Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Toddlers and Turtles

[Skyewillow]

Hi everyone! I stumbled upon the forum while I was scouring the internet for anything and everything RES... I was keeping fish tanks, and every time we'd run to our LFS, my 2yr old son would drag my poor fiance across the building to squeal at the turtles. So when my saltwater nano flopped, we exchanged everything for store credit and had JUST enough to get a turtle and some feeders; so that's what we did! We picked the smallest turtle in the tank (figuring that'd buy some time for me to get his proper set up). According to some things I'd youtubed, we have a 2 & 3/4" male whom my fiance calls Chompers. lol

[VeipaCray]

So at 2.75", the turtle is a bit too small to be sexed yet. Also, most pet stores cannot sell turtles less than 4" SCL.

Sorry to hear about your saltwater nano On the flip side, glad to have you on the forum.

I did a 5G high-tech nano for a few years - aquac remora nano hang on skimmer, AC50 converted into a fuge, and LED clamp on lighting. Because it was a 5G tank, I just used the bottled sea water but got bored with it when I didn't have any more room for new fish or coral.

On a good note, turtle keeping is MUCH less expensive than reef with a lot less equipment. You'll need a decent sized tank, and a huge canister filter + a few lights and that's the bulk of the expense. If you buy big up front, the tank and the giant canister become a one time expense. So welcome, have a look around and feel free to post any questions or just hang out and chat

[Skyewillow]

MI's DNR website says that turtles under 4" can be sold to private parties, but they have to include a sheet about salmonella; which they didn't... he's about the size of my palm, which is 3" across, but the ruler said 2.75". Do the younger RES all have a ^ shape in the plastron by their tails? I noticed females are rounded; Males have a dip in. He has the curved plastron and the pointy nose too, and a thick, long tail. I don't care either way what gender Chomps is; we all really enjoy watching the little terror. I've gotten him to eat shrimp pellets, he's not a fan of the reptomin pellets, and when I was putting antibiotic ointment on his shell (he has some damage and a breeder I talked to thought shell rot) I'd gotten him to eat mustard greens. He's a fish serial killer, and killed all 24 feeders the store had said would last a while in 2 days, and didn't eat half of them. I'm still trying to figure it all out, the caresheets all conflict. I can't wait till the 3rd, when I can get his 110gal indoor pond!

[penelope]

Welcome! Had to chuckle at eating all the feeders....they love to eat! and eat...and eat...
You will always see conflicts regarding care and, like raising children, will always wonder if you are doing the right thing.
Just surf the site and have fun! Unlike technology, posts from years ago hold as much value as those posted yesterday
Again, welcome!!!!

[Skyewillow]

Thanks, Penelope! I love your signature! My main problem was the massive contrdictions from space, to lifespan! And Chompers was naughty, he didn't even eat most of the feeders he mass murdered, the little punk! lol he currently has goldies and common guppies in there now, they're supposed to be a cleanup crew, and they have places to hide that he can't get in to. So, for now, it's working XD

[VeipaCray]

The more space the better, they love to swim. Turtles also produce some serious waste so the more water the more the waste is dissipated until the filter processes all of it.

As far as life span, we believe 40-60 years if properly cared for. There are a few 30-50 year old turtles lurking on this forum.

[Skyewillow]

I'm planning on getting him out of the 20 gal tub he's in now, into a 54gal tub at some point today. He'll stay there until the 3rd, that's when I'll be able to get the 110 gal stock tank that'll be his pond. I'm considering planting it, as the nutrition board suggested, and hopefully his demolition of it will be slow enough that I can enjoy the plants before he eats them. Being that he's almost 3" any guesstimations of how old he might be? and Also, once he starts eating plants, what can I use for decoration? Since his pond is inside, I'd like to have something nice to look at. Thanks

[VeipaCray]

As far as age, we don't have very good data on growth rates of captive turtles. A lot depends on their diet and habitat. If he was the smallest one in the tank with other turtles, it's possible the other turtles were more aggressive at feeding time and ate more of the food. At 3" I would hazard to guess your turtle is probably no more than 3 years old. Again that's a guess and I could be completely wrong. Is his shell still bright green and colorful? That's another sign of a younger turtle. The shells become more brown and slightly less detailed with age.

Plants can be difficult with a turtle. Anacharis and horn wort are good turtle food and easy to grow. They do not take root and get all of their nutrition from the water. If your turtle unplants them from your substrate but does not eat them for whatever reason, they can still grow. Another plant to try is the broadleaf stuff like java fern or amazon sword. They do take root, but your turtle may not bother these plants as much. A third option is Mexican oak leaf. It's a very hardy very fast growing stem plant. It also takes root, but the stems are supposedly bitter. So if your turtle eats the leaves and leaves the stems, the plant may survive. Odds are your turtle will uproot and non nom most everything. They're really good eaters.

You can try fake aquarium plants but they might get uprooted. Rocks, logs, cork bark, and driftwood make for good non edible decorations.

[Skyewillow]

We picked up a 4" male today, both shells are about the same brown color, Chomps is slightly greener. Chompers' skin is much lighter green than Omnomnom's. Plus, Chomps has nifty cool swirls on the plastron, Nom just has smudges : ) I have them in the 54gal pond right now, definitely going to upgrade soon! ^_^ and thanks for the decoration ideas! I have a huge log I can throw in for basking. I was also considering using my 20 gal tote to make a land area.