Baby turtle update

[Snake lover 3-25]

so i kept that turtle that i found sun april 26 it is sooooo cute!!! so my mom loves it but not it's smell... we got a filter, but it will only eat raw fish... is this a healthy diet for it to grow up on???? it shed and it is very active. we feed it as much as it will eat 2-3 times a day, my aunt is a big water animal lover and so my mom says that we have to give it to her and her sons for christmas... because it should be a bit bigger and more adapt to life inside by then.... i don't want it to go... but my aunt is retired and has wanted one for a long time so i think that she could probably take care of it a little better than me... i believe that it's a female, because it has a short thin tail and short front nails... is it's cage too small??? i read that it could be 1/4 the size of it's cage but... here are some recent pics...
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_048.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_039.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_025.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_054.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_055.JPG
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Shanley_034.JPG

[adamanteus]

That looks like a good sized tank for a baby turtle, Shanley.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

what about her diet???

[adamanteus]

For a bit of variety you could try 'turtle pellets' from the pet store, chopped nightcrawlers, or maybe a little lean mince.

[anji1971]

Awww, Shanley, she really is cute!! :)
Unfortunately, I've never had a turtle as a pet, and have no idea how to care for them, so I can't help you there.

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol thanks anji... i tried turtle pellets but she didn't even notise them... she likes how the fish moves with the flow of the water...:)

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

hey shanley, I can help you out diet-wise. My friend Al breeds turtles for like, a living. You can feed that little guy just about anything he/she will eat. Keep in mind that a varied diet is key! Small fish, insects, and little worms are great. If he will take it, you can also use the filets of fish you feed your garters. You can also use shrimps of any kind, which you can find freeze dried or frozen at most pet stores. The pellets are okay to feed sometimes, but I am not fond of commercial diets for reptiles. especially the iguana foods which most of them are made from corn, which is something they don't even digest!

Also, I didn't notice in you picture whether you were using a light bulb that gives off UV radiation or not. If you are not, please get one asap!! Without UV, baby turtles can suffer serious consequences. Growth will be stunted, and without good strong UV doses, they have no way of getting any Vitamin D, which commonly leads to Softshell in turtles, where the hard shell actually becomes soft and spongy.

Anyways... your little red eared slider is adorable!! you have a really nice setup for him...haha too bad he will outgrow it in about a year and a half :P A good healthy red eared will reach about 10 inches, possibly larger? I used to have three and they got SO tame so quickly! little buggers would eat right out of my hands.

[Charlet_2007]

Looks to me it's a painted water turtle lol.. but yeah the diet you said( aSnakeLovinBabe (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/../members/asnakelovinbabe.html)) was right on the money lol I have a baby red ear that size i hatched.. And UVB is a VERY important part of it growing.. Sweet little baby you got there any names? Heres my female adult red ear to give you a guesstimate of how big they get and she still growing too.. I named her big momma.. well for obvious reasons lol

Big Momma And my hand.. (Size comparasion)
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/S6300111.jpg

Big momma next to Flow Map turtle (AKA Yellow belly slider. Yellow cooter and so on) lol
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/S6300112.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

Cassie is her name and yes it's a painted turtle... does a floresent bulb have UVB????? and i am feeding her fish fillets... that's all it'll eat... what kind of insects can i feed it??? i tried ants but it gave no response... but i did get it to eat a small dead minnow... i tried those turtle shrimp but again no response... could i try pieces of shrimp intended for people??? and someone said earlier that i could feed her pieces of mice... can i???? i have to feed my snakes today...(actually yesterday...) so if you say it's safe i'll try it... and what kind of bulbs have UVB???? also... her shell is not hard... i haven't tried to squeeze it but it seems to be sort of like a big pink eraser... it bends... i just suspected that it was from her being only a week or so old... is this from soft shell??? is it too late to make it get hard??? if i add UVB rays will it fix it??? :(:(:(:(:(:(

[Charlet_2007]

ours loves crickets.. baby turtles shell are like that till they get a little older.. about the size of a half dollar.. try ghost shrimp they love to hunt food too..

