Habitat - Indoor :: Help sell to skeptic mom

[tbonini]

My turtle is in a bit of a tight spot right now.

I bought her four years ago as a hatchling, and she is now almost a full five inches and quite healthy and active. However, she is still in a ten gallon tank where the turtle dock takes up about 75% of the surface area.

Yes, I know this is unacceptable, there's no need to call PETA =) The problem is there is no place in my house that will hold a turtle but one.

My room is your typical ten by ten with a bed on one side and a desk/bookshelf on the other, and there is about four feet of space between the two if you allow room for the desk chair and bedside trash can. The location has excellent electrical access, and is quite near a bathroom with a seldom used tub.

A large glass aquarium is way outside my budget, and a stand would take too much room anyway. The only thing that seems feasible to me is a plasticized stock tank right on the floor, which I have no problem with. Now we come to the main issue: how do I sell this proposal to my mother? To make matters worse, she would much rather I trade my turtle for a canary, or even another horse.

I'm going into my freshman year of high school this fall, and plan to go to college abroad, so I know I will have to move my turtle on to a new home soon, but how do you think I can make this work? I have been reading on many sites and have learned some creative ways to do things, but most of them are for aquariums.

Advice on best type of tank, how to set up a basking area in this situation, how to put up a light (I've been using a crookneck basking light and taking my turtle for 15 min walks in the sun) and what to do about nesting if and when it is necessary would be extremely appreciated, as well as any ideas of selling this to my mom.

Please don't tell me it's a lost cause- the life of my innocent turtle, a mere victim of circumstances, depends on it! (If that seems melodramatic, please excuse, considering the circumstances)

[theartbook35]

I'd be like this:

Mom, my turtle needs a bigger house. A minimum of a 50 gallon aquarium or 50 gallon stock tank. I'll make sure that none of the water messes up the floor, it won't be filled up enough for that to happen, anyways. Keeping the turtle in the 10 gallon isn't fair, and will eventually stress out my turtle so bad it can make her sick.

Or at least, that's what I would said.

You won't let my turtle get sick, will you mom? (Guilt trip always works, ya know).

[blackforces get you]

if i had to i would get on my knees. really it gets you far. oh and before you do, do some things around the house to get their attention and then you ask. it works lol

[theartbook35]

black- good idea. Maybe like, do some chores or something.

[trebzet]

if your a good boy ar girl to them that always follow rules and not giving them problem they can understand. just say Mom my turtles need more space to live in can u buy me a bigger tank? if your mom said blahh .. blahh.. blahh... just said just support me cuz im not doing bad things i just want my turtles to be happy... and that one can makes me happy too.

[mh0000]

First, you're just beginning your high school tenure. So i would advise not to relinquish your turtle on the premise that you want to go to college abroad. Trust me, you're in a very volatile age range. Goals, desires and circumstances will change dramatically. I'm not saying you won't study abroad, just realize that it's still 4 years away. As for your mom, it seems that she loves animals and is willing to invest a lot of time and money into them; therefore, I think persuasion can readily be attained in this situation. Like you said, a stock tank affords large capacity volume at a very reasonable price. If your mom doesn't believe you have the room inside the house, then I may consider using a stock tank outdoors. You can easily construct a small enclosure around the tank if you want for enhanced protection. If you have a horse on the premise, then you probably also have the space for a stock tank. What are the fall and winter climates like in the "distant realms?" If your turtle means a lot to you, then just make sure your mom knows this. I don't know if I answered your question, but good luck and let us know what is going on with this situation!

[zoologist]

the fact that you care enough about the turtle to try to get a bigger tank shows me that you are responsible enough. try getting her to agree to a smaller tank. i needed a 55 gallon but my dad always said NO. so i finally got him to agree to a 30 gallon. not the best, but it was better than a 10 gallon!

if you have a lot of land have you thought of building a pond outside? that way you can leave your turtle at home while you go to college.

[tbonini]

Well, I asked her, and she laughed. I pleaded, and she tried to guilt trip me "You care more about your pets than your own mother!" But in the end she threw up her hands and said, whatever. I'll post some pics when it's done!

As for having an outdoor pond: I suppose it's possible, but here in eastern Washington State (not really the distant realms, must've been in a funny mood when I wrote that) there are crazy temperature extremes and high winds. I suppose it might work for part of the year and make my mother very happy, but I'm pretty hesitant. Something to check out

[untsmurf]

Glad you were able to push through and do the right thing! I can't wait to see the pics. Make sure and do before/during/after pics of the tank/process.