Need ideas for quick temporary turtle habitat

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Laura

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I work with a shelter. They get the occasional red ear etc. Right now they have a large one in a glass tank with 4 inches of water, no place to get out of the water and no heat.
Do they HAVE to be in water? Can they be out for several days? What is the minimum they need for the 4-5 days or more, that they are usually in a shelter?
It surprises me how they know nothing, and right now they are too busy with all the others to even try to do better. :-(
 

Crazy1

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Laura, I'm not sure there is an easy fix here. Shelters often don't know much about reptiles. A RES can be in a tank but should have a place to get out of the water to bask. A flat Rock will do. No lights well unless someone donates a UVB or a MVB they probably will not spring for one as they are not cheap. Yes they should be kept in water. RES can not eat out water. A large one is probably eating more greens than meats. I had one that was in a temp Rubbermaid tote (thank goodness for Rubbermaid totes) in my back yard with enough water to cover its shell. Two bricks with a flat stepping stone on top of them made a basking spot plus a hide for her. The Rubbermaid top I placed over part of the container to provide shade and the rocks were on the sunny side. I fed her boiled chicken, cats tongue, duck weed (aquatic plants) and some dark leafy greens. She was in that tank for almost a month before I found her a forever home. She was 7.5 inches SCL.
Hope this helps
 

Yvonne G

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The shelter probably wants to keep her inside one of the dog/cat cages, so you'd need to find some sort of plastic tote that would fit inside there. They don't require deep water, but just enough that they can duck their head under in order to eat. What Crazy1 described is perfect and easy for the shelter to provide.

Yvonne
 
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