My name is Kelli, and through some less-than-spectacular circumstances I have inherited a 4" juvenile turtle named Phineas.
I am excited and nervous about this new arrival.
Excited because OMG TURTLE! and the prospect of creating a beautiful lake-like habitat for a living creature. He lived a rough life in a 2 gallon tupperware box with only pellets to eat and an abalone shell for basking. I have concerns he's not getting his basic needs met, that he has no idea how to be a turtle! i want to make that better for him.
Nervous because I have never owned any habitat-requiring pet before, and it seems that with water and pH levels and temperatures, there's so much to mess up. I want him to be as happy and wild as possible, but I want him to be safe and healthy.
No pictures yet, he's too scared! He did eat a couple of pellets today so that's good.
Right now I alternate between placing him outside in the daytime in a big tupperware container with a log and a screen over the top (it's still in the 80's here in California) and bringing him in overnight in the 2 liter tub i have set up in the warmest room in the house. I will be getting a 55 gallon tank in the next few days in which I can set him up with the works - heater, filter, real plants, the whole nine- for the next year or two, with plans in the future of an outdoor pond. But I'm ready to learn and go on this crazy adventure! Thanks for having me, and I'm open to any and all suggestions.
But first a quick question- I don't know if Phineas is a boy or a girl! How can you tell!?
