Turtle basking then freaking out

my attempt to show my fellow youtubers my full grown female red eared slider basking in her new pond enclosure. shes alittle shy about basking out in the open if you havent noticed. dont worry, shes fine. theres also my full grown male. hes even more shy about basking....or just being seen.

this is a 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank. about $250. its being filtered by a laguna clearflo 700. about $350. the basking dock and "cave" are different types of concrete slabs. some goldfish and 1 of them might be a koi/goldfish hybrid. plants are water lettuce and water hyacinth. now im poor....but it was worth it.

i got my 300 gallon rubbermaid here:
http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Commercial-Products/Rubbermaid/Stock-Tank...

***PLEASE NOTE***
this video in no way is promoting going out to the petstore, and purchasing turtles as pets. turtles like the "red eared slider" can live up to 50 years. if you cannot commit to a dog or cat that lives only 10-15+ yrs, please reconsider turtles as pets. turtles are not good pets in general. they do not like to be handled, they can bite or scratch, spread salmonella, need lots of swimming space, needs an appropriate dock to bask, messy eaters, destroy your nice set up environment, and some turtles will not tolerate other turtles and constantly fight. they also need some protection from wildlife. please do some intense hw before deciding to commit to a turtle (or any pet for that matter).

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• red
• eared
• slider
• basking
• pond
• 300
• gallon
• rubbermaid

[juanbau172]

where do you live?

somewhere in the caribbean because i live in puerto rico

[dehbee]

@juanbau17 southern CA

[2005jesusfreak]

Do you have a some kind of heat thing for him. How do you deal with the small pond during the winter.

[dehbee]

@2005jesusfreak where i live there is no snow. so i never worry about the pond being too cold in the winter.

[recyclecongress]

"Oh no... a human... duck in your shells guys!"

[mshill90]

@theleMBeleht Well, if it's a male, they won't get too big.. about 8". But yeah, they need to bask, and shed the scutes (layers) on their shell. That's a sign of growth as well. if you need any help or advice- shoot me an email: mshill90@gmail.com

[mshill90]

@theleMBeleht Turtle need UVA/UVB, so you can run 2 lights @ $10 each+ price for 2 domes, or you can buy a mercury vapor bulb, which is $35 and a dome. The UVA/UVB last 4-6 months.. the MVB lasts for 12-14 months. I use MVB because it's cheaper in the long run. You can buy a lamp with a clip, and clip it so it's mostly in the tank.. you wouldn't see it. Turtles need to bask everyday, and they bask for hours at a time. This is crucial for their health.

[mshill90]

@theleMBeleht Turtles need UVA and UVB for chemical and vitamin reactions to happen in the body. When a turtle doesn't get UVB, it can not process calcium, and therefore they get what is called MBD (metabolic bone Disease) as well as shell rot, which results in your turtles shell actually rotting away. Shell rot takes about 2 yrs to fully heal. Get your turtle a basking spot with UVB asap. It might already be too late, and he will need excessive rehabilitation.

[mshill90]

@BuddyWillis People don't understand just how big a turtle gets, and how long they can live. And eventually the kids get tired of them. They aren't good pets for kids IMO. I also rescue Fish, as well as do emergency calls for fish (especially koi) and turtles. I am a registered Koi Health Adviser, so I'm almost a fish doctor.

[mshill90]

@BuddyWillis I used to run a Bully Breed Dog rescue, but at one time I had 15 dogs in my home, and I realized that I was starting out way too big. I still will take in dogs every now and then, but only if I can't find someone who can take it. I can't take in cats because of the risk of Fel-V, and owning my own cats, I can't risk it. The most rescued turtles I have come across are Red Eared Sliders because people sell them as babies, and kids get them, then can't house them.

[BuddyWillis]

@mshill90 turtle rescue eh? I wouldn't assume turtles need alot of rescuing there for needing a whole turtle rescue company. Do you save other animals to or just turtles?

Just curious...

[mshill90]

I see I'm not the only one who used a 300 gallon stock tank for their turtles. I run a turtle rescue here in central PA, and RES are the ones I end up taking in the most. Poor guys. I am also glad that you know what turtles need, and just how long they really do live. :) I currently have 35 turtles- unlike you, I have to worry about winter. You're extremely lucky.

[DavidAlvarezMusic]

@theleMBeleht yes, or they will become stressed and later on if there is no light sourse, there shell will break :P but that all depends on what type of turtle it is.