Other Turtle Discussion :: What was your turtle doing when you saw him/her for the ...

[Honky-Tonk-Tank[Tank]]

my twin sister already got two RES's Buster and Eugene...i thought that they were pretty boring and well....lame...we moved into an apartment together and i wanted to get a dog...she said no...so i would just sit on the floor where the turtle's tank was and just watch them swim for 30mins at a time..they would come up and swim towards you..beg..i was like 'eh, theyre ok i guess but a dog would be better'.
so one day i went to this 99cent store and these ppl had these baby RES' in a cheap plastic carry container thing with a little palm tree! looking at me like 'please god get me out of here ill love you forever!' i felt soooo bad especially since when ppl bought them, they would just buy the food, call it a day, and not know anything else and actually think they STAY that small! so i told my sister.
we went with some of our friends, literally scrapped up some change (inbetween the couches, rooms, car, everything) and bought 2 of them.
Tank[tank] and Peabbalz (pebbles). we got them their tank and all set up and i fell IN LOVE with them! they both know their names. peabbalz is shy and swims away when ppl get too close. Tank[tank] also called Honky-Tonk-Tank will swim away until you call him, swim up to you, and start showing off by swimming around, posing on his basking rock and everything! Love our babies

[theartbook35]

Sadie was running around my living room, looking for a way to climb up my couch, lol.

[color-me-envious]

Enbi was looking kind of sad in a Tupperware bowl. D:

[amerrycon]

When I first saw Yertal {my male RES) he had just been abandoned by the drug dealers down stairs. only 2" long and adorable as all get out. Itty bitty I first saw in a little plastic cage at an Asian market she saw me and walked up to the front of her cage out of all the hatchlings there she was the most friendly but still very undernourished , it made me very sad I couldn't take them all home with me, but she is now the largest turtle in the tank . and last (and totally unexpected) but not least GAMMARA my newest female hatchling I found (abandoned of course) at a fish pound in balboa park .she was basking not afraid of people vary under nourished would not go in the water when approached (good thing to there are large mouth bass in there) and when I walked up to her she waddled right up to me and let me pick her up with no fuss. and that's my happy little family

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Ranger was the smallest one there and he was very active unlike most of the turtles that where in the tank so i picked him. He came home in a little box

[graceandmalu]

what an awesome sticky.

I had been researching and getting excited for a few months before my birthday, knowing exactly what I wanted: an aquatic turtle for a pet. something to occupy me, keep me company and busy and from getting lonely or stressed out. I needed a companion.

On the day of my birthday my mom brought in a nice 20gal tank to start me off with. then I went to PetCo, and after buying all of my basic supplies (filters, food, etc) I went to pick out my new friend.

There were already several turtles swimming and basking in the tank and I noticed how some of them were in better shape than others. I wanted a female, because I don't like the long claws of males. she was following my finger and looking so darn adorable I knew I wanted her immediately.

hoping to keep her for a very very very long time. she's amazing.

[Rollen]

I dunno if I'm allowed to tell my story because I know that there's a rule about buying from poachers. I'm not sure if this guy is one but he's been selling them for the past month. Everyone I know has come into contact with this guy or some one who works with him. And in my defense I didn't know it was wrong to do so at the time. But at the same time I'm glad I bought him because there are people who would probably give him a much worse place to live.

I was working at the time and I was getting out of the truck when this guy passed by carrying a plastic container. He came up to me and asked me If I wanted to buy him for 10 dollars including the food. My girlfriend and I briefly talked about getting one. So I reacted fast and bought the Gordon on the spot. I was moving during the time I bought him so he was stuck in that little plastic container for a few days then I bought him a 1 gallon critter cage, a clamp lamp, some rocks for him to bask on inside this little plastic container and changed the water every night.

Now he's in a 90 gallon tank all to himself and he looks like a healthy turtle to me. I'm planning on taking him to the vet with my dog.

P.S My girlfriend flipped out when she found out I bought one. We have a long distance relationship and basically I made the typical guy mistake and did something with out the consent of both parties lol. But now she's warmed up to him and we're planning on getting him a companion this fall when I move in with her.

