I am a new Northern Map Turtle owner looking for advice and information

Hello everyone, I introduced myself in the introductions forum.
I am from Michigan and am new to caring for a Northern Map Turtle named Helmet

Although I have some experience with caring for a Ball Python which I sold happy and healthy at 41/2 feet long in 1999 when I became pregnant, I am fairly new to caring for aquatic turtles. I have been doing a lot of reading and searching although I would really like to hear from real live people about their experiences and advice.

I am currently keeping Helmet in a 20 gallon tank with a turtle topper. I am using a double deep dome lamp with a powersun uv 100 watt bulb in one side and a red heat lamp on the other side. I have a thermometer in the basking area as well as in the tank. I am using a submergable water heater and try to keep the water around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. I Keep the basking area around 85 degrees sometimes higher depending on water temperature.
I have over the tank water filters for 3 times the size of my tank. I do partial water changes weekly or completely change water if necessary.

I am feeding him in tank as Helmet is kind of skittish. Although I would like to be able to feed Helmet in a separate container I have not had much luck so far.

I am trying to feed him a well balanced diet but I am having a hard time getting him to eat reptomin pellets unless I put dried shrimp in along with them. He loves red worms and knows what the container looks like and begs for them, he will even take the worm while I'm holding it. He also likes wax worms but not as much as red worms. I try to show tough love if he's not eating the reptomin pellets I won't give him worms until he eats reptiomin pellets. I also keep fresh kale in the tank but he seems to play with it more so than eat it. I am going to try romain lettuce next time and also look for dandelion leaves as I have read that they like both.

I plan to get real aquatic plants at some point when I have done enough research on what to get and how to care for them.

At the moment my main concerns are water quality and diet. I am having a hard time lowering the level of alkaline?
I am planning to move him to a larger 55 gallon tank that I bought used along with a variety of decorations and fake plants which was previously used for a fresh water fish tank. I am very concerned about how to go about cleaning used equipment and have done some reading about cleaning them with paroxcide or bleach but am really scared that I won't be able to make these items safe for him. I am leaning towards the bleach although I am worried that it will leach out of the pores stones the decorations are made of or I won't get it completely neautralized and clean.

I am planning to invest in a larger canister filter or some kind of in tank filter although I have not done enough research to decide which one would be best. There are just so many to choose from.
I am kind of paranoid that I'm going to do something wrong if you have not figured that out yet ha ha I'm trying to be a responsible pet owner as I am with my dogs although I am lacking confidence that I won't mess up somehow. I am reading as much information as I can and have joined a few groups also.
I am looking for any and all advice you may have to offer. I am determined to get up to speed and give him/ her the best life I can offer.
So far he is a very active swimmer and also basks regularly. He is getting less and less skittish as time goes by but I only handle him to clean the tank and to check his shell for any issues. I assume that turtles don't like to cuddle so that's why I have BusterBrownDog he's my big baby and I'm almost certain if he could find a turtle costume he would wear it because he is a little jealous ha ha no worries though Buster will not go near the turtle ever and is very well trained
Well if you have advice to offer or any questions please feel free to post I would truly appreciate all the advice I can get. I would love to be able to contribute to this group in some way although I'm pretty certain I am amongst some very intelligent people from what I've read so far
Thank you and I hope to get to know you soon

That's awesome! I have 4 turtles. 3 red eared sliders (trachemys scripta elegans) and 1 ouachita map turtle (graptemys ouachitensis). Maps are adorable turtles with lovely patterns and a unique shell.

I would definitely recommended getting him in the larger tank as soon as you can. If he's 4 inches or larger he should be in a 40g or larger. By the time he's full grown he will probably need a 100g. They get big but it takes a few years, so you have time.

As for filters, turtles are very messy. I would recommend getting filters that are for larger tanks. Get a filter that can be used in a 100-150g tank for your 55g tank (I'm serious, it makes a big difference). I would also recommend a separate feeding tank. This can be a small 10-20g tank or even a large tupperware container. It'll help keep the main tank cleaner for longer.

Lighting they need heating and UV light. You can buy a dual bulb or you can get two separately. Basking is very important.

As for cleaning; a lot of people use bleach and as long as it's rinsed it doesn't do damage. However, a lot of people use vinegar instead. It does a really good job at cleaning. Mix half vinegar and half hot water and buy an aquarium scrubber. Aquarium vacuums are also really helpful.

You'll also want to brush your turtle. This helps loosen scutes. Do this once a week. Twice monthly with just water, and twice monthly with a half water and half white vinegar mix (avoid getting it into your turtles eyes). Use a SOFT bristle tooth brush and make circular motions on your turtles shell. Rinse off and put back in the water. Keeping your turtles shell healthy should be top priority. Brushing, basking and a healthy diet will do the trick. Shell rot and retained scutes and pyramiding are all things you want to avoid.

Make sure your turtle gets a lot of vitamin A, B-12 and C.

If your turtle is a girl she will eventually have to lay eggs. Even if there is no male to fertilize them, she will lay eggs. You can boil them and feed them back to her or you can feed them to your snakes. She will need a nesting box with soil at this time.

