How to do water change??

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laney

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Hi everyone,
I was at a local animal sanctuary the other day and they had terrapins which need some attention. I'm looking into going up there to volunteer and need some advice as I'm more into my tortoises and don't have much knowledge on turtles and terrapins yet.
They were quite large and in a filthy tank, my first point of call would be to get them into clean fresh water.
Can anyone advise me on how to go about a water change, what to do, things to add to water and temps etc? It's not an area I know about but by the looks of it neither do they.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
 

ascott

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What type of terrapin? Some utilize fresh water and some brackish water (so important to find out what type you are dealing with--true terrapin or more of a fresh water turtle?)

We host two Red Ear Slider Turtle here, so when their tank gets cleaned I do the following;

Remove the turtles from the tank :D

I use about 27 feet of 3/4 inch clear plastic tubing that I use to siphon the water out of the RES tank here...when I do water changes I do the entire tank and not partials...I always figure, if I am going to go through the effort I might as well do it right (all)...

While it is draining I will wipe the inside glass down to keep it clean...then when it is empty I simply use the garden hose and run it right into the house (thankfully we have concrete flooring so no problems with the hose coming right into the house) into the tank and fill it back up...I am on well water, so during the summer months the water is not ever truly cold--so I don't have to fill like half with cold water from the hose and then fill by bucket with warm water like during the winter months when the well water is really chilly...

I also will use a chlorine remover---there are a variety of brands but basically one used for tap water will suffice....(fresh water occupant)..

The temp of the water should be about 78ish and is achieved by an aquarium heater appropriate for the gallon size tank/tub you are working with....

There should also be a spot that the turtle(s) can climb out onto in order to completely dry their body/shells out ---completely---throughout the day (one of the turtles here even sleeps out on hers when all lights are out)...this dry out spot should be set up so that a basking light can be securely affixed directly above the basking/dry out spot...this allows them to sprawl out and enjoy the warm up...

This is just what I do for the two RESs here...others will be by to offer their personal info as well, but I think knowing what the occupants are will allow a more personalized reply...
 

laney

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Cool, thanks for that :)
I'm not sure what kind they were but I've contacted them and hoping to hear back :)
Turtles and terrapins seem soo complicated compared to torts lol
 

junebugsmom

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I have 2 musk turtles and I clean my tank pretty much the same way ascott described (glad I'm not the only one who drags the garden hose into the kitchen).

Be careful not to use any cleaners with ammonia or other chemicals in them, as these are toxic to the turtles. I use a water/vinegar mix to clean with.
 
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