[Snake lover 3-25]

Oh i'lll have to try that!!!:D also how often and how much should i feed her??? i've been feeding her as much as she'll eat (about 3 or 4 bites) 2-3 times a day...:D:D:D:D

[ssssnakeluvr]

you need to go to a pet store to get the UVB bulbs...regular flourescent bulbs don't have it. my 2 red ears have grown well on the turtle pellets I get at the store. I do give them crickets and fish chunks also tho. I put them out in the little cheap kiddie pools during the summer. they love it!!

[Charlet_2007]

OMG i thought i was the only one that got the 6 foot kiddie pools for my turtles lmao how awesome is that!!!!:D:D:D they love it!!! Yeah i get a new one for them each year.. and then i have people look at me weird when i tell them it's for the turtles and not my kids lmao...

[Snake lover 3-25]

where do you get a pool from and how much was it???

[Snake lover 3-25]

oh... wait i forgot... i'm only going to have her one summer...:( i guess there's no need for a pool....:( but the good news is... i think my aunt already has one!!!:D:( she's always wanted a turtle... i'll just have to keep telling myself that it'll have a better life with her...:( she'll have so much free time to spend caring for it... she has all the right stuff... she has enough space to get it an even larger tank... to grow up in...:(

[ssssnakeluvr]

I get them at wal mart for about 5-10 bucks.

[Charlet_2007]

theyve went up this year 15.00 here or 25.00 with slide lol

[Snake lover 3-25]

:(:(:( he won't need a pool... he'll be gone before he needs anything larger than a bucket...:(:(:(

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

whoops!!! haha, sorry about the mis-ID'ing of the turtle... I only glanced at the photos... so thats a nice PAINTED turtle you have there :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

man!!!!! UVB lights cost alot!!!!!!! $24 per bulb!!!!! that's 3.2 hrs of work!!!!!!!! :(:( gosh!!! this present is sure adding up!!!!! $94 for all of it's stuff and that doesn't even include the cage!!!!!!!! :( :( that's 12.5 hrs all together!!!!!!

[adamanteus]

You're better off keeping Garters!

[Snake lover 3-25]

maybe... but their heat bulb was only $4 less...:(:(:(:(
maybe i need a higher paying job!!!!!:D

[adamanteus]

maybe i need a higher paying job!!!!!:D

Hey, we all do! Any job would be nice right now!:rolleyes:

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol i forgot that sucks!!!!!! any hopeful positions yet???

[adamanteus]

Not yet... but we just had a long holiday weekend... I've applied for quite a few though.

[Snake lover 3-25]

well that's good.... any that you really, really want????

[adamanteus]

Really want? No. I want to be a gigolo, or a stuntman, or a super-hero, or a train driver, or.......

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol nice and i want to grow wings so i can fly away... too bad our dreams don't usually come true!!!LOL:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

Btw what the heck is a gigolo??????

[adamanteus]

It's a sleeveless jacket, I think.

[Stefan-A]

That's a euphemism if I ever heard one, James. :D

[adamanteus]

Stefan, you're so sharp!:eek:

[Stefan-A]

Sharper than a very sharp thing that has just been sharpened. :D

[Snake lover 3-25]

wait so you want to be a sleeveless jacket??????

[adamanteus]

wait so you want to be a sleeveless jacket??????

Hey, I can dream!:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

what would you do????

[Lori P]

He'd keep someone warm, of course. Shanley, I wish you well with your turtle, she's very very cute!!

[adamanteus]

He'd keep someone warm, of course!!

In a very 'special' way!:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

gosh james ruin the moment!!!!
i wish i could keep her.... minus the smell LOLOL

[adamanteus]

i wish i could keep her.... minus the smell LOLOL

You should get a Soft Smelled Turtle, Shanley.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

how do you come up with this stuff!!!!!!???????

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

rofl. soft smelled turtle.


hahahaha.


rocks with legs! gotta love em!

[Lori P]

Roflmao!!!!!!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

okay... i STILL dont know what roflmao means!!!!

[Stefan-A]

okay... i STILL dont know what roflmao means!!!!
rolling on floor laughing my arse off.

