How do you get a baby to swim fast?

Baby Turtle Care advice?

• im thinking about getting a baby water turtle to raise as my own for a birthday present. and i know can last for more than 30-40 years if properly taken care of and that is why i am here. if i do decide to raise a baby turtle what is it diet as a baby i heard that most sliders/ baby turtles are more carnivores when there young. how should a baby turtle be fed and is there any thing i should be looking out for in a baby turtle as far as health and stuff like deformation of shell or whatever as it grows and etc..? i want to do it the right way. and also is it alright to put a baby turtle in the same tank as a 5or6 inch adult slider. and can you mix different sliders together. i am going to get getting a slider from my teacher from school but its is blind or mentally retarded it never leaves this one corner and keep trying to swim thru it. my teacher said it had started acting weird a couple months ago when it ran off the table and hit its head when he was cleaning the tank. he bought feeding fish 2 months ago and it still hasnt ate them yet!

• Answer:

  Keep it easy and clean, you can buy turtle food pellets at any pet store. It contains all the nutrition that a turtle needs to grow and stay healthy. I would only give the turtle crickets, Goldfish or worms on a vary rare occasion. They make the tank dirty very quickly, which is an easy way for your turtle to get ill. I have had a western slider for over 15 years now. Also, it is very important to have the proper tank setup! Including both a UV-B light and basking light (they are not the same). See: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/firstturtleenclosure.htm Remember to wash your hands both before and after handling turtles to prevent any spread of disease to both yourself and your turtle.