As for diet---

Younger turtles like high protein diets and will crave meats more than veggies. Worms, crickets, snails and guppies are all good choices. You can also use dried shimp or meal worms as a treat. If they are given too much protein they will start to pyramid, so the sooner you get them liking their veggies the better.

Dandelion leafs, turnip leafs, red leaf lettuce and green leaf lettuce are some of the best choices for veggies for your turtle.

They can also eat butter lettuce, kale, romaine lettuce, carrots and sweet potatoes. These are not as good for them as the above mentioned though. But good for variety. To make carrots easier to digest boil them first.

You can feed them mango, cantaloupe, papaya, bananas, strawberries, peaches, watermelon, pears, plums and grapes (remove the skin). Because fruit is so high in sugar they should be a once in awhile treat.

Amazon swords, anacharis, duckweed, water fern, water hyacinth, water lettuce, waterlily and pond weed are all edible aquatic plants.

Pellets should not be a staple food, but should be fed every couple days. Get ones with a lot of vitamins. Calcium is also EXTREMELY important for a healthy shell. Get a cuttlefish bone and put it right in the tank. Do not get those turtle shaped supplements, they are not actually good for the turtles. Cuttlebones are best. You can also get a calcium powdered supplement and put it on your turtles food before feeding.

Another awesome food for turtles are "jello shots"! No, not real jello or alcohol! It's a mixture of either store bought powder packed with vitamins and minerals that you mix with water to turn into a gelatin like substance (I buy a brand called savory stew) -- OR -- you can make homemade jello shots by;

Ingredients:
2 cups of pureed greens
2 tbs ground turtle pellets (reptomin, mazuri, etc.)
1 tbs calcium power OR ground cuttlebone
1 tbs flaked tuna (optional)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cool water or cool tuna juice.
2 packets Knox Unflavored gelatin
directions:
in a bowl mix the first 4 ingredients on the list until well blended. add the two packets of Knox gelatin to the cool water and stir for 1 minute. let sit while the water boils. add the cool water with gelatin to the boiling water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved. Pour the gelatin mixture into the bowl of veggie mix. Stir until blended and portion into ice cube tray molds. finish by sprinkling turtle pellets on top of the mixture. Place in your fridge and allow them to set.
Once they have set, pull them out of the mold by using a tooth pick and cut them in half or fourths (depending on the size of your turtle). place pieces in rows on a cookie sheet and freeze. once frozen, portion into plastic containers.

Something else you want to watch out for is respiratory infection. This is the number one killer of turtles. Keep him or her healthy with good food and the water warm and this should not happen.

Hope this helps!

I learned about my turtles via everything-turtles.com and Facebook groups dedicated to turtles. I strongly recommend them. I am also going to post some helpful posters from the website.

More pics!

And lastly, the cuttlefish bone and gravel dangers.

And a picture of my res, Ponyo and my map, Riff Raph.

Thank you for all the advice I really appreciate it. That's a cool idea on the Jell-O shots I am going to continue reading and improving the tanks as he/ she grows. I am unsure of the sex just yet but just in case helmets a female I am saving for a larger tank have you got any advice on telling the sex of a turtle. I have read some information about this but I am still unsure?
Thanks again for all the information I look forward to talking to you again soon
I can't wait to share pictures of the new larger tank I'm so excited and scared all at the same time ha ha

By the way your res is beautiful!!!

You have a good attitude, I'm sure Helmet will be a very happy turtle!

As for sexing, you won't be able to tell the sex until your map is at least 4 inches in length. Males have very long claws, a slight dip in the belly to help position themselves when mating, and they have long tails. Females grow larger than males, have smaller claws, big bellies with no indents for more room for their eggs, and their tails are short. Their sex organ, the cloaca, will be located farther down the tail on males, and closer to the shell on a female.

And thank you! Ponyo is a very pretty girly. She's my shyest turt.

Thank you I appreciate the compliment I love all kinds of animals and it brings me a lot of joy to see them so happy and healthy! It's so relaxing to sit back and snuggle with my dog BusterBrown and watch Helmet swim around while hearing the sounds of a waterfall. It really helps with the PTSD , anxiety and insomnia.

I can't wait to see Helmet at 4 inches such an amazing little turtle. It also makes me happy to know they have a longer lifespan than most pets
How long do you think it will be before it reaches 4 inches? I've read that it can take quite some time for them to grow full size and at least 5 years before sexual maturity although I really skimmed those sections trying to read more about diet and water quality.
I've been reading so much that my dvr is getting full ha ha I'm going to have to cut a few of the tv shows I used to watch
Anyways I really appreciate all the support and information. There is so much information on this forum and I'm easily distracted by all the other species of reptiles and amphibians ha ha I could spend a lot of time here
I hope to talk to you again soon I finally have a day off tomorrow and cannot wait to get to work on more reading and cleaning the new tank and decorations...!

Yes, I have lost many hours reading the posts on this forum (lol).

And turtles are great animals! Very active and hearty! I too have neurological issues such as anxiety, and I I know having animals around really helps me out.

And as for growing; well, they grow more slowly than RES turtles. It really all depends on the diet. I imagine in about 2 years she/he should be at 4 inches, but that's a generalization. No turtle grows the same.

Because they have such long life spans (upwards to 30 years) they take longer to get to sexual maturity. But once she/he starts growing you should be able to see hints about his/her gender.