Comrade Tortoise, I need your help!

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:37 am

Well, today rather unexpectedly, I have recieved a belated Christmas gift: a brand new tortoise. The problem is, neither I nor the person who gave it to me know its species, age, or gender, and without that, I don't know how to care for it. It is aquatic, so I put it in water (not too deep, so it can stick its head out for a breath), and I did recieve a can of ReptoMin, alongside with it, so food is not a problem for now.

If anyone can tell me anything about caring for turtles, please do so. I don't want the poor thing to die because of my incompetence.

Here are some pics of it:

For size

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Post by **Dark Silver** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:53 am

...it looks like a normal, everyday green turtle (what thier called in south louisianna)

keep enough water for it to stick it's head out, along with someplace for it to crawl onto that'd be dry. Also that Reptomin or whatever you bought should be good.

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 12:59 am

Red eared Slider
Trachemys scripta elegans
That one, I cant be sure, judging from claw length is a sexually mature male, probably4 years oldish(give or take a year). he will last, under good conditions another 15-20 years minimum, barring disease etc etc.

He wont get much larger than 10 inches in length, and probably less than that (if male) if I am wrong and it is a female with abnormally long claws it will grow to be over a foot in shell length.

Keep the water temperature in the mid 70s to low 80s, with a basking spot on a rock or log in the mid to upper 90s.

He will need at least a 20 gallon(long) aquarium in order to provide sufficient floor space. Though I would recommend at least a 40 gallon. Water depth should be a little deeper than shell length. They are strong swimmers (trust me, I have chased them in the water swimming myself) and you generally dont need to worry about drowning.

Dont bother with decorations, he will just uproot them. Gravel is nice, but not needed.

Reptomin is a good food source. Though feeder fish are always fun to watch the turtle disembowel.

As for filtration, and you will need it unless you want to change turtle water daily, I would recommend an external canister filter recommended for an aquarium at least twice the size of the aquarium you use, if it were full. So if using a 20 gallon tank, and only use 10 gallons... get a filter used for a 40 gallon fish tak.

Um... other than that... your local vet is your friend. If you notice shell softness, give the turtle a calcium supplement in the form of a block of calcium carbonate (or snails) and if you see the shell starting to get really lumpy, too high in protein.

If you notice bubbles coming from the mouth and nose... your temp is too low and the turtle has a respiratory infection, treat by raising the temperature and take toa vet for possible antibiotics.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:04 am

Thanks!

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 1:06 am

fgalkin wrote:Thanks!

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

You're welcome

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:46 am

OMG! PRISON BREAK!

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 10:11 am

Oh he's so cute! I've got a red eared slider too, had him for many years now. I can't add much to Tortoise's post, but I do want to stress how difficult keeping the tank clean without a powerful filter will be--every day water change is no joke! Even with the filter you will need to manually change the water every now and then, I recommend a siphon if you don't already have one.

Now, these buggers are supposed to start off carnivorous and lean more and more toward a vegetarian diet as they age--mine has never liked the greens though, so take that as you will. Something my turtle loves is when we put a dozen feeder fish in the tank (basically baby carp about an inch long or less, they are meant to be eaten and are cheap) and let him have at it. The fish coexist well until the turtle decides their time is up

(best part is turtles eat so messily that you don't need any special fish food for them, they eat the table scraps)

Like Tortoise mentioned you need some way for it to dry out under a light (100 Watt bulb works fine, some people prefer special reptile bulbs which put out UV, if you get him outside though he should be fine) and rocks work fine. However, aside from making sure your turtle can climb out on his own, watch the bottom of his shell an keep an eye out for abrasions. Scraping on rough rocks can damage the shell, so try to use smooth ones. Alternatively you can use large pieces of cork, either floating or fixed, or some other material. And like mentioned, don't bother with plants or other decorations. Turtles are surprisingly efficient at destroying them.

The last part: That bugger could live upwards of 25 years, 30 is not terrible uncommon, be prepared to have it for a very long time

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:06 pm

Anoyther question: how long can this guy be unattended for. IF we leave for, say, a week, will he be okay?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Fri Jan 13, 2006 2:28 pm

So long as he is set up nicely, yes.

xBlackFlash · Post by **xBlackFlash** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 9:54 am

<17yo girl> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH CUUUUTEEEEE!!!!!!! </17yo girl>

I always wanted one of those little tiny mini turtles.. the ones that like fit in your palm.. they're just hella adorable. :)

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:14 am

xBlackFlash wrote:<17yo girl> AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH CUUUUTEEEEE!!!!!!! </17yo girl>

I always wanted one of those little tiny mini turtles.. the ones that like fit in your palm.. they're just hella adorable. :)

They are. And they get bigger and are still adorable.

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 12:19 am

I was about to call it a painted turtle; looks just like one. How many names are there for that species?

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:01 am

Rogue 9 wrote:I was about to call it a painted turtle; looks just like one. How many names are there for that species?

Painted turtles are a completely different genus
Crysemys picta is their proper name

Rogue 9 · Post by **Rogue 9** » Mon Jan 16, 2006 1:19 am

Really. Could have sworn it looked like one. Ah well.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:57 pm

Ok, another question. What sort of lighting system should I get for it. Should it be one of those long daylignt lamps, or the small basking lamps? Is there anything I need to know about it first?

Also, he does like to eat meat, but he ignores Reptomin. Is there any way to make him eat it?

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 11:01 pm

Use a smaller basking lamp. I never had any issues just using one of those. Just make sure he has a well rounded diet.

As for feeding, some turtles dont take much of a shine to it. He might not recognize it is food... you could try mixed feedings. Put something he does like in with reptomin and slowly ween him off of what he normally eats...

Lindar · Post by **Lindar** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 4:33 pm

*eyes the Turtle and looks jealous but knows better than to try and have a pet*

Tortoise, if a turtles shell gets soft what he needed was calcium supplements? I didn't know that.*had never known that, sighs and goes back to oblivion*

Comrade Tortoise · Post by **Comrade Tortoise** » Sun Jan 22, 2006 11:02 am

Lindar wrote:*eyes the Turtle and looks jealous but knows better than to try and have a pet*

Tortoise, if a turtles shell gets soft what he needed was calcium supplements? I didn't know that.*had never known that, sighs and goes back to oblivion*

Well, theri shell is actally their ribcage, so if it gets soft, i means tey have a calcium deficiency.

LibriumArcana.Games

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