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| Lord help my turtle (top) | ||
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I recently was on my way to church and about ran over a turpin in the road. I of course had to "rescue" it by putting it in the car, taking it to a 3 hour service, and then taking it home and putting it in the bath tub. It was a hit at church with all the kids and I couldn't say no to my seven year old when he said he wanted to keep it. At home I put out a lid of water, a grape, a tator, and said a prayer. 2 weeks later this turtle, now named Lewis or Lois, depending on what my son thinks the sex is that day, is not eating and may or not be drinking 'cause the water may just be evaporating for all I know. She/He has moved into my laundry room where She/He has it's own room now. When I was little we just painted nail polish on their shell and was amazed when we seen them a few months later, although it may have been another kids mothers shade of red or pink or coral or whatever we could sneak out of her purse. I need to know how to raise this turtle before it commits suicide by trying to crawl out of the dryer vent, which I have already caught it doing or starves or may or may not thirst to death. Please Help! Perhaps a childs wading pool would be better to observe the turtle. An earlier post on this subject indicates a variety of fresh fuit and vegetables might be in order. Are we sure turtle was rescued? Your terrapin, probably an eastern box turtle, although I can't honestly say without a picture, will eat fresh fruit and veggies. Frozen will do if fresh is not available. Fruits like melon, peaches, strawberries, grapes, bananas and veggies like zucchini, squash, sweet potato, romaine lettuce, peas, and cauliflower would be my suggestions for feeding. Provide a dry basking area outside with access to water and shade. It could also be a red-eared slider in which case the above would change. If you could post a picture we would be more able to identify your charge. Make sure to get shell and head shots. If you could also get a picture of the underside of the turtle we would also be able to identify the sex of the critter. The quicker you post your pictures, the faster we can help. My recently rescued turltle may not be a rescue but more like a turtlenapping, but I'm in in it for the long haul now. My son is not gonna believe me if I told him that Lewis/Lois ran away or that it's family finally paid the ransom. I will try to take pictures soon and go to good ole Wal-Mart and stock up on turtle essentials this evening. We can not have a wading pool where we live, so it will have to go back to the bath tub until I get an aquarium. Boy this turtle sure is gonna cost me. Maybe I should have left it in the middle of the road. No, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. Now all I'm giving up is one bathroom. He/She is so cute and is really friendly. It lets you pet it on it head and everything. It doesn't stay in it's shell all the time. It's really a cool 8) . I'm in love with the little booger! :wink: Perhaps you could find a breeder style aquarium for LOIS er LOUIS? they offer a bit more room than taller tanks. PLEASE dont paint it's toenails! :oops: Thanks for all your advise. I'm sure Lois/Lewis will be much happier with all the turtle education I have gotten today. perhaps we should just call it Loislewis. LOL. I promise not to paint it's toenails, but the shell is fair game, my son already knows that story. I better rush home and hide all my nail polish. To love an animal is to know love. For an animal to love you is pure love. Last night I gave Loislewis some freshfrozen strawberries and He/She had either eaten some or moved them around by this morning. I also put some water in the tub and stopped it up with a washcloth because the plug is missing and all the water was drained out but He/She was apparently drinking water by sucking on the washcloth this morning or trying to escape by the drain by moving the washcloth out of the way. I dreamed about catching (kidnapping :twisted: ) a bigger version of Loislewis in the woods behind my house last night. I kept telling someone that Loislewis needed a friend to play with. Does He/She? :?: Also does it matter that the freshfrozen strawberries had sugar on them. I don't want Loislewis to be running around like my seven year old does after he does after he has sugar. My tub will never be the same. :lol: You might want to Google turtles and get some specifics on how to raise one. Turtles need some specific care and I don't want to scare you, but if you aren't doing the right things for your turtle, you're going to kill it! I've kept many different turtles over the