[Snake lover 3-25]

oooooooooooo okay thankx!!!!!! LOLOLOL:D:D:D:D:D:D

[stonyloam]

Hay Shanley!! Nice little gal. I believe you have a midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata). I had one for years. They are pretty omnivorous, they will eat vegetables like lettuce, duckweed, and flesh like worms, night crawlers, fish and about anything they can get. Mine was in a tank with enough water that I could just toss in a bunch of minnows or guppies and it would catch them itself. With a large tank you could set up an under gravel filtration system that would work pretty well to keep things clean and the fish alive (not that it matters to the turtle). Needs a dry spot and a basking light. Remember this is a native species, and it will try to hibernate during the winter, so you should take that into consideration. I like turtles too. Have fun.:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

okay.... so i couldn't find any UVB bulbs... just the lamps....... will UVA work????? at least until i can order something??????

[enigma200316]

Hay Shanley!! Nice little gal. I believe you have a midland painted turtle (Chrysemys picta marginata). I had one for years. They are pretty omnivorous, they will eat vegetables like lettuce, duckweed, and flesh like worms, night crawlers, fish and about anything they can get. Mine was in a tank with enough water that I could just toss in a bunch of minnows or guppies and it would catch them itself. With a large tank you could set up an under gravel filtration system that would work pretty well to keep things clean and the fish alive (not that it matters to the turtle). Needs a dry spot and a basking light. Remember this is a native species, and it will try to hibernate during the winter, so you should take that into consideration. I like turtles too. Have fun.:D

I agree with Terry that its a painted turtle deff.,but I think it may be Eastern pianted picta picta, however we know its one of the 2.....:D

[enigma200316]

oh yeah the way to tell is, the eastern is the only painted turtle to have aligned scutes and the other 3 have alternating, also the midland usually has a darker showdy mark in the middle of the plastron or the underneath
part of the shell.....but of the 4 species the midland and the eastern look almost exactly alike.........;)

[stonyloam]

It was a little hard to tell from the photo, but I am sure mine was a midland, and we have mostly midlands in western NY. Need a good photo of the plastron (bottom shell) and carapace (top) to tell for sure.
C. p. picta (eastern) plastron unmarked, 2 front seams across carapace continuous.
C. p. marginata (midland) plastron with narrow, dusky figure down center, carapace seams staggered.

I do tend to be a little anal on my ID’s.:eek: Two more pix please for the ID showdown.:D

Justin: You beat me to the description, must have posted while I was typing. Got to learn to type faster.

[enigma200316]

It was a little hard to tell from the photo, but I am sure mine was a midland, and we have mostly midlands in western NY. Need a good photo of the plastron (bottom shell) and carapace (top) to tell for sure.
C. p. picta (eastern) plastron unmarked, 2 front seams across carapace continuous.
C. p. marginata (midland) plastron with narrow, dusky figure down center, carapace seams staggered.

I do tend to be a little anal on my ID’s.:eek: Two more pix please for the ID showdown.:D

Justin: You beat me to the description, must have posted while I was typing. Got to learn to type faster.


its all good Terry, the more people to try and Id the better...hahaha...:D

and yes I would love to see a few more pics please.......;)

[stonyloam]

OK I downloaded Shanley's photo and enhanced it a little to see the shell. It is still not really clear but it appears that the seam intersects the first plate at the midpoint, and the yellow spot on the side of the head indicate midland. Sure is a nice little gal, may have to go out and find one again.:eek:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/Shanley_048_2.jpg

More photos would still be good.

[Snake lover 3-25]

okay.... so i couldn't find any UVB bulbs... just the lamps....... will UVA work????? at least until i can order something??????

anyone??? LOL:D

btw thanks for telling me what kind of turtle it is and for it's compliments... :D:D:D:D

[Stefan-A]

That would be no. :) UVA is no replacement for UVB. The difference is the wavelength and UVB specifically induces the production vitamin D, which UVA doesn't.

You may also want to know that UVB won't penetrate ordinary glass, so there can't be any glass between the animal and the bulb or lamp.

[Snake lover 3-25]

then what's uva???? and also how fast can babies develop soft-shell????
can it be fixed/reversed????:D:D:D:D:D:D

[Stefan-A]

UV light is often divided into UVA, UVB and UVC, depending on the wavelength.

