Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: A Newbie

[maryR]

Hi everyone, This is a cool site and I read here many times a day. LOL, I had cancer and surgery for it in Dec 07, My daughter got me two baby reds to cheer me up in March. I must say they have got me moving more.
Only problem is water changes too heavy for me to carry so I have help with that from a son. So I went thru many names B4 I finally settled on Tuck and Ling Ling for my Grandaughters sakes from us watching hours of their fav show on TV. Still trying to figure out what size tank to get right now they are in a wide rubbermade thing clear holds over 10 gallons but I like that it is very wide but low so they have tons of room for now its like 30 inches by 18. At first they would'nt eat at all people had them on shrimp, One week later they gobble Baby Reptomin, Dandilion greens, Lettuce(Red and Green Romaine) carrot,cuttlebone, And very rarely a spot of shrimp as a treat. Havent tried real fish yet caz they r so small. They have grown since I have had them on good diet tho, I clean my porch and get my plant pots ready for flowers and let them bask in the sun when I am out there and it is warm enough, They do bask on the rocks very well tho in there enclosure. I only have water about 7 inches deep but they really like it. I built them up very gradual to it. Well thats all for now. Love it here!!!

[Nettle]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you're taking strides to better their habitat.

Many people on the forum have a python, which empties the tank and fills it up. All you need to do is hook it up to a faucet. Here's a link to one from Petsmart, but they're at Wal-mart for around $30.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... Id=2754886

As for what size tank, the bigger, the better. Turtles usually reach 4 inches after a year and can grow up to 12 inches. A good rule is 10 gallons per inch of turtle, so two turtles at 3 inches would be 3x10+3x10=60 gallon tank. Unfortunately they'll keep on growing and will soon outgrow that tank, therefore it's best to get the biggest tank you can afford to avoid overly frequent upgrades.

It's sounds like you're doing great with nutrition, though!

[RESnTX]

Hi Mary!

I bought the python when I had a back injury that didn't allow me to lift anything. It was a huge lifesaver. It makes water changes so much easier than filling and carrying buckets of water.

[maryR]

Thanks everyone I will look into the python today!!! Sounds like a great item. and as far as the tank goes I have been watching on Craigslict for a 120 I figured even if later I need to get rid of one if they should become 2 males or just an agressive female the 120 will give one a great home.

[steve]

Welcome to the site! The Python is a bit pricey, but it's worth it. A good time to pick one up is when Petsmart has new coupons. You should be able to have them price match from their online store, then apply the coupon.