questions

Question
Yes,
I just bought a small turtle from a local city fest. It is about the palm size of my hand.
I was wanting to know what im suppose to feed it?
What type of aquarium can it be in?
How much water do i use?
How many times of day to i feed it?
Also, How often do i change the water?
Thanks for your help.


Answer
Hello Nicole,
First you need to find out what type of turtle he is. I am thinking he is most likely a red ear slider.

You can go to the pet store and get commercially formulated "turtle pellets" or "turtle sticks" Small turtles are mostly interested in meat products; feeder fish, earthworm peices, krill, crickets, etc.
You can also offer vegetable matter but its more common that young turtles wont like it, and is more often fed to adults. But appropriate plant matter includes but is not limited to; dandelion greens, collared greens, turnip greens, squash, and a limited amount of fruits (nothing too acidic)

A four inch turtle can have up to 8 inches of water but no more. And a good rule to go by is 10 gallons per every inch of shell. So a 4 inch turtle would need 40 gallons of water to be most comfortable.

You can feed once daily or twice daily but if you are feeding twice be sure that you feed smaller amounts.

Water changes should be done once a week if you have a water filter, once every 3 days if you do not have a filter. Or as needed, in between those times.

Good luck, be sure to read up on care sheets such as these:

http://redearslider.com
http://reptilianyex.tripod.com/id51.html

-Yexalen