Turtles....

vixen16

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Ok.. first before I type what im going to type on this thread I want to clear something up....
We had a convo a while back about "proper" and "non-proper" aquatic turtle care and I was labeled under one who did non-proper care... well im getting 2 turtles in the next month or 2 and im going all out and spending lots of money on the proper stuff needed for proper turtle care. Ive been doing a lot of turtle research and actually realized that in my past turtle ownerships.. i did everything wrong!!! ((but yet I never had a turtle die)).

Now to my point:
Yay!! its official! im getting 2 Turtles!!
Now I studied my decision long (since x-mas) before making my final decision a couple weeks ago.
I got a 20Gal Fish Tank right before x-mas and decided with the possibility of moving, setting up such a large tank then taking it down a couple months later would be to much trouble so id wait till we moved before adding Fish... and I had decided I wanted an Oscar!
Well when we got this house and I was reading over the Landlords "Tenant Rules" it said that if you have an Aquarium filled with water over 10gal you HAVE TO get Home Owners Insurance... my mom doesnt have it and wont get it so I could get fish... so that threw the Oscar option out the window.

Than I was thinking maybe a Reptile of some sort, like a Water Dragon or something along the "Lizard" line ((mom wont let me get a Snake and I wouldnt be able to feed it live mice))... then one day on the comp an advertisement for www.TurtleSale.com popped up so I clicked it just out of curiosity and was looking at there turtle prices and stuff and thats when the idea hit me.. why not get a Turtle!
Mom agreed and so the trek of research was on... which ive done everyday for about 2 weeks now, along with finding proper equipment for proper care... the list is so far up to 8 very important "Must Haves" ((and some other small items)) and still growing!
Must Haves:
Water Heater
Thermometer
Filter
Basking/Heat Lamp
Dry Land Area
Turtle Food
Gravel
Schedule/Tracking Chart

Im buying the Temp Sexed Pair Baby Red Ear Slider Turtles from Turtle Sale.. and im not ordering them till the Tank is set up.
I originally wanted to go with either the River Cooter or the Rio Grande Slider.. but there to Costly. I did call a couple Pet Stores for Turtles, there is only two Pet Stores around me that sells Turtles... but the one Pet Stores Turtles are to big for my Tank ((I think they were like 5-7in)) and the other Pet Store was way to rude for me to buy from them.
Surprisingly my mom has agreed with all the cost and stuff.... which is really awsome!!

Just wanted to share cuz im so excited!!
 

goldenkitty45

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Good luck with your turtles this time. Sounds like you are getting wiser by learning about care BEFORE you get them.

I never liked the water turtles. I had 7 box turtles, but they were kept outside in our enclosed garden. We brought them in during the winter for hibernation and kept them in the basement where it was colder.
 
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vixen16

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Ive never had a Land Turtle.. only Water Turtles.. I think there more fun to watch anyway.

Yea a 20Gal... there only gonna be about 2in in length when I get them, so from the info ive been reading on, the 2 should be fine in it up till they hit 4-5in... then ill get them a bigger Tank ((if I dont get them a bigger one sooner)).

Im gonna fill the Tank up to 6in in Water ((more than needed for Turtles there size)) and there gonna be spoiled!! lol
Im determined to do everything right this time!
 
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vixen16

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Ok so theres been a slight change... im not ordering from TurtleSale.com.
I just found out that those people are horrible!! that there Turtles arrive sick and/or dead... and they dont label the package "Live Animal" they label it "Samples"... its all bad!!
So no more Turtle Sale but I am still gonna get a Turtle ((im thinking about getting just one)).

EDIT:
Instead im gonna order a Turtle from the Pet Store down the street... All I do in order to get the Turtle is call in, place the order, they call me when it arrives and we drive down to pick it up.
 
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vixen16

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Yea! so im gonna call the pet store Monday (not sure if its open tomorrow) to se how long the order takes and what types of turtles they have ((I know they have RES.. but if they have a River Cooter I want one of those)). Im still not actually getting the turtle for another couple weeks but I think I have the plan all figured out!!
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Vixen16

Yea a 20Gal... there only gonna be about 2in in length when I get them, so from the info ive been reading on, the 2 should be fine in it up till they hit 4-5in... then ill get them a bigger Tank ((if I dont get them a bigger one sooner)).
Minimum 1 inch of turtle = 10 gallons water/aquarium space.
Hatching turtle size is around 1 and a 1/2 inches.

Baby aquatic turtles, when properly kept, grow very fast. So your 20gal will work for one hatching turtle for about 2-4 months.

You must provide UVB lighting. This is not the basking lights and this cannot be provided by setting them in front of a window. They must have direct lighting either by sunlight outside or by special UVB lights. Without it your turtle will not grow properly, the shell will become soft (easier to get shell rot that way), and eventually get metabolic bone disease - soft brittle bones. The fluorescent and mercury vapor UVB bulbs are pricey. An 18 inch tube costs around $20, price increases with bulb length - must be replaced every six months.

Turtle pellets won't cut it....and you must supplement calcium and vitamins.

