc. ) are NOT toys; you can't just ignore them until you want to play with them.
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