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I am a little late in introducing myself, as when I first posted I was anxious to find out about my turtle and her "mystery white goo", so I went directly to "Other Turtle Discussion". I have been getting some great advice which I appreciate. I decided I should have done this first so I am now taking the time to actually introduce myself.
I am a teacher who found a RES in an abandoned aquarium with no water at a dumpster on a hot August day in Virginia about 5 years ago. I knew it would die if left there so I took it home thinking I would keep it in my classroom.(I keep it at home because I learned of the danger of salmonella.)
I had no idea what kind of turtle it was or how big it would grow. I now know it is a female (from information from this website) and that it will lay eggs even without a male. I still don't know if she is ready to lay eggs at this time, but I have learned a lot from members and the links provided. I will continue to ask questions as I still have a lot to learn. Teacher

Welcome Great save! She's lucky to have found you

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome! What do you teach? I'm licensed k-6, but spend my time subbing...I like my freedom. It's possible to keep your turt as a classroom pet. Just make sure the kids know the rules up front. It's a see and not touch pet. I remember, my 6th grade classroom had a pet crow. We weren't allowed to touch him either.

I teach second grade and because I love science, especially the study of animals, I keep mealworms, caterpillars, goldfish, ants, and tadpoles in my classroom. I try to bring my res at least once to show the kids, but keeping it at school would be a problem, especially now that she is as big as she is. I would also be afraid that a sneaky kid (there's always one in every class) would try to pick her up and she would bite the kid. I have never been bitten but she is used to me, and she still tries sometimes when I am cleaning her shell.
I'm so glad I joined this forum as I have learned so much about sliders. Everyone is so helpful, and I now know that others have some of the same problems and concerns that I have.

Hi and welcome. It's a good thing you did. Both the turtle and you are lucky to have found each other.

Yeah, you could of course guard the tank with many different locks and combinations lol...jk
That's awesome that you love science, I do, too!
Welcome to the forum!