It'll take a fairly long time before any real damage is done. Feed it vitamin D3 to prevent it, don't know how well it can be reversed. :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

okay thanks not THAT WAS helpful!!!!!!!!:D:D:D i already have reptivite and it has D-3 YAY!!!!!:D:D:D

[enigma200316]

I do agree Terry, it does seem to be Midland, and a very nice one to boot.............;):D

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

owned. :):D

I do agree Terry, it does seem to be Midland, and a very nice one to boot.............;):D

[Snake lover 3-25]

Cassie, the baby turtle, is growing and doing fine.... and my aunt decided to get a puppie in stead of a turtle so it seems like she may be with us for a while yet...... and i was wondering...... i feed her once or twice a day but we go away alot...... my parents have taken every friday of the summer off meaning that we will go to our camp for 3 days every week........ so what should i do....... should i just put a bunch of food in b4 i leave and feed her alot when i return??????? idk what to do......... and i'm thinking about keeping her.......

[Charlet_2007]

turtles are just like any reptile they dont have to eat everyday but since this one is small it's nice to have food out every day for once a day.. heres what you do lol you can ship it to me lol.. i have 6 water turtles one i hatched myself.. were going camping next week for a whole week we plan on finding ALOTS and i mean lots of a baby turtles.. most we've found is 17 at one time.. So We'll take lots of pics and I'll post them on here.. we're also going garter hunting.. we may came back with a water snake or 2.. So if any one is wanting something let me know.. I live in Missouri and I've called the conservation dept. they said I can basically do what ever i want but it's only June and September you can do this.. I guess it's to keep the population down...:(

[Snake lover 3-25]

thanks!!! can you feed a turtle mouse legs?????

[el lobo]

A varied diet is definitely a must. if he won't take other foods, you can try senting it with the fish...Cage size if fine, but make sure you get it a light that gives off plenty of UVB. A stunted reptile ISN'T likely to live long, and IS VERY likely to develop health problems. I would also consider giving it some more swimming space. I have a young snapper, and he spends all of his time on the tank bottom. He has not used his land YET. with more water, it will be easier for it to hunt.

[Snake lover 3-25]

ok thanks... i'm going to get it a 10 gal soon.... but he also loves to spent time under the floating dock.... he eats other things.... but the feet always fall off my ft pinkise so i just wanted to feed them to something and now i can!!! thanks!!!:D:D:p:p

[Jenlang_79]

so i kept that turtle that i found sun april 26 it is sooooo cute!!! so my mom loves it but not it's smell...

I had one of those..a baby painter..same size. I found it in the woods with my girls about four years ago (One of my girls was in a foward baby carrier..ya know the kind you put on like a backpack except in the front, she was like 2 months old). So I thought..why not take it home..it is the cutest thing I have ever seen...LOL! So yea...I brought it home and that tiny little thing STUNK up my whole living room!! I changed the dang things water and cleaned the cage like every day..I purchased the most powerful filter I could find...and NO LUCK...so..since my daughters at that time were 2 and a newborn...I could not keep up with it...LOL!! I finally let it go. Kudo's to all of you that keep turtles..I respect your devotion!! Very cute though!!! I am so happy for you that you get to keep it!! That would be cruel for someone to let you raise it for awhile and then make you give it away!! Water snakes...I have been searching for some of those..I live in Minnesota and they are not that abundant..but they do exist here..before I die it is my goal to see all 14 ( I believe it is 14, might be a little less because there is a rattler they say lives here but has not been recorded here in like 100 years..so who knows..lol!) types of snakes!!!

[Jenlang_79]

I mean 14 types of snakes in minnesota..I know there are more in the world...lol!!:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

Yeah she's a cutie!!! what did you feed yours?????? that's prob. what smelled...... i changed her food and now you can't even tell!!!!:D:D:D

[stonyloam]

Shanley: Be prepared for the long haul:D. A friend of mine has a painted turtle that was purchased in a Grant's department store for $.35 in 1956:eek:. That's right it turns 52 this year. Probably older than your parents. Take good care of it and you can give it to your grandchildren.:rolleyes:

[Jenlang_79]

I fed it turtle food, fish, worms, and shrimp. Yea...very well could have been what smelled:-). Glad you took care of that problem!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow 52!!!!!!! it was a painted??????

yup i switched mine to baby turtle pellets and now the smell is gone:):):)

[stonyloam]

wow 52!!!!!!! it was a painted??????



