redearslider.com

2001
2011

Was talking to a new RES owner on Facebook and dug these pictures up to prove to her they grow (she said she had one for a few years and it never got very big...now she has another one ..thought she should know what 10 years looks like). Please dont laugh at my pigtails, I was only 14 lol. Its hard to believe they were ever that tiny!

Thats cool. Alot of people don't have a picture of there turtles from ten years ago, let alone someone that keeps a pet for ten years lol. Just 60 more years to go before they pass away haha

Heh, cute pictures. It's a common belief that RES don't live that long or grow that big. It's not surprising considering the care they were receiving back then. Your girls look pretty good, how big are they now?

Show them this pic:


The female is at 12" now.

That is my favorite pic ever! This should be given out to anyone who gets a RES lol

Mine are around about 9 and 10 inches. The larger one seems to still be growing,,the other hast gotten much bigger in the past 2 years.

I got them at the same time. I was young and assumed theyd stay that way..and that Id need more than one for company.. opps lol. Im glad i can finally make them happy. They have huge personalities that hasnt changed since I got them. I got them from a beach shop that had AT LEAST 50 baby RES in a rubbermaid bin (no land access). So glad thats illegal now. I havent seen that in years. Its heart breaking to think how many RES are abused because the owners didnt know what they were getting in too. Mine are lucky because I have always been passionate about animals so one i was old enough to get a job, it was at petsmart and I got them the biggest tank and filters I could with my discount (which was sill grossly too small and I am ashamed to admit how small it was). I moved on to a new job and got the 150 gal (which is probably why Sylvie is laying eggs again). They seem to love it

omg this is crazy! I mean, I know they grow a lot. I've seen some giant wild ones. But it's really hard to picture my teeny tiny turtles as anything bigger than my hand XD

Awesome! I wish I could have seen my turtle when he was that small

I still can't believe they were that small. I remember it..but I swear..they grow so slow you dont even realize it was happening!

Happycamper, how old was yours when you got it?

I am not sure how old he was. My friend was a vet-tech and someone had brought him in for care, then never came back to pay the bill or pick him up. When he came to live with me he was about 4 inches long already, and in pretty rough shape.

That was nice you of you! I bet hes the happiest little guy now . I couldn't stand to be a vet tech. I would have soo many animals lol. I had a friend who was one and she took in a BEAUTIFUL Doberman in because the owner wanted to put her to sleep since she didn't fit the breed standard well enough to show/breed. Makes me sick. She is the sweetest most well tempered dog and she was almost put to sleep because she didn't have the right measurements.

That is so terrible. My friend has lots of horror stories about people refusing to get treatment, or opting for euthanasia rather than trying to re-home an unwanted pet. I just don't understand it!

Sheldon is so happy now! When I got him his shell was terrible, but after a few sheds he is so colorful and vibrant now! I never knew how big of an obsession turtle care would become for me!

Honestly it's all thanks to this forum that he has such a great life now. Before I stumbled into this forum I had him in a 29 gallon 2/3 full, with gravel, and no UVB. I am so glad I only had him in that situation for about a month before I realized how bad it was... But now, he is livin' the dream! lol

People euthanise because they don't care enough to put the effort in to finding them a new home

I am too embarrassed to admit how small of a tank I had for my girls so you aren't alone..and I didn't have the light either. I knew not to use gravel.. I had done research when I got them but there wasn't as much info back then and I didn't think to keep researching. They were in that tiny tank with no light for 10 years . I don't know why they are still healthy! Once I found this board and realized how much improvements I needed to make, I have gone all out. They love their new tank..and they seem to enjoy the bigger basking area too because they both can stretch out up together (20inx20in). I want to make them an ATBA though.

This website has been the best thing.. I wish I would have found it years ago

I'm doing the same thing with my Turtles growing progress. It is like having a kid, lol. Its like anything else when you first start out you make mistakes but as you keep doing it you get better. And those people you talk about are what I like to call lazy!!!

Thats for sure. I gotta say..turtles are much more complicated than dogs and ferrets!