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Millie_Azure

Turtles

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So, I did a search of the General Discussion forum for "turtles," and there was a thread for exotic pets and snakes but not one specifically for turtles. I've always loved turtles. Growing up, I had a Western Painted. We lived in a climate that allowed us to keep him in a garden pond outside during the summer. There was a fence around the pond so he couldn't get out. Unfortunately, he grew and the fence didn't... and... he ran away.

 

I recently got a Red Eared Slider. (Don't worry- indoor only! No chance of the same mistake happening twice!) This little guy was being kept as a classroom pet by another teacher I work with. Sadly, being in a classroom didn't allow for the best environment. He was being kept in a five-gallon tank with barely an inch of water and no heat/UVB light. She'd had him nearly a year, and he had hardly grown at all.

 

Here's his new home:

 

user posted image

 

It's only 30 gallons, but it's definitely an improvement over what he had. Since he's still pretty small, it should be okay for a year or two while I save up for something larger and more suitable for the long term.

 

Here he is up close. His name is Ludwig. (After Beethoven. I'm a musician.)

 

user posted image

 

My biggest question right now is what plants or veggies does your turtle seems to enjoy? Still being so young, this little guy is all about his ReptoMin, river shrimp, and rosy minnows and not so much about the green stuff. I've tried green leaf lettuce (He tore it up.), red leaf lettuce (He ignored it.), dandelion leaves (He wouldn't even go near them.), and anacharis (He REALLY tore it up.). I've even tried leaving the plants in there for a few days without feeding the other things to see if he would eventually get hungry enough to eat the plants. This proved unsuccessful as well. I'm hoping it's just an age thing he will eventually grow out of, but any other suggestions for getting him to eat his veggies are definitely welcome!

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He's a cute little guy. I had a red-eared turtle as a kid, with the oh-so-original name of Myrtle the Turtle. She loved earthworms. She never ate veggies much, either, until she was bigger - shell length about 8 inches - then she'd nibble on lettuce. Turtles are messy eaters... messy in general, really.

 

She lived in a big old rubbermaid bin, in my bedroom under the window and with a bunch of rocks stacked on one side so she could climb in/out of the water. On warm days I'd sometimes take her outside to the fenced vegetable garden to wander about, dig around and get some exercise. (she could bask or hide in the shade if too hot). Sadly, similar to your story one day I went to retrieve her from the garden at the day's end and... no turtle?! I suspect a neighbor kid saw me put her in there and stole her, actually... I don't think she climbed out on her own as the garden fence was rabbit-proof. (And thus, turtle-proof) I think I had her for maybe 5 years? I was 10 - 15 yrs of age, that sounds about right.

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Aw, I wonder how many other people have lost their turtles in such a way?

 

Here's an update on my turtle friend:

 

I'm pretty sure he is actually a she. The bottom of her shell isn't nearly concave enough to be a male, and nor are her front claws long enough. She's also grown quite a bit! She's nearly the size of my hand now. I'm going to have to get her a larger aquarium soon, because this 30 gallon is too small. Perhaps the best news of all though: she loves her vegetables now! I've been able to cut back on fattening pellets and increase her diet to the recommended 75-80% plant matter. Her favorite things now are anacaris and green leaf lettuce. They get devoured nearly instantly. I'll have to post some updated pictures later.

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I'm thinking about getting a turtle as a pet. I live in NY state and wonder what would be a good choice for me.

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I have a beautiful turtle named Sammy. She's an Eastern Box Turtle. She has battle wounds dealing with a Rottweiler. Luckily she survived the ordeal.

 

Turtles are the censorkip.gif, period. They're cute and one of the best animals in the world. I feel bad when I see dead turtles on the road, especially when the road is huge and the turtle is so small. Are people really purposely hitting them? ;_;

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