It may actually be a red eared slider, they were the most common baby turtles sold back then. Here is a story about one that is 58 :D www.reptileforums.net - Oldest Dime Store Turtle (http://www.reptileforums.net/forums/turtlestortoises/36381-oldest-dime-store-turtle.html)

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow!!! i kind of hope mine doesn't live that long......:D:D:D

[anji1971]

wow!!! i kind of hope mine doesn't live that long......:D:D:D

Funny, I was reading about toads the other day, and I found out that the longest known one in captivity lived 36(!!!) years, and was killed accidentally, so who knows how much more it could've gone?
I remember thinking exactly the same thing you did about the turtle!:D

[Charlet_2007]

big momma our red ear slider we had looked at is just short of 27 years old a spaz my husband has had for 15 years now.. :D

[Snake lover 3-25]

cool how big is she????

how do you tell male from female??? females have short tails and long back nails????

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

mature males have the long claws, not females. males also have a big THICK tail at the base, females have a skinny one. You can't really tell as babyies though :rolleyes:

[Snake lover 3-25]

o really????? why don't females have to dig the whole???? how can they do that with short nails????

[adamanteus]

They big claws are on the FRONT legs of the male.. used for 'tickling' during mating.... I might grow mine.:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

:(:(


well... i may have miss-sexed it...... :confused:

[Snake lover 3-25]

she's growing up fast!!!!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//601/medium/Shanley_585.JPG

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//601/medium/Shanley_562.JPG

[Lori P]

Gosh, she is sooooo tiny... and so cute!!

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol yup but bigger than b4!!!!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//601/medium/Shanley_009.JPG

[Snake lover 3-25]

OMG!!!!!! i can't believe either of those pics are her!!!!:eek: she's getting SOOOOO big lol i'll have to update the pics........ the last pic posted is ov her in april.... the day i found her..... the second is her in june...... lol o well..... guess i skipped aug....... lol i'm trying to keep a good 2 month updaye of her growth........


ok so no more distractions lol back to the reason i came here...... those of you with turtles....... can you trim their nails??? with what???? finger nail clippers? how do i do it...... they must have a wick just like a dogs.... but how far down is it???

[Aundrea]

OMG What a cutie!!!!!!!!! Is that a painted turtle? Looks like one :D

You know im not sure how far but you can clip their nails. Lola needs hers clipped BAD But im scared to do it. Ill have to check with the turtle forums and see:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

ok cool thanks:D she's a midland painted:D i love her to death:D

she's in this one......
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/2971-okay.html

wierd..... there are 2 more...... but i can't find them???? o well......

[Snake lover 3-25]

found one......
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/garter-snake-lounge/4302-im-really-upset.html

[Aundrea]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh he was the one that ran away eh? LOL.. Silly guy. Turtles are kinda fast. My Ornate box turtle is kinda fast. When I let her roam around the yard she RUNS lol :D

[Charlet_2007]

no you cant clip there nails.. i end up with scratch's from mine all the time.. Here's our male spaz try holding him with these wolverine like claws lol I tell him way to be a super hero lol.. I think he took it literally lmao..

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/S6300113.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/l_a4f3c65ca308441d303bf5223f608c48.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/Turtletank2008.jpg

This is how many we had all at one time lol Were up to 9 now as it is.. 3 baby RES and a baby mud turtle.. Plus the adults up there^^^
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/SD531019.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol that's ALOT of turtles!!!!!!:eek: why can't you cut their nails???

[Aundrea]

WOW What alot of turtles!!! :eek: Very cute. :D

[reptile3]

OMG! I love your turtles... I love how you had them stacked up on each other!! LOL

[Charlet_2007]

they did that on there own.. lol i call them my cheering section lol

[reptile3]

Natalie, OMG! those nails look sharp!! Can you use a dremel on them?just to round them tips? I have scars all over my arms from my old Iguana Willy, he was 5ft male, big boy, I didn't know how to handle him, so he scratched me up good. But I learned, & clipped his nails, sometimes used the dremel.



no you cant clip there nails.. i end up with scratch's from mine all the time.. Here's our male spaz try holding him with these wolverine like claws lol I tell him way to be a super hero lol.. I think he took it literally lmao..

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/S6300113.jpg

[Aundrea]

Here are mine. Lola is an Ornate Box Turtle. She was basking and boy was she comfy. See how long her nails are? :eek: That area gets so dry under her basking lamp. Its so hard to keep moist :rolleyes:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0786.jpg

Here is Lilly my Russian Tortoise. I got her for my b-day :D She is 4 months old and boy she is not shy at all unlike Lola. She comes right up to you.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0736.jpg

[reptile3]

aWWWW I remember when you bought her!! :D Wow look at those nails.. YIKES!! Lilly is soo cute too.