Have you read through this thread?
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=123213
There is a lot of information there - links to very good sites, forums, and tips.

Also, unless pet stores want to break a federal law, they do not sell turtles below 4 inches in length.
 

goldenkitty45

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I used to play with the box turtles. My fav one was Speedy and he really was fast - used to be very tame, climbed in your lap, wanted his head rubbed and was cool to watch him try and catch a fake worm.

I used to go look for live worms and feed them to the turtles
They loved tomatoes and grapes too.
 

abbycats

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I used to play with the box turtles. My fav one was Speedy and he really was fast - used to be very tame, climbed in your lap, wanted his head rubbed and was cool to watch him try and catch a fake worm.

I used to go look for live worms and feed them to the turtles
They loved tomatoes and grapes too.
I have 2 box turtles that are still in hybernation. They should be waking up soon. I was going to ask you what you fed them but you answered in this post. My husband catches them worms and they love strawberries. They get red little faces when they eat the strawberries.
 
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vixen16

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I didnt know this but I just found out you can feed water turtles Fruits! lol and veggies... which im going to do this time, I wrote down everything you can feed a it and I also found out I can feed him Shrimp! I guess he'll be my new best friend


Ive got a name picked out too!!!:
Zelda ((although if I feel it doesnt fit him when he arrives, I will change it))

What do you think?
 

goldenkitty45

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Box turtles are more meat eaters then veggie eaters. If you can't locate worms, try raw hamburger. We gave them that too. My mom would take pieces of baloney out and feed them once in awhile
 

strange_wings

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^ That isn't true at all. Aquatics are actually more carnivorous then box turtles are.

I've already provided a link to a thread that explains proper diets and even tips on how to save some time. Junk foods are hardly suitable.
 
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vixen16

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

^ That isn't true at all. Aquatics are actually more carnivorous then box turtles are.

I've already provided a link to a thread that explains proper diets and even tips on how to save some time. Junk foods are hardly suitable.
I think GoldenKitty45 meant Box Turtles eat more meat then Veggies.. I dont think she was talking about Water Turtles at all.
 

goldenkitty45

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You are right. Not compared to water turtles, but saying that box turtles (or properly should be tortoises) are meat eaters. Many turtles/tortoises are veggie eaters - I think the Giant Land Tortoise is a strict veggie eater.

Also turtles have web feet, tortoises don't have web feet.
 

strange_wings

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Box turtles have no webbing. A large part of a box turtle's diet should be veggies. Hamburger is not suitable, as I already said. Insects are preferred, and if one can't find them outside (which is rarely safe) then they can buy them in petstores and online.
I'm sure this is already linked to in the other thread, but I'll add it again for abbycats http://www.boxturtlesite.info/ -Tess knows her stuff, she's recently published a book on box turtle care and is a forum host over on kingsnake.com's box turtle forum http://forums.kingsnake.com/forum.php?page=1&catid=30

Tortoises, those actually given the tortoise name, should not be fed meat at all. They get their protein from plant sources. Most species require low protein and high fiber diets achieved by largely grazing on greens, weeds, and grasses.

For reference - All tortoises are turtles. To avoid confusion most people just say chelonian for any of the testudines order.

Vixen - did you look through the other thread I linked to? There are some good sites and forums linked. If you need help finding specific information I can probably find it or already have it saved somewhere. By the way, no gravel. They can choke and get impacted on small gravel and it just causes pieces of food and bacteria to build up in the bottom of the aquarium - making cleaning more difficult.
 
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vixen16

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

Vixen - did you look through the other thread I linked to? There are some good sites and forums linked. If you need help finding specific information I can probably find it or already have it saved somewhere. By the way, no gravel. They can choke and get impacted on small gravel and it just causes pieces of food and bacteria to build up in the bottom of the aquarium - making cleaning more difficult.
Yes I did.. and ive been to all those forums and a couple of those links that tell you about proper care.. the link I found that ive liked the best that ive been reading over and over and writing down important notes ((on temp, food, accessories etc.)) is Happy Turtle Site.
The Gravel that I chose, aware of the choking hazard, isnt actually Gravel, its called Deep River Pebbles.. its larger than the Gravel and a lil more expensive but it ensures the Turtle cant eat it.

Although I do have one question that I cant find anywhere... How do I properly rinse previously used fake Plants??
Im not sure if I use Dish Soap, Anti-Bacterial Soap or what.
 

arlyn

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You can soak in a diluted bleach solution and rinse the heck out of them, and let them dry in the sun (sunlight dissipates chlorine).

I clean all of my used aquarium/terrarium stuff like this.
 

goldenkitty45

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Well you should have told our box turtles they were vegeterians - cause they ate far more meat then veggies. They liked tomatoes and grapes, but would not eat any kind of lettuce or plant material in the garden. The only plants I ever saw them eat was the dandilion flowers - not the leaves. They survived many many years.

Only died when they didn't come out of hibernation.


Read on the diet part on the box turtles - they are more meat eaters then plant eaters!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_turtle
 
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