years and currently have a painted that I've raised from a baby. I do not believe turtles should eat sugar. Since we don't know what kind of turtle you have, we cannot advise you what it should be eating or how. Semi aquatics and aquatics will only eat in water. Land turtles, on the other hand, eat on dry land and usually consume berries, insects, worms and a variety of other things. Do not feed your turtle steak or processed meats however, as the animal fat in the meat will build up in the turtle and slowly kill it. Also, many turtles eat about two or three times the size of their head in food, daily. I also would not advise painting a turtle's shell with anything, ever. A turtle's shell is "living" and part of its natural protection. It also should be allowed to "breathe" and putting anything on the shell would hinder this. Hope this info. helps. Good luck w/L. I of course am only saying all of this in fun. I only fed it what I had on hand last night. I am going to go get supplies at a pet store this weekend and advise as to what to feed it, and to what it's habitat should be. There will be no nail polish or spray-paint within 10 feet of Loislewis. I probably won't be able to stop the occasional crayon though. :lol: The users on this forum are generally pretty knowledgable about all sorts of pet care, so we might be able to help you sooner and better than a pet store employee who's likely to just try to sell you some stuff you don't really need. It would be much easier to help if we knew what kind of turtle you have. Is there any way you could take a picture of it or at least describe it to us in detail? You could even just tell us where you live and we could come up with a list of turtles in your area that you might have. Any of these things would be helpful. |
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| Baby Box Turtles---Food? (top) | ||
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We have had a few box turtles in our yard for years. This year my 3yr old found a batch (9) of babies in a hole. Quarter size or so.
Building a habitat for them as we found out the hard way the adult turtle will eat them (now 8). Anybody know what works best for food? Also pis or links to a habitat design? Thanks in advance I keep my tortoises, box turtles, and terrapins in the yard in a large dog kennel with watering holes and plenty of shade. Logs for them to crawl on and to bask themselves. Food consists of veggies, veggies, fruit and more fruit. Fresh is best, but frozen fruit works well too. They are also fond of mulberrys and occasional nightcrawlers. :) |
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| turtle help (top) | ||
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hello every one we have been wanting to get a turtle for some time but i dont know what kind we should get i have seen pics of people turtles on her i have been trying to find one that will go in the water and that it is just a water turtle can anyone point me the right way i want to find info on the turtle befor we buy one thanks :?: Hi, great approach! I wish more people would do the homework before they bring home the animal. In answer to your question, there are very few turtles who are going to live in a strictly water only habitat... and even with those, some kind of dry land and basking spot with a basking light should still be offered. Fly river turtles, some of the softshells... try looking into those and see what, if any, are available in your area. One word of caution... don't take one from a wild habitat and bring it home... lots of issues in doing that, especially with these types of turtles. The most important factor of turtle keeping that often goes unnoticed is that turtles require UVB lighting as well as a basking spot in order to survive. I can't stress the importance of proper lighting enough, without uvb rays your turtle will not be able to properly digest it's food, and will develope many vitamin deficiencies which will eventually result in a slow and unnecessary death. Please invest in the proper set up before purchasing a turtle. Your local pet supplier should be able to point you in the right direction. Keep us updated and let me know if i can answer any more questions for you. thanks to both of you i also found out that if you buy a turtle that is under 4in it is illegal. well that is in my state any way i dont know about any others. But thank you again and i will keep you updated and also thanks about the lighting i would not have wanted to kill it that would just be sad |
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| First fish addict... Now turtle addict aswell!!! (top) | ||
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OMG...
