Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hi everyone!!!

[Girlygirlpunx]

Hi everyone my name is JEnn.
As of 4-4-07 I was given 2, red ear sliders from a co-worker.
I Know Very little about them except what I have read on the net. But what I Have found out is....
They were owned by a 8 yo girl. They are 2.5 years old, they have been kept in that tiny 10 gallon tank sense they were the size of quarters with only 3 inches of water in that tank and fish tank gravel and they were being way over feed. Didn't have a heat lamp or a basking dock. There was a uvb/uva (?) bulb though. This information I got from the little girls Aunt.

So I went out and got them a 55 gallon tank. I filled it up to the point that they would be able to stretch on there tippy toes to reach the air. To also give them enough room to swim.... Well they didn't know how to swim. Which made me sad. It was kinda funny to watch them try though. Kinda like watching a baby taking his first step.
Half of the tank was filled with river rocks the other half had just the tank glass.... , when they went over the no rock part they skid on it like a dog on hard wood floors. haha
So I figured as they learn how to use their little flippers (?) ~n~ their legs get stronger. The water was a good height untell they master the water. Then I added a little at a time untell the tank was filled to a good level and they are better swimmers.
So now that I've had them for 10 whole days now lol we have gone through 2 turtle docks to find the best one. (the one that attaches to the corner) not so good we found that when they get startled and try to dive off of it their heads get stuck in between the bar and the tank glass. So we got rid of that one and got the floating one today. Put more river rocks in the bottom of the tank. We filled the tank to about 3/4th today and they seem to be doing really well in it. They have almost mastered the swimming part.... My 11 year old daughter was having a cow that I had filled it so full. She just knew they wouldn't be able to handle that much water. lol but she soon found out that they are able to go to the top and get air. She's soooo cute when she worries!!!! ha ha
I have added the heating lamp ~n~ a night time lamp, filter / waterfall,
I put a fake lily pad in there.. which is pretty and it gives them something to rest on a little but every time I come home I notice little pieces of it floating on the top of the water...

Ok that's my story....

We love these little turtles, but have not been able to figure out what kinda names they should have. We are still working on that!!!
Stop by and say hi... I'd be happy to hear from ya.

[SpotsMama]

Greetings! I'm so glad you got these dear turtles and will be able to provide them with a good home. Sounds like you're off to a good start. Why don't you post some pictures of your turtles and their setup?

[Rocky YBS]

yeah pics would be great!

[Girlygirlpunx]

Ok here are some pics

This is what I got them in....





This is the 55 with the water pretty low cuz they didnt know how to swim and the basking dock I didnt like.


This is with more water.... and the new basking dock They like this one better

[DavidY]

Wow, you've done an admirable job with their rescue. Their new home is so much nicer than where they came from, and you gradually introduced them to the deeper water. You're an excellent turtle parent!

[Girlygirlpunx]

Awwww thank you... That means a lot!!!
Any other comments on what I could do better for them just let me know
THanks

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Take the gravel out because your turtles can eat it (just because they dont now, doesnt mean they will later) and if they cant pass it through..they will eventually die, besides the gravel everything else looks fine..

[megcornell]

Oh they look so happy! I like the picture where they're facing each other and it looks like they're saying, "wow, this is the life!"

A few suggestions that came to mind are 1) to remove the gravel because it makes the water so dirty by trapping every little piece of dirt and making the filter work overtime. And, if the turtles eat it, and they very well may try to, it can get stuck in them and lead to less than desirable consequences. In its place feel free to add some large river rocks or fake plants or both. I'd look around the photo gallery to see what other people have for tank bottoms.
2) You'll want a water heater. Maybe with so low water its easy to keep at 75 now, but pretty soon your turtles will adjust and you'll be able to fill up the tank, and then you'll need a way to regulate the water temp to prevent illness. They're relatively cheap, mine for my 35 gallon tank was under $20, and well worth the price in terms of how valuable they are to keeping the setup healthy for turtles

And from the pictures, it looks like you have two ladies... the short nails ans stubby tails give that away. Once they start eating healthy and growing you can tell for sure, but my 1st impression says they're girls.

Nice work with setting them up so far! You'll find a lot of tips and set ups to look at here, that's how I figured out how to setup my turtle, Leo... I just looked around and saw what other turtles liked/didn't and tried to incorporate some of those things into her habitat.

[SpotsMama]

Nice setup! I used that same turtle dock for years and my turtle loved it too. Your turtles must think they've gone to heaven with all the water and space!

I second the concern about the gravel. Don't mean to scare you but it's very dangerous if they eat it - and they will eventually try. We can show you some threads on here about turtles who ate gravel that will raise your hair.

[Girlygirlpunx]

Thanks guys, I thank you for all your suggestions.... The "gravel" that I have in there now are river rocks. The 10 gallon tank had tiny gravel for fish tanks. I did notice them trying to munch on some of em but quickly spit it out. I have read a few terrible stories about them eating it. Does not sound fun for them or us. They haven't tried to eat the river rocks yet.... but they do like to push it around A LOT. If you really think these river rocks are still to small just let me know.
I do have a heater in there that cost me 35 ouch;), it keeps it around 78 or so.
The petco here is pretty spendy and all the pet stores just tell me they don't have anything for turtles and walk away from me!! Even though one of em had 2 turtles that they were selling lol go figure!!!

[adam85491]

Well, if the river rocks you speak of are in those pictures, than you got yourself some tiny pebbles which are still too small. River rocks are about the size of a half dollar or a quarter at least and cannot be eaten (gravel will make your tank dirtier fast). It is a nice looking set-up though, so good job.

These are river rocks by the way: http://www.dickblick.com/zz611/38/

[DavidY]

Some of those people working in the pet stores really don't know much of anything. They're getting minimum wage and really don't care, unfortunately.

Your best bet is online shopping. Here are some of the vendors I like to use...
http://www.reptilesupply.com
http://www.petwarehouse.com
http://www.bigappleherp.com

There are other good sites that others may be able to add to the list. You'll save a lot of money buying online. Especially if you save up and get a bunch of supplies at once, that'll save you on shipping costs.

[Girlygirlpunx]

OK OK.... I will find BIGGER river rocks to use...... ~n~ change them out

[Hoooneylynn]

yeah, even if you see them spit them out, there is a possibility that they ate some already... seriously, take them out as soon as possible, even if you dont get new river rocks right away... as long as they can fit it in their mouths, they will try to eat them... and why dont you try to fill up your tank a little bit more? they love to have lots of room! But dont fill it up to where they can get out... and do you have a heater? If you dont, I suggest getting one really soon because its vital to their health.

[camee1991]

It looks to me also you have to BEAUTIFUL GIRLS!!! Congratulations on the NEW addition! Sounds like you are doing the best you can. I bet the Turts are in HEAVEN!!!

GOOD JOB!!

________________
Camee