Page 1 of 1

What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 1:34 am
by ravenclaw221b
We have two turtles, a RES (Myrtle) and a ??? (Yertle) When we got them in July, they were teeny and the same size, but now Yertle is quite a bit bigger. (And yes, we know the tank is too small. We're currently attempting to purchase a 150 gallon tank for them.) Thanks!!Image

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:16 am
by steve
https://imgur.com/gallery/mv6vx

I don't see a good pic of the carapace, but I'd lean towards an eastern river cooter, but also similar to yellow-belly slider.

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 12:52 pm
by ravenclaw221b
Thanks for responding! Is this a better pic?

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 1:35 pm
by steve
Beautiful looking shell. I'd stick with my first guess - Eastern River Cooter (Psuedemys concinna).

Also, you should remove the smaller rocks (ones smaller than Yertle's head).

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 2:24 pm
by ravenclaw221b
Yes, we are. We kind of had the turtles sprung on us, but have fallen in love with them and are now trying to learn everything we can. This website has been a great resource! We're hopefully getting a 150 gallon tank this weekend. Another question: most of the tanks that size on craigslist are reef tanks, and therefore come with a whole bunch of stuff, ie protein skimmer, sump tank, lights, RO filter, etc. Do we need any of that? We found a guy who is willing to sell us just the tank for $175 or everything for $500, but I'd obviously like to save money if possible, and put it towards more turtle-specific items. Also, how much will she grow in a year? If adult female ERCs get to be 16", how long will a 150 gallon tank work for us?

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 3:04 pm
by steve
I would just take the tank. Do you know if it's glass or acrylic? Does it come with a stand? Is it tall or wide? Overall, $175 is a very good price for just a tank of that size. You might want to remeasure it just to make sure (L" x W" x H" then divide by 231)

The only things I would consider reusing would be a canister filter and heaters, but that depends on the brand. How big is she now? Growth is usually tied directly to how much they are fed.

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:28 am
by ravenclaw221b
I'm guesstimating she's 4" and our RES is around 3". I don't have a measuring tape handy at the moment. When we got them in July, they were probably 50ยข piece sized. The tank deal fell through, but we're now looking at getting a 210 gallon one instead. I'd rather spend a little extra now to keep from having to upgrade again in the future. So I've been pouring over this website and others, but I'm getting conflicting info. In a 210 gal tank, how much water should be in it? And do I need an ATBA with room to dig since I've got females or would just a very large piece of cork bark or decorative driftwood work as a basking area? I don't want to necessarily leave the top open because I have a very curious cat. I've seen some really great looking tank builds but I'm not sure of pros/cons. My husband's one condition is that it has to look nice since we'll be moving the turtles from upstairs downstairs to our living room where they'll be a main focal point. (200 gal tanks don't just blend in, lol.) Thank you so much for your help. I really appreciate it!!

Re: What kind of turtle do I have?

PostPosted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 11:10 am
by steve
You don't have to fill up the 210, but it will look nicer if you do (stays cleaner). Same as an ATBA... you don't need it but it can make the whole setup look nice. As for where to put it, consider the weight of it all.... a fully loaded 210 gallon tank can weigh about 2,000 pounds!