I totaly forgot about the existance of turtles in aquariums. They are quite beautiful creatures. I'm considering getting one of these small guys instead of fish... Too many to choose from lol. Anywayz, I was wondering what the smallest species of turtle is, what parameters it needs water wise, what volume of water is needed for its comfortable needs. If someone would be able to direct me to a good site that would be really great as I'm sure it's annoying giving pointers to all the newbies that come. Especially since Turtles aren't really for beginners (so I've read off you guys). We used to have 2 small turtles in our indoor fountain but my mother got rid of them because she just had that ''couldnt be bothered'' attitude we see so often in newbie aquariasts. Anyway some infor on a smaller species of turtle would be great, and much appreciated. Thanks in advance guys!!! :thumbsup: i think most turtles will grow 10 inches average unless stunted and a good rule for turtle newbies like fish newbies have one gallon per inch is 10 gallon per inch of shell u need to find a turtle that u like best then find out the parametres specifically cuz all of them are different The most commonly available turtles are red-ear sliders which you can often find as babies, or in most states they are required to be atleast 3-4 inches before they can be sold. The aspect of turtle husbandry that often goes unnoticed is that turtles require a heat lamp for basking as well as a UVB light otherwise they will slowly die. The lighting can be a determining factor on whether or not you wish to own a turtle as the uvb/basking combination will often cost atleast $50 to set up. hmm I guess i'm going to have to hold back on the turtles then, if its 10 gallons per inch... No way I'd be able to fit a 100 gallon AND a 45 gallon in ma room. Maybe I could throw out my desk... :) There are some smaller turtles, most breeds the males are almost 1/2 the size of females. Male musk and mud turtles only grow to be 4-5 inches I believe (maybe 6), but they're both pretty ordinary looking. I was just researching a lot into them as well, and they're pretty high maintenance. You need UV light as well as full spectrum lighting or their shells will get all messed up. And then there's the whole basking lamp, as they have to bask at 10+ degrees higher than their water. It was an awful lot of complication, and you need about 2x the filtration of fish. I gotta go with my gut and tell you to go with a musk. I got my Stinkpot Musk a month ago, its doing ok. Not as bad of a hassle as online forums tell you(it must be the basking light thing) If you wanted a tank specifically for these guys the go with a 15 gallon for a musk and a whopping 125 for a full grown Red Eared Slider. Trust me those get HUGE. I have seen them in 75's but unless its alone you will have to go big. The reason I say go with musks is cause, like stated, they are tiny getting to about 5 inches in diameter, 6 at max. RES's and Softshells go up to 12 inches and larger in full size, but you can still go with those cause they are easy to care for. They interact with you more than musks. My RES, Steve, has better social skills than Old Grinder, my musk :lol: . If you do what I did and start with a mini 10 gallon it will work out but upgrades get thrown at you much faster than you expect. I would suggest go with a 15-20 for a musk and start with a 30 or 55 with a mature RES or softshell to save you some green instead of constantly upgrading. Of course you will not have to go thru with this if you get a musk. Basking lights are a big thing. Its what keeps your turtles shell from becoming soft and chipping. A good bulb is needed. I have PowerSun UV light on mine. 40 bucks and 100 watts, its pure gold. In my eyes, water parameters are no big deal with turtles. They are extremely hardy, you can easily cycle a tank with one. One thing you have to keep in mind is that turtles drink water(duhh.lol) so they constantly have to drink whats in their tank. You gotta devote yourself to having a great filtration system(I have a 30-60 gallon hang-on-back on my 10 gallon musk tank) as well as clean their tank EVERYother day because turtles are waste factories. Pebbles go in, boulders come out. And make shure your water source is clean, turtles can get internal parasites and most medicines are a big nono for turtles, especially ivermectin. Hoped this helped in your decision. Be shure to posts some pics of your turtle as soon as u get one. :D Turtles aren't for beginners? I dunno bout that. I just started taking an interest in fish, and I find it to be mind boggling at times. But I had turtles back in high school. Won't mention how long ago that was. But they are dirty lil creatures, omg! That was my main reason for getting rid of them. I had 2, in 1 tank. My friends dad made the tank for me, so idk what size it was but it was HUGE! I had to clear my whole dresser top for it, and wasn't sure if the dresser would be strong wnough. He even made a "chill spot" for them, that was made of slate. It was attached to the tank, god that was a great tank now that I look back on