My son (7 years old) received a RES hatchling (about 1.25" long) for his birthday this past September. I was completely ignorant about turtle care, and thought of it more as a temporary kid thing that would only last a little while (never been much a fan of pets in general, sorry). The first three months my son named the RES "Submarine" cause all she did was sit underwater....during these first few months, I rarely saw her move at all, and I NEVER saw her eat. We were keeping her in the 3 gallon aquarium that she was given to us in....the water level was never more than about 2 inches high, and she didn't have an area to get dry or bask.
I thought she wasn't going to last more than a month, but she survived and after the first three months, she got very active and started eating (really suddenly). So we now feed her about 3-6 pellets a day, and Romain or Red Leaf lettuce about once a month. As her condition has improved, so has our motivation to improve her conditions.
Now I've really started to read, and learn about proper care for this pet, and I'm realizing what a cruddy owner I've been, and I really want to do a better job of providing her what she needs. So this site has been very helpful, thanks again! Today, we went to the pet store and bought the largest aquarium that we have space for (about 10 gallons) and a few other things to setup a basking area, and aerator and water heater. She seems very happy with her new environment.
I still need to get a UVB lamp, and a proper filtration system....but I'm planning to order these online because local prices and selection a pathetic (we live in northern Japan). I don't have any immediate questions, so I'll just introduce you to my son's RES "Submarine"...
First off, based on what I read on the front page, I believe she is female:
This is the habitat we just put together today:
And this is Submarine's current condition which I hope to improve with better care. She's currently 1.5" in length, and showing some signs of poor shell conditions.
I do realize that most of you probably hate me right now for being so careless over the initial phase of owning Submarine, but I'm committed to changing that. Thanks for your support.
