Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Buddy from the Philippines

[the_orphaned]

Hi. I recently got myself a RES and found this site while doing a little research. As of now, i just transferred him to a basin which was way bigger than his old tank. I plan on using his old tank now just for feeding.



Here he is exploring his new basking rock...



For new, I think the basin is big enough for him. Will probably transfer him again to a bigger container in a couple of months.

hope you guys can give me inputs (please be constructive ). As of now, his diet consists of pellets and bloodworms. I want to feed him veggies but I dont think the ones you guy mentioned there are here or I just dont know what they call them here. Hehe.

[missibsu]

Welcome. This isn't really the section to address care topics, but there are some things that just needed to be added.

The basin, from photo appearances, won't last a couple of months. 10 gallons of water per inch of shell.

Also, bloodworks should be a treat. Have you looked at the veggie list to see if there is anything you recognize? I'm not an expert on international veggies, but look for dark greens. Also, any kind of aquatic plant is fine. I know here in the states, pet stores sell aquatic plants.

[sonyj]

Mabuhay! Kumusta ka? (sorry that's about how far my knowledge of Tagalog goes )

Welcome to the forum. Although he's in a larger container, it doesn't look like there's that much water in there. RES are aquatic turtles and need lots of water to swim and live in. Minimum recommended size is ten gallons per inch of turtle. So keep this in mind when finding him a suitable habitat. Be sure to read the basic care section (button at the top of the page), and try to create his habitat suitably. If you have any questions just post.

[the_orphaned]

Thanks guys. I'll keep that in mind when I finally clean out my area to make room for him.

[samandnelly]

Good!

For your budget:
Housing
I recommend using a large storage box that's handy because:
1) They're cheaper
2) If the turtles hit the side it bends unlike glass which is harder
3) They give them more room and time to grow for turtles your size
4) They still appear professional with the right setup. If you look on the photo gallery you can see my topic and setup pictures of what I have inside the storage box:
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4602

Feeding
For vegitation, I use the Anarchis plant (when they're only hatchlings to one month old, 1 plant per turtle is fine). They love it and it's their main vegitation. You can get them in the fish section at PETsMART. If I remember right, it was pretty cheap, too. You might want to vary out your plants a little, and add water lilys or something for a more varied diet.
For live food, crickets are best for younger turtles. I feed Rosey Red minnows also, but they haven't shown any interest in them.

[the_orphaned]

Im planning to get one of those big translucent plastic ones with wheels, makes it easier to clean it then. For now though, the basin will have to do. Maybe in August. I'm still budgetting coz' I'm getting a new car.

As for the plants, I'll try to find them, but I don't know if they have those here in the Philippines. As of now, he is on a steady diet of bloodworms and pellets. His growth was pretty noticeable already. He was a thin and tiny runt that I got from a pet store here in the Philippines. He was the smallest from the clutch and the pet store people didnt really take good care of their turtles. I mean there are like ten turtles on a fish bowl thats even smaller than a ten gallon tank! I visit the pet shop often for my dog supplies and see that the turtles are just in a poor state.

He seems happier now, though he still doesnt have a name. Hehe. Any suggestions? I'm thinking Genma or Cuervo. Cuervo because I was drinking tequilla when I decided that I want to take care of the turtle on a weekend.

I've been reading topics and posts from this forum and I've learned a lot already. I think I have to gather all my materials first before actually setting out to buy the storage box. I'll keep posting on the developments and growth of my RES.

Thanks for the input guys. You've all been real helpfull.

[TinySlider2]

Welcome!

[samandnelly]

No problem. He will be OK for now, but he'll be surviving not thriving...lol. He'd probably like more room to swim so when you can, take a look at getting the box.
Bloodworms are great, let us know how big hes getting to be!

[sonyj]

... As of now, his diet consists of pellets and bloodworms. I want to feed him veggies but I dont think the ones you guy mentioned there are here or I just dont know what they call them here. Hehe.

I had to hunt an old file down on my computer that had the names for veggies/fruits in tagalog (I was teaching my kids these several years ago since my husband in filipino).

Anyways here are some veggies to feed your turtle (hopefully they are correct in tagalog):

KAMOTE = sweet potato/yam (luto, saing, laga)
PATOLA = zucchini
KAMATIS = tomatoes (bihira)
KALABASA = squash/pumpkin
LITSUGAS, BERDE DAHON = green leaf lettuce
LITSUGAS, PULANG DAHON = red leaf lettuce
LABANOS, DAHON = radish leaves
KAROT = carrots
SINGKAMAS = turnip
SIGARILYAS = peas (bihara)
PETSAY = bok choi (this isn't on our list but should be good to feed - has a high calcium content)

SAGING = banana (bihara)
MELON = cantaloupe (bihara)
MANGGA = mango (bihara)
PAKWAN = watermelon (bihara)
PAPAYA (bihara)


And here is what NOT to feed:
KANGKONG = spinach
KABUTE = mushrooms
SITAW = beans

**Steve, I know this isn't really in the right place but I posted it here in regards to his post so others that may need it can see it instead of PMing it to him. **

[samandnelly]

Why are you always using Tagalong...?

[sonyj]

Why are you always using Tagalong...?

Umm... look at where he's from... the Philippines. Which is the reason he says that he doesn't know what the veggies are called there.

[samandnelly]

OH! Sorry...I had a moment there.

[the_orphaned]

Thanks sonyj. Sorry samandnelly, we hardly use American terms here for our veggies. Since most markets here use Tagalog, I might get that weird look if I start looking for veggies with an American name since I am a Filipino-Chinese. Haha. Not to mention attract unwanted attention when the vegetable ladies go "WHAT???"

[samandnelly]

LOL I'm so sorry

[pixiedust]

hi the_orphaned! i'm from the philippines too. i've been wanting to buy a turtle but i couldn't seem to find one yet. from what pet shop did you buy yours? i've been checking at bio research for how many weeks but they don't have res still.