first off, i am very new to this site but i have had my red eared slider(spiffy)for 27 years...i dont know how old he was when i got him...i have had cats,hamsters,fish,praying mantids,birds,a dog, and two kids(lol) and my turtle has lived longer then all of them and requires the least maintenance..lol..i have only had to bring him to the vet 2 times but both vets i brought him to said they have never seen a turtle live that long(brings on a huge feeling of confidence in the vet..lol)...(one time for white patches on his shell,another time when i noticed that when trying to eat his jaw seemed to lock and couldnt close unless i took him out of the water).. both vets were wrong with their diagnosis(it was his shell naturally healing from small cuts not an infection and he still gets the locking jaw issue years later and he is fine.)
my sister and i both got turtles and hers died shortly after of softshell...i dont think i ever researched how to care for a turtle but I must be incredibly lucky because i never did alot of the things i am reading must be done lol..so knock on wood, i am just going to continue doing what i am doing..lol..i give him the pellets every day..with occasional bologna,raw turkey liver and banana(he LOVES them)..for the first ten years of his life he lived in a tank with some rocks and no heater or filter in a sunroom that got freezing cold in the winter and very hot in the summer..i do full water changes once a week and never add anything to the water even though my area has very hard water...i have a filter and a heater,and a basking area in the tank..nothing more! i used to put him in the bathtub to swim(which i am reading you should never do..lol)but he loses interest quickly..and i must admit, i cant remember ever washing my hands after handling him or his tank...and i have never gotten sick..lol..
i love my turtle..he has such a personality..he loves getting his back scratched..he follows me wherever i go..lays on my chest while i read in bed..he loves being out of the tank..he spends days out of the water..he likes to hide but always comes running out when i tell him i have banana...PEARL OF WISDOM: dont ever kiss a turtle..mine took a chunk of my lip when i tried this ..hey now,i was in fifth grade...lol
i would enjoy talking with anyone about turtles and would be happy to answer any questions..i can only speak from personal experience and keep in mind,it seems my turtle must have beaten more than a few odds considering all the rules there seems to be on raising the reptile..lol..
good luck to all of you with turtles..they are ABSOLUTELY AMAZING creatures...Roseann