it, shame it craked and is long gone. Anyway, my friends found a turtle he was about the size of a quarter, it was a red-ear, but she got pregnant and had to give hi up due to diseases. I took him on, his name was Murtle, and he was never ever friendly, I don't know why I kept him as long as I did. My other turtle was a rare species, I think borderline extinction nowadays. He was a diamond back, goregous, gouregous goregous! His name was Tippy. OMG, were they filthy, so filter is an understatement for these guys.All I gave them was gravel , I didnt know any better back then to decorate, but I can assure you the decorations wouldnt have lasted. These guys blow up. Tippy was so fat, he couldnt fit all the way in his shell! The light was a no brainer for me, cause I'm more of a reptile person. So all I did was have a mesh reptile hood. I got a light fixture that they sell in pet stores or the ones they sell in hardware stores, they look like clamps, I got a very serious heat lamp, and placed it on top of the mesh. This is what I did for all of my reptiles. They had a day light and a night light, because they need the heat obviously. The night lights are great, they come in a purple or red, which I preferrred. I had them for about 2 years before I had to get rid of them, they were becoming to much for me. As big as they were getting the more gross they got, and I couldnt keep up with those waer changes. I only had 1 filter though, shoulda had 2 and more powerful ones. My turtles LOVED the large dried shrimp. I mean large, like our size. Someone told me to give them feeders, to recreate their natural habitats, but they had been hand fed since babies, I ended up with turtles and goldfish!. But I tell you they are so much fun, wel not Mean Murtle. He was a biter!Turtles are easy though, if u can keep up with them, Im sure the forums make it sound much worse.If u get a day light it will have the vitamins they need in it. So do water changes, turn on there light, switch it at night, and feed them, No diff than fish, o and I never heard of water parameters until fish, so either I got lucky or its not a big deal with turtles. My friend Amy keeps them too, she still does, and I can promise u if I brought up water parameters she'd be lost!! ROFL. Turtles are messy. Sorry to hear your tank broke, but I have done the same "chill" spot for my RES Steve. I found a spacious 8 gallon tank and stripped off one of the horizontal sides, placed it on a high stand and pointed it towards the top of Steves tank and added a flat piece of plastic to access it , and turned it into his little private sauna. IDK why but the fact that turtles are waste factories makes it fun for me to care for them. The fact that I can fool around with mine every other day makes it a delight. Hope that doesnt make me a freak. :shock: Haha idk it might,u are afterall playing in turtle poo! Lol, yeah this tank was huge, I think it was 3x3, or 4x4, one or the other.Length and height, i dont remember the width of it. But man I miss it. My friends dad moved away too, otherwise I could just get him to make me something else. O and the best part was the back wall of the tank was mirror. I had very vain turtles, they were so fun to watch. If u can't guess it by now, he owns a glass and mirror shop. I wish I had a fish obsession back then, I would've had it made! Free, original tanks! Well it cracked during a move. We had movers, and u can imagine the lovely job they did. They broke my clock too :( It was my moms, o well, she never noticed I took it,lol! LOL! Didnt mean it that way but I guess its kinda true, not that I enjoy that part of the process. :lol: Hmm, I think I've decided on a Musk turtle, as they are smallest. Of course I need to upgrade my current loach/Danio tank to a larger tank before all this happens. Patience is by far the biggest factor when keeping Aquaria. Would a 10 gallon suffice for a musk turtle? Yup. The fact that musks are small makes it possible to fit 2-3 in a 10-15 gallon tank. Please post some pics in the turtle album when u get them. :D We have a turtle album? Where do I find that? http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=10911 Its in Turtles. The Vivariums subsection. |
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| my turtle has parasites? what can i give, iknow NO ivermec (top) | ||
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bring him to a vet turtle has tapeworms and i know he cant have ivermectin! Can i give him drontal? have any suggestions? |
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| My turtle is constipated -- please help! (top) | ||
