Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: My RES found me in the Arizona Desert

[pflyz1126]

Hello!

I have always loved Turtles.... since I was a kid at camp in New Hampshire swimming in the lake (Lake Kantasatka - a sister to Winnapasauki (sp) -). Then I came across a beautifully colored turtle in a swamp in Connecticut... for just a moment, I held it and let it go. Then I saved a Aligator Snapping Turtle from being hit by a car in CT... picked up this monster -at lease 1.5 feet long and 1 foot wide - its head was as big as a softball... then it tried bitting me. I got that crazy turtle back to a grassy area near a pond, few.

But then came Strawberry. She was in my back yard in Goodyear Arizona in June of 05, hiding under my garbage can next to the hose. She must have been dumped in a canal and crossed the street, found the only way into my back yard (under the gate) and was getting water from the drips.

I took her in. She was about 4 or 5 inches around.... not sure, never measured. Got her a 20 gallon tank with the reptile starter kit and I was off.

We moved, and now she is in a bigger house (like me). Got her the 80 Gallon monster and its full of water so she can swim a lot. Nice basking area on a piece of flagstone.

She is about 8 inches long and 6 wide now. I feed her Deli Cat. and she has fake plants.... learned that real plants bring snails - that really creeped me out.

Anywho, I think I was destined to own a turtle.... I was thinking of getting her a little brother or sister... is that dangerous? Should I feed her fish or worms too...? I will put pictures up on the web soon...

Lastly, see my post about Strawberry laying an egg... that is how I found this forum.

CYA

[megcornell]

Hi! Welcome to the site. You'll find a lot of good info here. Firstly, you should look at the nutrition section. It's better to feed a pellet based diet supplemented with veggies and the ocassional protein source such as feeder fish than to feed cat food, it's just not formulated for turtles and can cause stress on their organs. Also, no need to worry about getting Strawberry a friend. Turtles really aren't social creatures and more often than not turtles housed together end up being separated due to aggression. Also, if there's a big size difference between the turtles the larger one could hurt the smaller one even by accident. I can't wait to see strawberry's pics, have fun looking around the site

[DavidY]

Welcome to the forum! I'm from NH. Did you used to live here?

[marisa]

Hello and welcome. (You seem to have spent a lot of time in CT/New England.)

Lucky Strawberry, lucky you (to have discovered how wonderful turtles can be). You be Strawberry's friend---turtles don't need buddies, and a little one should be separated from a larger turtle until approximately the larger one's size (and there's no guarantee they'd even get along if put together in the really big tank they'd need).

Deli Cat---sounds high in protein, which your Strawberry doesn't need on a regular basis. Food/pellets meant for turtles would be much healthier for her, along with a varied assortment of veggies and aquatic plants (read the info on what's good to feed).

Hope to see pics of Strawberry soon.

[pflyz1126]

Hello again and thanks for the info!

DavidY - I lived in CT and spent summers in Center Harbor NH.

Marisa - Born and raised in Norwalk.

Megcornell and all: here is a link to some pics I put up last night:

http://www.tomasovitch.com/strawberry/index.html

THANKS FOR THE HELP!

[SpotsMama]

Ooooo - Strawberry is a pretty girl! And big too! I wonder what she weighs?

Do you see how each of her scutes is somewhat raised in the middle? That's called pyramiding and is caused by the high protein diet. If you'll transition her to pellets and green salads (she may resist at first, most turtles aren't that good with change - but then neither am I) over time that shell will smooth out.