Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hi, my name is Yana and I recently got 2 baby turtles <3

[yan4ik]

I've wanted a turtle in forever, but I was afraid I'd be too busy for it, with school and work and all. Turns out I'm not too busy at all! I've been taking really good care of them so far, and I've had them for almost 3 months! I have a boy and a girl I believe (they're still very small to tell). I have a 40 gallon tank, and it's jsut right for my 2 babies. I have a pretty cute setup so far, I've put bigger pebbles and a few big rocks for them to climb. They have a nice basking area and 2 plants - one fake and one real. I also got that water-fall like filter and my boyfriend gave me a very good light. By the way the turtles were my birthday present from him.
So...so far they've been progressing just fine. They seem to really like their home, they have a little cave (one of those plastic caves with a hole) and they love exploring their home. I keep changing or adding things in there from time to time to keep em interested. One of my turtles is slightly bigger. The other one gets a little scared...well actually a lot. I don't hurt them or anything and feed them 2 times a day - dry food in the morning and blood worms in the evening. Well maybe it's just a turtle thing then... Also I tried giving them live worms. Again the bigger one eats them like nothing, but the smaller one is too afraid to even try!
Now it's bed time for them, and I witnesed how they sleep for the first time (I jsut got that blue neon light for night-times) They're so cute when they sleep! They stuff themselves between the fake plant and glass and sorta just...hang there. Just adorable.
So, there's my turtle story. I'm glad to join your turtle community and if I have questions, now I know where to go! Looking farward to meeting some of you! <3

[tobyandmandi]

Hi there. Welcome to the site. The people here are very helpful. What did you name your babies?

[ScrewZoo]

Welcome to the site Yan4ik.. I hope you get the knowlage you need here!

[yan4ik]

Awwww you guys are so nice! I joined like 10 minutes ago and already have friends hehe <3
I'm actually still thinking of names, watching their behaviours. I'm russian, so I'm also brainstorming russian words. My boyfriend says it's easier for him (he has a saltwater fishtank) Cuz in his case he got Nemos(clownfish) and Patricks (starfish) ))))

Any ideas?

[ScrewZoo]

I have a tortoise thats russian!!! I got no ideas though.

[yan4ik]

Haha russian tortoise that's so cute!
I'm thinking maybe Peter and Louis? Haha...Maybe Stewie? LOL Family Guy to the rescue...

[yan4ik]

Oh my god it's like 2:30 am...I so wanna stay online but my eyes are closing. I have a feeling I'll be on this webbie an awful lot ) Nighty Night, thanx for being nice <3

[ScrewZoo]

Good Night Lol, Hope to see you around!

[tobyandmandi]

Sorry had to leave for a little bit. Good Night

[meoldchina]

Welcome to turtle owners 'support' group. Me I'm relatively new to turtles too. Tons to learn but this is just the best site!

meoldchina

[yan4ik]

Hey again! I just woke up...I thought of names last night, I'll talk to my rents, and we'll see if they like them. They're my turtles, but I jsut want my russian parents to be able to pronounce the names
I was thinking Tortilla for the girl, and the reason is because in russian version of Pinokio, there is a turtle who lives on the bottom of the lake, and she is 400 years old. Her name was Tortilla. And For the boy I was thinknig Tortik, or Tort for short, hich means "cake" in russian, so it's kinda cute. I'm not really creative (( Other ppl have way better names, like Bubba, that's adorable!

[Arisu]

Good observations I think you will be a fine turtle mama.

Couple of things...
1) Its very normal for turtles to be shy and timid. Some turtles tend to have more of a "wild instinct" and are pretty scared of humans. My case is same as yours- I have one that behaves like a dog and the other is slightly smaller and is scared of everything. However, your turtles should gradually get more and more used to you. They'll learn to associate you with food and will end up loving you

2) What do you mean exactly by 'dry food'? Pellets should be their staple food (what they should be eating most). Blood worms are fine for your turtles. However, any meat-like food will contain a lot of protein and too much protein could lead to health problems. It is recommended to give your turtles protein treats (like blood worms) once every month. Also, its never too early to start introducing your turtles to veggies. Veggies should be their main food as they become older.

3) You've noticed that turtles like to wedge themselves onto things as they sleep- isn't it just adorable!?!! This is often called a 'resting' spot where your turtles can fully rest on something while being able to stick their little nostrils above the water to breathe. Young turtles will get tired more easily (from swimming). Make sure you always have something for them to rest and catch a breath on.

Oh and I think Tortilla and Tortik are very cute names.

[yan4ik]

Oh thank you Arisu, so I should probably stop feeding them bloodworms every day then )) But the thing it, they don't eat veggies at all! Like I put a leaf of lettuce and they totaly ignore it! Even the real plant that I got in there they ignore Yeah, by dry food I mean pellets hehe, they tend to like them. But it's like the little one doesn't eat, it's too scared to come out. I have to "leave" the room and peak through the keyhole to see if he even eats )
I decided to keep looking for names. I want something short and cute, easy to remember, and that actually has a connection to my babies u know?
Thank you very mch <3

[untsmurf]

Arisu is right 100%. He beat me to the diet comment I was going to make, lol. Make sure that you are only offering a head sized portion of pellets everyday, then save the protein high treats like blood worms for a once a month feeding. You can start introducing them to veggies, but since they are still young they might not take to it. I've noticed that hatchlings really like anacharis (aquatic plant) and carrot strips. You'll probably have greatest success offering something like that. But there is a whole section on what veggies are good for them here: http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html Don't be upset if they don't take to the veggies right away. Technically they don't even need them until they are 4'' long/about a year old. If you can get them started on veggies as babies, that's just a bonus for you because it will make it easier down the road.

The second thing I wanted to mention really quick is that you should have two lights over the basking area. A UVA bulb, which is just a regular house bulb, it will also provide the heat for your basking area. And the second is a UVB bulb which has to be purchased from a pet store and it has to say UVB on the package, not 'full spectrum' or 'basking bulb'.
To quote the care sheet:
"For your turtle, UVA exposure is essential for normal behavior including activity, feeding and mating. UVB rays are crucial for your turtle’s health and development. UVB is necessary for the production of the vitamin D3 that is required for the metabolization of dietary calcium. Heat entices your turtle to bask. This warmth elevates their metabolism along with their digestive and immune systems. Drying off also helps hardening of the shell, scute shedding as well as minimizing algae growth and waterborne infections."


Sorry for such a long post. You should also read over the main site, it's chalk full of great information.

[untsmurf]

To get the little one to eat, you might try removing the larger one from the tank and taking it to another room to feed it. While you are feeding the larger turtle out of the tank, leave some pellets in the tank for the smaller one. That way, he has the tank to himself and won't feel shy because he's alone.

Also, putting a paper background around the back three walls of your tank seems to help turtles feel more secure.