Here are mine. Lola is an Ornate Box Turtle. She was basking and boy was she comfy. See how long her nails are? :eek: That area gets so dry under her basking lamp. Its so hard to keep moist :rolleyes:

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0786.jpg

Here is Lilly my Russian Tortoise. I got her for my b-day :D She is 4 months old and boy she is not shy at all unlike Lola. She comes right up to you.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0736.jpg

[Aundrea]

Yeah she has gotten just a wee bit bigger. Oooo I should post her new pic I took. I sent it to you thru yahoo lol.

Lolas nails are sharp. She has scratched me but no scars.

[Aundrea]

Heres the new pic I took last week of Lilly :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0984.jpg

[reptile3]

awww she is too cute.. wow growing up!!!:D



Heres the new pic I took last week of Lilly :D

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/100_0984.jpg

[Lori P]

Aundrea, that has to be the cutest turtle pic ever... she is soooooo sacked out!!!!!!!

But Natalie's all layered on top is too cute too!!!

Here are my two, in for the winter, along with a little buddy that they are babysitting till I can (hopefully) find his momma this morning... I found him outside late last night, hollering for all he was worth, no momma in sight. It's so late in the year for babies! And he would have froze...

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/with_duck_10_24_08_003.jpg

Can you see the look I'm getting from the turtle on the left? "You have GOT to be kidding. Do I LOOK like a babysitter??! Hmmm.. could I eat it?"
LOL

[reptile3]

they did that on there own.. lol i call them my cheering section lol


That is soo cool!!! :D

[Aundrea]

Aundrea, that has to be the cutest turtle pic ever... she is soooooo sacked out!!!!!!!

But Natalie's all layered on top is too cute too!!!

Here are my two, in for the winter, along with a little buddy that they are babysitting till I can (hopefully) find his momma this morning... I found him outside late last night, hollering for all he was worth, no momma in sight. It's so late in the year for babies! And he would have froze...

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/with_duck_10_24_08_003.jpg

Can you see the look I'm getting from the turtle on the left? "You have GOT to be kidding. Do I LOOK like a babysitter??! Hmmm.. could I eat it?"
LOL

Lori That is the cutest pic!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That baby duck is so damn cute. I just wanna pick it up LOL. Poor little guy lost and cant find his mama. Hope you can find her. Your turtles are sooo cute and looking really good!!! I love that one giving the duck that look LOL :D

[Charlet_2007]

the ducks more thinking: "Are you my momma?"

[jitami]

the ducks more thinking: "Are you my momma?"

Hehe... that's exactly what I was thinking :) That's one of my favorite books :)

Andrea, I love love love the pic of Lola passed out!!! Too cute!

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol cute:D but why can't you cut their nails???

[jitami]

Shanley, I was curious and googled it yesterday. The male's nails are a sign of his masculinity and are very important to little boy turtles... lol... one yahoo answer compared cutting the male's nails to a teenage boy going to school wearing a padded bra :confused: Still don't see why they couldn't be filed a bit with a dremel or something :confused:

[Aundrea]

LOL Thanks Tami. Its my fav of her. Shes funny. She was so comfy and just passed out. I thought she was dead at first but saw her foot moved a tad bit then she opened her eye and gave me this dirty look like what???? wth are you looking at?? I have that pic. Ill dig in my photo files and post it:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

um....... but what if he'll never have a gf???? lol i'm so confused......:confused:

[jitami]

LOL.. I suppose most men without girlfriends still wouldn't want to look like girls <gg> I dunno, Shanley, you got me... I can't imagine it would be that big of a deal???

[Snake lover 3-25]

i know!!!!! it's like those people who refuse to cut their finger nails lol they look rediculous:D:D:D

[olive oil]

I would probably try to cut them back some. Kinda looks like it could be a little painful. I've a baby yellow bellied slider. His are still normal hope they don't grow ginormous!