[Ashley]

The first time I saw Bowser was at Petco when my boyfriend and I decided that we wanted a turtle after taking care of his nephew's RES for a week.
They had all of the turtles in a tank, most of them just sitting at the bottom or chillin on the basking dock, but Bowser was swimming so much and followed me as I walked by. I fell in love with her shell pattern and the way she followed me when the other turtles didn't.
Even when we came back to the store to make the actual purchase after running some errands she swam right up when she saw me.
What sealed the deal was when the guy at Petco picked her up out of the tank and she tried to bite him.
They put her in a cardboard box with holes and we had her new habitat all set up in less than an hour.

We originally thought Bowser was male, hence the name. LOL

We love her so very much!
My mom originally thought it was a bad idea to get a turtle, since they're so "gross" and have germs.
Now she's the first one trying to feed her treats and is always coming into my room to check on her...even sending me texts while I'm at work to give updates.
Bowser is a part of the family now.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

My mom originally thought it was a bad idea to get a turtle, since they're so "gross" and have germs

Haha, all pets have germs.

[AllTheCandies]

I was on a mission to rescue tiny turtles from Chinatown. I read up on them and got most of the stuff I'd need before hand. Then I went to Chinatown with my sister cos she was visiting and we searched like hell. Finally, we found a sketchy little store that sold tiny turtles in small plastic containers. There were three containers, each had two turtles. I picked each container up and examined them as best as I could without opening the containers. Two of them had turtles that were SO SICK. They were covered in icky things and not doing well. As much as I wanted to help those ones, it was obvious I wouldn't be able to save them with my meager resources. Stoli and Jager were the healthiest of the turtles there. They were also really sick, but not so sick that they couldn't get better.

So I bought them for a grand total of $13 and my sister and I took the green line back to my apartment. I was amazed that they were okay with the train ride. When I got them home, I had a small plastic bin with water and iodine in it and a uvb/uva bulb all set up so I just slid them in. I didn't touch them for like two weeks in fear of potential sickness. I was amazed that they lived the first week, and even more amazed that they seemed to be recovering. Now they are very healthy and active and I hope to have them with me for years and years to come

[MyTurtles]

When I first saw mine, they were swimming in a box...when we got home my smallest turtle was crawling on my oldest turtle and was doing cartwheels off of him!

[OxymoronFromMars]

My turtle was in a 10 gallon tank with about 10 different baby RES turtles crammed in there D: But I picked him out of the crowd and then the clerk put him in a plastic bag like the do with fish and put some water in there. That's not normal, right?! I was worried he could breathe so I held him all the way home

[leopard167]

she asked "do you know anyone that wants any turtles i said "no"
then she preceded to say "we found them in the backyard and cant keep them, we keep them in a sink outside"

thats when my heart felt stabbed, its so cold outside i hate when animals that are domesticated or not in their natural habitat just get left outside when its FREEZING. so i said id take them and picked them up the next day.

when i first saw leela and turbo they were in a coke box both with horrible shedding that hadnt fallen off but was already lifted . just scratching away the whole time on the ride home. turbo was lethargic and leela was putting up a fight. now they are in such a better place, and leelas calmed down yet still feisty and turbo has gotten more energy and is feisty now as well.......

bad attitudes, some street gang turtles, hahaha all my pets are spoiled and have bad attitudes, they get it from their momma


they are loving tho and been through alot its ok that someones spoiling them and giving them space and respect they deserve <3

[i.love.res]

My lil turtle was the only one that was walking around in like half and inch of water, in a small plastic takeaway box
I felt really sorry for it, so i purchased it , and brought it home in a small fish bag

[LouDiamondz]

When i went to purchase Donatello he was swimming in his tank with 4 other RES. I asked the guy working the store to point of the ones that were less likely to bite me lol and he pointed to 2 turtles. So he dropped two minnows into the tank and imidiately Donatello swam after one. He didnt manage to catch the minnow because it hid in between the basking spot and the tank. But watching him stretch his neck out every way possible to get some food made my mind up.