Hi, we found a baby painted turtle in the road by our house (we have a 1/2 acre lake in front of our house that is home to several adult painteds). It's shell is about the size of a quarter. We took it in because of the geese, blue herons and other wildlife that might put it in danger, not to mention the street. We have had it for a few days in a plastic terrarium that used to house a hermit crab (about 2 gallon), I have a 26w UVB light on it and a basking rock. Question is, does the water need to be heated? I have gotten mixed answers from different pet stores. I purchased a heating element, but it can't be used on plastic. I don't mind spending the $$ for the right setup once I know he'll be ok. He is also not eating yet. Any thoughts? I have tried 3 different foods. He swims around, sleeps underwater. Thank you.

Robyn's got a Turtle page ( sorry I haven't mastered the link-thing yet )on her main site that might help you out. If he's already staying in the water I would think the temp. is fine with him. The basking light is doing enough. Sorry, I'm not a turtle person so I can't help with specifics.

Hi Tracy08! Here is a link to Robyn's turtle page: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/index.htm
That should keep you busy until a turtle person (and there are a few on the forum) can get on the forum later and help you out. :)
I had a turtle when I was a kid and it got squised with an encyclopedia. :(
That ended my turtle ownership. So the moral to the story is don't ask me about turtles cause I don't have a clue. :)
Welcome to the board!

Water heated is a must, you wanna keep water around 75° F

Honestly since he is from the wild, foods are feeding him are strange to him and he doesnt know it is food, It can take over a week or more, feeder fish like guppies and worms are just about a sure fire way to get him to eat.

My baby turtle page is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/hatchling.htm

I suggest getting a 20 gallon long tank to start. He/she'll need a much larger tank in a year or two though. You'll need a filter that can work in shallow water like a Duetto filter. You'll need fluorescent full spectrum lighting for UV and incandescent heat lamps. The heater is optional but the baby may not eat if he/she is not warm enough. One of the pages on my site lists the supplies you'll need: http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/supplylist.htm I think.

For the baby to want to eat, the water should be 75 to 80 degrees F. Below that, he/she may not eat but won't starve. Turtles use their yolk for a while and then can go a long time without eating. I've had two baby turtles. Neither ate much of anything for about two months even with heat. Then, they ate like pigs. I suggest live black worms as the first food. My pages have more on feeding.

I hope things go well!

Ditto on Robyn's advice. You can't overemphasize the water temperature; you MUST keep it aroung 78. Hatchlings like to go after things that move. If you can get to a local pond or marshy area, take a net, sweep through vegetation in the water and collect aquatic insect larvae, especially things like damsel fly larvae. Once they get to eating, there's no stopping them. My six babies, hatched the end of October are now reaching 3 inch size.

Remember, too, the importance of keeping the water clean!!!

Don

Thanks for all the advice, the baby is still doing fine, it appears he is growing. He started eating and now eats everything that I put in there. He is eating the hatchling food that I purchased at the pet store. Sometimes I think I am overfeeding him. He sure does make a mess though!!!

I'm glad he's doing well and eating well. My turtle makes a HUGE mess so I think that's normal!