i inherited 3 turtles and have no retile knowledge

Question
QUESTION: i inherited 3 turtles tortoises i am not sure what kind they are but i need help please.  they came in a 5 gallon aquarium that seems too small for them there is no heater or light source and 1 flimsy rock protruding out of the water they try to get on.  i have a 55 gallon aquarium somewhere in the basement i could dig out if neccesary but i dont how much water to put in or even if it needs to be heated or even how to shore it up to make an island for them to get on.can you help me   is my phone number

ANSWER: Hi Debbi,

First thing, we need to identify your turtles or at least figure out if they're turtles or tortoises.  Can you post a clear side view of one of them?  A five gallon tank is way, way too small no matter what species they are.  Turtle or tortoise, they will need more room, a heat/UVB source, and a good diet.  If you can post that picture we can go from there.  Thanks!

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QUESTION: i am sorry but i dont have a digital camera but  i have looked at some picture of turtles on line and red slider or cooter or chicken turtle seems to come close to what they look like.  i can borrow my daughters camera if necessary but will take a couple of days before i can get it

Answer
Hi Debbi,

That's OK.  Most likely they are red-eared sliders, because those are the most common pet turtles.  If they can fit into a 5 gallon, they can't be very old or big.  RES can get quite large--up to 12" if female.  Males are smaller.  They need a lot of room; for three, you'll need a very large tank (100 gallons+) or ideally an outdoor pond.  You'll also need a good filter, basking light with UVB, etc.  I'm going to give you some basic reptile information and then some links to websites that should help you.

Reptiles are ectothermic, or "cold-blooded."  Their blood isn't actually cold, but they need an external source of warmth in order to regulate their body temperature, as opposed to mammals, which are able to internally regulate temperature.  Being ectothermic is a survival advantage for reptiles because it means their metabolism is slower and they need less food.  Most reptiles need a body temperature somewhere between 75-85 degrees in order to digest food, and this includes turtles.  They wake up in the morning, bask, and then look for food.  Turtles and tortoises also need a source of UVB in order to metabolize calcium from their food.  In nature, they get UVB from the sun; in captivity, it comes from artificial UVB lighting.

The top of a turtle's shell is called the carapace.  The bottom shell is the plastron.  The individual scales on the shell are called scutes.  Turtles and tortoises can't be sexed until they're mature at around 5 years old.  In RES, the easiest way to tell males from females is that the males have long claws and a longer tail.  Yours are probably too young to sex yet.

Here's some good websites that should help:

www.redearslider.com
www.turtlerescues.com/res.htm
www.chelonia.org/Articles/trachemyscare.htm

If you look on the Long Island Turtle Rescue page I linked for you (down on the left), you'll see a link to join the Yahoo group.  They're very helpful.  My knowledge of water turtles is pretty limited, so if you have questions beyond what can be answered by the links I gave you, I'd suggest joining the Yahoo group so you can get good information.  Good luck with your turtles!