green turtle

Question
hey

i just got two green turtles two days back ... the female one sleeps all the time n hardly moves while the male one is quite active ...should i be worried about the female green turtle ..is it normal for them to sleep ...right nw she has been sleeping for 8 hours straight. please advice

Thnku!
chittira

Answer
No, it's absolutely not normal.  She is sick, and was probably sick when you got her.  You should either return her, or take her to a veterinarian immediately.
You should also have the vet see your male, because she may have passed whatever is making her sick on to him.  (If it is parasites, they will both require treatment).

Since there isn't a species of pet turtle known as a 'green turtle', my best guess is that you have red-eared sliders.  RES are one of the most common pet turtles.  However, they're also one of the most overpopulated and widely abused, because they grow much larger than the majority of people realize, and in spite of books on care being plentiful these days, many people still take advice from pet store personnel.

Pet store personnel rarely know how to properly care for pet reptiles, and aquatic turtles are EXTREMELY high-maintenance pets that require expensive equipment to successfully keep in captivity.  The need for clean water means that owners are constantly changing the water in their enclosure, and while a high-end cannister filter can help, even with one, it still means weekly scrubbing and disinfecting.  Glass tanks aren't recommended, because most owners do not change the water properly when they use glass tanks...they're too heavy and hard to clean, so they don't get cleaned, to the detriment of the turtles (and the noses of anyone who walks by).

Turtles also require a dry basking area with a strong UVB producing light, and controlled heat.  RES usually need a water heater as well as a basking lamp.
Pellets make up only 25% of the ideal RES diet.

Female RES can reach 23-33 cm (10 to 13 inches) in total shell length by age 4 or 5.  Males can get 8 to 10 inches.  If you figure a tank size of 10 gallons per inch of shell length (which is what is recommended), you can see that this is not a pet for everyone!  I recommend using a Turtle Tub, instead of a tank.  Waterland tubs makes some nice ones.  They're much easier to clean than glass tanks.