How long can my Red Eared Slider live for?

Question
QUESTION: I have a red eared slider and I just got it a week ago. I'm just wondering over the current care I am providing, can it last for over a month?
The turtle is about just over 1 inch long.
I have a small tank for the turtle. It is about 3 inches tall and about 6 inches lengthwise and 2 inches with. I have a few pebbles and am cleaning the tank about 2 times a week. The tank sometimes gets cloudy. I am feeding it turtle food (store-bought). It does not have a UVA light thing or a filter. Just a tank and some pebbles.
How long could this last? I need it to last long enough so that I can buy a UVA light for it. I am pretty busy so it might take a month for me to get to the pet store again.

ANSWER: Clean the tank at minimum one more time a week the cloudiness you are seeing is due to bacteria build up.  The light you need is a UVB not a UVA.  Also the pebbles need to be high enough where he can haul himself out onto the rocks and dry out completely.  I am presuming you obtained this as a gift and if not I can only say that you honestly should have done your research before hand.  The turtle will most likely survive a month but I would highly encourage you to get the filters and necessary tank ASAP.  A piece of cork bark would also serve to help him bask.  You also need to get a basking light as well which will allow the reptile to keep warm during the day as well.  I hope this helps and any further questions you have feel free to shoot them my way.

John F Taylor
www.reptileapartment.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for answering my question really quickly. I also have another question though. I am getting a UVB light as you suggested, but I cannot find anything that would let the turtle haul itself up onto like a rock. Are rocks that I find in the wild good enough or should I go and buy one and if I need to buy one, where? I thank you really much for the excellent response, but I have another question. Will the UVB light catch anything on fire? I do not want this to happen. When I get the UVB light, I will only let it on about 4 hours a day when I am home. Is this enough time?

Answer
As with any reptile species the UVB light is usually a fluorescent one and doesn't generate heat.  So don't worry about catching fire when you're not home.  Now then the next topic is length of time the light should be on.  Well first of all, the light should be no less than 12" away from the Turtle itself to achieve maximum benefit.  This light should be left on for a minimum of 12 hours a day which matches the day/night schedule of your area.  The rocks in the wild should be OK I would test them with Vinegar to make sure they are not softer stones which might dissolve over time then I would rinse them thoroughly with a tiny amount of bleach.  You're looking for flat ons which the turtle can crawl onto like an island so that they have the opportunity to bask and what not.

John F Taylor
www.reptileapartment.com