[Snake lover 3-25]

so my little turtle has been having problems lol i've had to cut him back to 1 feeding a week and maybe a timy bit in between bc he grew so fast that his shell split..... so the spliting has stopped and he seems to be doing well onw.... just upgraded him from his croweded 10 gal to a wonderful 20 gal long lol he LOVES it!!!!:D he is so happy in it and today we're going to go and get him some more rocks to sleep on and more plants too:) pics later today:D

[guidofatherof5]

Turtles are awesome. Keep us posted.

[Charlet_2007]

are you sure it split or was he shedding off his old shell scoots to grow bigger? if his shell did spit sounds like you haven't been giving him a calcium supplement.. If his shell is spongie feeling it may be really bad.. :(

i got as new pic of all the adults & juveniles.. (they did this by them selves) We were cleaning our their 125g lol..

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/DSC00712.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/DSC00711.jpg

Too cute not to post up.. The male RES has THE LONGEST neck that I've ever saw!! lol

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/DSC00595.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/DSC00624.jpg

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/DSC00625.jpg

[adamanteus]

Love those last two pics, Natalie!:D

[Charlet_2007]

yeah little devils pose for me too lol:D:D

[olive oil]

Oh I really hate to hear that!!! How much did you use to feed him?
I so hope he will be alright!
I usually feed mine a little bit everyday. They beg all the time like they are starving to death silly boogers.

[Snake lover 3-25]

naw his shell is hard as rock.... just sorta cracked and i tried to pull it up thinking it was a piece of shed but there was pink tissue underneeth and it was much too thick... but calcuim suplement!!!! thank you!!! will reptivite work???? how do i give it to him???

[Charlet_2007]

no walmart or any pet store has a little calcium block (im sorry its a sulfa block lol i always called it calcium block) that is in a shape of a turtle you put it in his water and its slow release..

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q61/zoie18_2001/0004679816968_500X500.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

oooo i gave him one of those when i first got him in april.... how often do i give him one???

[Charlet_2007]

i do it every 3-4 months with mine

[Snake lover 3-25]

ok thank you very much!!! pics asap my camera died again lol trying to dig up bateries......:)

[anji1971]

Hope he does okay, Shanley!
Natalie, your turtles are so cute. They really do seem to love the camera!

[olive oil]

There is also a turtle bone. I kinda break it up in pieces and just let it float in the tank.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Shanley, a turtle's shell will not split from fast growth.... if it is splitting sideways it could be shed.... but it could also be due to poor overall shell health. I would use those water conditioners that were just posted, and then also there is this cream that they make to help condition a turtle's shell, you may want to invest in that as well. Your turtle's shell should be smooth and free of lumps, ridges and flaking thingies (apart from the ones that they actually shed).

[Snake lover 3-25]

yeah..... his shell has sort of ridges and that is where the crack/split started... it doesn't go all the way through the segment just about 3/4 the way down it.... pics when i get some bateries but i'll try and find that cream..... it hasn't gotten any worse just stays the same so i don't think it's too bad.... thanks for your help everyone:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

o dang lol posted the pics 2 days ago and it didn't go through!!!!!:mad: hold on

[Snake lover 3-25]

ok so i'll start with the good stuff first lol again.....

here he is in his new 20 long upgraded from the crowded 10 decorated with all new christmas presents well... except for the recycled ello
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0912.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0913.jpg

here he is in his new junglegym of plastic... ello is a sort of legos for girls specialy made for building houses and other stuff... been sitting in the basement for quite a while so i decided to put it to use
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0917.jpg

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0920.jpg

and now for the shell tear/split/crack..... you can see it in the upper right segment right next to the stripe....

http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0924.jpg

not very good pics but you can see how it is risen up above the rest along with many of the other edges forming a not so smooth shell....
http://i385.photobucket.com/albums/oo296/shanley25/Other/100_0925.jpg

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I can see it now, it doesnt look terrible, but I would maybe start applying some of that shell conditioner i mentioned earlier... it might help!

[Snake lover 3-25]

i got that cream and it worked wonderfully!!! it made his shell smooth, though i'm sure it was just the moisture.... but i hope it can stay that way once the minerals start to work!!! and i got 2 of those block things so that once the first runs out i can immediatly use the 2nd... thanks!!!:D pics soon..... getting bateries tomarrow lol

[guidofatherof5]

I love my Radixs but turtles are cool. My first pet was a dime store turtle. Great pictures.