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I would like to post a picture of what his new home looks like but I'm unsure how to do so. Could someone help me figure it out. The pictures are on my pc and I read FAQ about using a BBC code. I'm still not sure how to do that.

Curtis is really liking his new home. I've got some artificial plants in there that he really likes. I think it makes him feel safe. He sleeps in this plant we've been calling "duckweed".

We also got him some fish friends (fancy guppies) so we have lots of babies all over the aquarium. I think Curtis feels right at home.

We've been feeding him feeder guppies, reptomins, crickets and of course offering him leafy greens but he's yet to touch them. I think his favorite food is the crickets. He gobbles them right up.

We spend a lot of time watching him and he seems very happy. I realize that you all recommended the water go all the way to the top of the tank but maybe I have a lazy turtle. He doesn't seem interested in swimming around much. He hangs out in his duckweed almost the entire day. Occassionally he'll go to his basking rock and hang off the side (but still in the water). He's got a very healthy appetite so I don't think he's sick or anything.

Well, please let me know how to post pictures so you can see Curtis and his new home!

Here's a sticky that explains it.
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1811

Any other questions let us know

Curtis:




Curtis' new home:

oh my goodness
your turtle is adorable.
and your tank has a really neat set up

OMG. That picture of Curtis needs to be a promo picture for saving turtles or something. It's all "I'm innocent. Save me!"

LOL. But yes, very nice tank!!!

That's beautiful turtle and setup.

That is the most amazing thing I've seen in my whole life. The turtle and setup is 5 stars.

A very cute hatchling. The pattern on the carapace looks a bit unusual---is it just the pic?

The set-up looks nice. Just curious, but which light does your turtle bask under---the heat light or UVB light (I'm assuming the tube flourescent is the UVB light)? It would be better to have them both over the same basking area (or as much as possible) so Curtis could bask under both of them at the same time.

Be careful those rocks don't shift and pin him down. Having fewer rocks in the tank would make cleaning easier...

marisa, after you mentioned his shell patern looking a bit odd I went back and looked through the photo gallery at another hatchling. Curtis' shell pattern does look different. I thought having different patterns though was normal like fingerprints in humans, everybodies is different. Apparently this isn't the case?

He basks under the heat lamp and despite not having the UVB directly over his basking area he gets plenty of natural sunlight everyday. I've been taking him outside everyday for about an hour in his old tuperware bowl. I make sure to put him in a place where 1/2 the bowl is shaded and 1/2 has sunlight. I stay with him the entire time I have him outside. I'm worried a bird might come and snatch him up. That's probably how he ended up in my backyard in the first place! My backyard is completely fenced in so this is the only other explaination that I can think of.

Very cute setup and Curtis is adorable too

Your turtle can definitely stand to have some more water. The longer you wait to make him learn to swim, the harder it will be on him. It took my little guy nearly a week to remember how to swim after spending 3 months in sub-par conditions. Gradually increase the water level until he gets better. As mentioned, the lights should be placed as close together as possible. An hour out in the sunlight won't do all of the work, the tank needs to help out too. Also you mentioned finding him in your backyard? Was he wild? I can't tell the size of your tank or the rocks, but eventually some of those rocks will need to be removed, as soon as they are the size of his head. Anything head-sized or smaller can be eaten. I do like your natural setup, but I do think Curtis will appreciate a little more leg-room to swim in.

I will try placing the flourescent UVB bulb closer to his basking area. I guess 1 hour a day in natural light isn't enough compared to what he'd get in the wild. I really only started taking him outside so he'll dry off a bit. I think he likes being dry because lately he's been spending a lot more time on his basking rock. His tank is a 40 gallon and it has about 8 lbs. of smooth river rock and the largest gravel I could find that is suitable for aquarium use. I like the natural look and if it means more work in cleaning I guess I'm willing to do it. When he gets bigger if it looks as if there is a danger in him accidently swallowing a rock I will remove the smaller but keep the larger river rock in his tank.

Yes he was a wild turtle. This morning on my walk I found maybe a brother or sister of his squatched on the sidewalk near my house. It was about the same size he was when we found him on our back patio. I think we really did save his life by taking him in because the lake near my house recently became contamenated with a sewage spill. I don't think the spill was enough to kill much but maybe it could have to a little hatchling turtle.

As far as giving him more water to swim in...he spends most of the day and night hanging out in his duckweed. Throughout the day he'll swim over to his basking rock and hang off the edge but I haven't really seen much of him swimming or even being anywhere else in his tank other than the two places I mentioned. As he gets bigger of course more water will be added. He's just a little guy and it doesn't seem as necessary now to have more water.

Sounds like you've done a lot of work and reading! I think you've got it all handled, really. And yeah, they'll go through spurts where they'll bask more and swim more. Good luck on your little one! And if you find any more roaming around, steer them away from the street.