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I have a red-earred slider (her name is Myrtle) that is about 9 months old. Every morning, Myrtle gets fed bloodworms, turnip greens, chicken and other turtle food. She seems happy and healthy, but is always "begging" for food. About 4 days ago she bit into the fake plastic plant in her aquarium and swallowed a piece of plasic. She has not "pooped" since -- I guess the plastic is blocking her up. Should I not feed her until she passes this piece of plastic, and what if she doesn't pass it in the next day or so??? I am really concerned. This is very bad-- it may be lodged in the intestine. Try to find a vet who specializes in turtles, and get a recommendation. Dont feed him until it is resolved- you will just end up clogging up the tubes more, maybe even killing him! :shock: I really hope the little guy pulls through-- my prayers are with you! Uh-oh. You may end up have to take the turtle to a vet. Yes there are vets that will see turtles. My veterinarian cares for the dog, the cats, and my tortoises. If the turtle hasn't passed the plastic yet, you may want to make plans to get it in quickly. It's not going to be cheap though. Then, I would remove all plastic plants and anything it could chew from its habitat. There would be no recurrance of the current situation. |
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| HELP ME CARE FOR MY TURTLE!!!! (top) | ||
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I have a small baby turtle living here and im not sure what kind it may be and i was wondering if anyone can help me with some caring information? All turtles kinda have the same basic needs with some few exceptions on some. Can you post a pic or describe the turtle? Welcome to the forum, first of all. It is going to be hard to be real precise in the care of your turtle, not knowing the exact species. I will try to give some general advice. Water should be kept clean and well filtered. Water changes are to be done religiously. The smaller the tank, or larger the turtle, the more adamant you must be in performing this duty. Turtles are waste machines. What goes in one end, seems to multiply and come out the other. Filtering should be top of the line and able to handle heavy bio-loads. The end result if this is not followed may be a turtle that suffers and then dies. Heat/uv lamps should also be provided. A basking area should also be given to the turtle for few turtles are totally aquatic. Feeding can be either live foods or processed freeze dried foods. Make sure to vary the foods give, Most turtles will accept bee moths, meal worms, earth worms, live fish, pieces of shrimp, fish, scallops, clams, ect. |
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| Turtle Won't Eat (top) | ||
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I adopted a turtle from a client - I work in a Veterinary practice. The turtle had been attacked by a raccoon. My vet., has me giving an anit biotic by injection once a day. This turtle hasn't eaten in a good 3 days. It's previous owner said he fed it koi pellets. Any suggestions out there on how to feed this girl.
Also she had been in an out door pond with koi I don't think she'll eat live fish? Thank you. Louise Try feeding bee moths, earth worms, red worms or the like. It may also be in a dormant state with lowered metabolism and lower food intake requirements. I currently have (6) pair of tortoises in my fridge enjoying their dormancy. No it's not the fridge we use for the household groceries. |
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| SHAKIN LEG TURTLE (top) | ||
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HELLO
i have a red earred slider he's about 1-2 yr old his tank mates are 2 20" plecos one of the plecos hangs out with him and cleans his shell i noticed the other day that the turtle will go up to the plecos tail, extend his front legs straight out like superman and start shakin his legs then after a few minutes of this he leaves does anybody know what the heck this little guy is doin thanks for all responses Trying to get the plec to dance with him? either he is fluttering to scare it off or fluttering to entice it into mating. 2 years sounds young though, so its probably territorial, 20'' is huge, a 2 year old turtle is at average under 5'' My opinion would be its in the mood to mate and takes the plec for a hottie. I see this type of behavior with my male towards my female all the time. Its actually a pretty hilarious thing to watch :lol: he said 2 20" PLECOS |
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| My Mr Turtle (top) | ||
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I have been given my grandkids turtle..i probably get the puppy next.
Anyway I can't tell what kind of turtle I have. I was told a box, but he is very orange on the face neck and legs. Also he has not been given any meat untill tonite and I gave him a little cooked chicken...also veg. and apple. Are we doing ok? any help would be appreciated arlou Not a box turtle. Probably a red-eared slider. These are an aquatic species. They can be fed bugs, raw lean hamburger, fish, frozen fish, crab, ect. Picture and care are here: http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-%22Red-Eared-Slider%22-Turtle A box turtle is a terrestrial. A type of tortoise, if you will. They are mostly vegetarian, but will not turn down an easy meal of meat. In the wild this is usually carrion. Picture and care are here: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/eastern_box_turtle.htm |
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