I have a male RES that's 13 years old, just turned 13 in june. His name is Copernicus. I've had my turtle since he was a hatchling.
I know better now of course than to take a hatchling turtle from the wild, but 13 years ago I didn't know any better. I was netting in the swamp for some bait for fishing and happened by chance to catch him in the net instead. I flew him home with me and have had him ever since.
At first I was stuck with parents who refused to believe that he actually needed certain things to make his life better, as they didn't share my animal enthusiasm. So he's been living in a 10 gallon aquarium for most of his life, I know it's horrible...
But now that I don't live there anymore, I've been slowly improving his habitat when I can. He's actually very healthy and has never had a problem, as I found out about turtle lighting when he was little, so he grew well and healthy. Unfortunately we're in a tough financial situation right now, so I couldn't get him the best sized aquarium right now, but soon once we move and have more $$ I can make him the setup I've always wanted for him.
Right now here's what we have:
- 1 male res
-20 Gallon Long aquarium (i know it's small, but I'm working on it)
-Playsand substrate with river rocks here and there
-Tetra Reptofilter
-Tetra aquatic reptile heater
-Turtle Ramp
-Strip light with Reptisun 5.0 UVB light
-Basking lamp (right now it has a regular light bulb in it, but I'll get a reptile basking bulb in it soon)
Um, I think that's it. I'm hoping to get some more decorations for him, but not too many cause I want to give him plenty of swimming space.
Ok, well I've already had a great time rummaging through old threads and I'm learning alot. Everyone looks great and fun and I'm looking forward to meeting new people.
I just love my turtle, and am trying to give him the best I can right now. Hopefully I can find my digital camera and take some pics soon enough.
