Can I still help these red-eared sliders?

I've agreed to look after a close friend's pet turtles. He's kept them in a plastic tank without the proper living facilities for the past three yrs. One of the turtles seems active and eats properly, while the other one hides all day. How can I tell if theyre sick? Do they have a chance at survival if I give them the proper care?

Can I still help these red-eared sliders?
There are so many things that can be wrong, and my first guess would be that he did not keep them under UVB, and that they did not have proper diet. Those are common oversights in substandard care.


I would suspect metabolic bone disorder and nutritional disorders if they were kept that long under substandard care. There is just so much to cover in that and I would recommend you have them examined by a reptile vet or competent keeper of turtles.


If any of them seem to spend a lot of time sitting still with their eyes closed instead of swimming about and looking for food, then it is likely ill and needs to see a vet.


You will need a properly setup aquatic tank, with dry basking area and provide basking light and UVB light.


You also need to start from the top and read up on husbandry; starting with proper diet, temps, lighting, and water quality. You may need a filtration system and tank heaters as well. Dirty water is also a common factor in aquatic turtles being kept in poor conditions, and can result in illness.


Read austinsturtlepage.com for information on red eared sliders. I also recommend anapsid.org under chelonian section for more.Doing a websearch for red eared slider caresheets and husbandry will yield results too.
Reply:You will know if they are ill. They sneeze and cough like we do...





Examine the shells daily...you will soon know if something is up. Offer cutebone (Cheap way to go) and a good diet with turtle pellet. Look them up on the internet. Some sites show pictures of turtle diseases





They need filtration and a big environment, with a basking area!! The can grow to a foot long, some bigger. If they are babies you can get away with a smaller tank for now....





The hiding could just be caused by the move to your house....I have a yellow-belly a red-ear and a map, which are all babies.....and my red-ear is more timid them the rest..... I just take her out more so she can adjust and get used to people
Reply:The best thing for those turtles is to get them in the proper environment as soon as possible! Red-eared sliders get to a pretty big size. They need a big area. Chances are if they have been kept in a bad environment for three years, their shell is probably too small. This is like living in too small of a pair of shoes, except it's your entire body. Also if the turtles have not been able to get out of the water they may have developed soft shell. They need to have the proper lighting as well. They may still have a chance, if they've survived this long. The easiest way to get the turtles in a big enough space is to actually buy one of those kiddie pools and fill it up with water, and make sure they can get out of the water. They also need a basking spot. You should get a book at the library about red-eared sliders.



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