Other Turtle Discussion :: two headed sliders

[Hoooneylynn]

does anyone know how long two headed sliders live?

[missibsu]

It's my understanding that they don't live near as long, but I can't point you to a specific article that discusses it. There have been other threads in the past discussing those and albinos. For what it's worth, breeders will overbreed and discard 'normal' turtles just to get unique two headed and albino turtles. The whole process is really sick.

[Hoooneylynn]

Thats horrible.. and I have seen that horrible website that you can buy turtles and have them delivered to your door.. If Im not mistaken, they had two headed and albinos priced at a couple hundred dollars. How could they treat animals like that? There has to be some law they are breaking... The turtles are under 4 inches, but on that website, it says "adoption" fee, instead of saying they are selling them to you.

[tracey x0x]

what was the name of this website because i think ive heard of it.

[Ferd]

its money to them. since it isnt intelligent to them, then its a way to get quick money. its cheap, its sleazy and down right wrong

[MrRedmanbhs]

I've ordered one of my RESs from that website. (I named him Webber) I've had him several months now and he seems to be pretty healthy. Him and my other RES that I got in Destin FL (I named her Destiny) seem to get along great...for now.

I don't know if I would call the site inhumane. I was very suprised at how sophisticated the packaging and care the Webber had. The site mandates (if it is the same site everyone is talking about) that the delivery be 2 day ground delivery at most, and would not ship the turtle to me until outdoor tempertures were below 80 degrees (I ordered in early June and some days it was approaching 90 here)...needless to say, I waited alot longer than the 2 day ground delivery I paid for...but in the end it was a wise decision on their part, but they should have had some kind of disclaimer on their ordering page. I waited for days for my new friend to come.

[Hoooneylynn]

MrRed, did you read what missi said???

"breeders will overbreed and discard 'normal' turtles just to get unique two headed and albino turtles" Some people tell me the turts arrive dead!

THATS SICK! I WOULD NEVER PURCHASE TURTS FROM THEM.

[MrRedmanbhs]

I can't comment on them over breeding because I don't know anything about it. I can't prove or disprove that they may 'overbreed' so I don't base an opinion on it. Only what I know.

[missibsu]

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6880

[industrial_girl_2000]

I can't comment on them over breeding because I don't know anything about it. I can't prove or disprove that they may 'overbreed' so I don't base an opinion on it. Only what I know.

I wish you luck with your new little buds, MrRed. I am glad to see you here, reading about your turts too. That already shows a lot of caring on your part. I am not picking on you when I say the following because I really do respect you for coming to the RES board & joining in our discussion. Let me just give you my $0.05 about what I observed on these websites so you know for the future & can pass the word on:

The unfortunate thing is that I am very turned off by the website I saw online selling the 2-headed sliders. And the information about turtle care on their turtle caresheet was wrong. It was very clear reading the sheets that they didn't want to give you the "complete picture" about how to care for your turtle. They kept referring to "their" products to care for your turtle without telling you what was in those products. It saddens me to know how many people will buy turtles from these places, totally unaware of what it takes to give these turtles what they need, like a simple water heater to keep the water at a comfortable temperature so they don't develop RI. The site I went to said the water could be in the low 60s and even upper 50s (!) which is COMPLETELY WRONG for RES's. Low water temp erodes their immune system, leaving them open for diseases like pneumonia.

A turtle who develops RI ("pneumonia") can take up to a month to die. A MONTH. They will gasp for air, refuse to eat, and just suffer until they finally suffocate to death. I'm not being overly dramatic here.....I actually witnessed this with my first turts because there was NO information out there on what the symptoms meant & no vets who knew what RI was. Terrible.

Nowadays, there is no reason why good information shouldn't available to prevent needless animal suffering from illnesses like RI. That's the part I disliked the most about the website I visited.....they were all about money & not about the animals & they didn't want to give you the simplest information to prevent illnesses like RI. Not blaming you for buying from them since you didn't know. But just be forewarned in the future & pass on the word.......

[xsavingsaturdayx]

If only all of what you said above can go mainstream,industrialgirl..maybe PETA can help?

[industrial_girl_2000]

If only all of what you said above can go mainstream,industrialgirl..maybe PETA can help?

I did try mentioning this info on another turtle board I recently visited and got some very interesting replies. About 1/2 the people asked a question about what I said, the other 1/2 told me I was completely off-base & kept trying to discredit what I said (!). One person actually attacked me verbally & yet another told me my turtles got sick because the ambient temp in the room was too cold (!). Ummm, hello, but if the ambient temp was too cold, then why is it that Sheba lived 8 yrs in the SAME area of the house without getting sick??? Could it be because she had a WATER HEATER keeping her warm & my turtles who died from RI didn't? Hmmmm?!

Some people don't want to know the truth. I haven't been back to this other turtle board since.

[CountryGirl68]

Some people don't want to know the truth. I haven't been back to this other turtle board since.

I have to say this here because you gave me the opening.

I recently joined a parakeet forum to get more information before I went out to get my birdies. I was shocked to find that several of the moderators (who were under 15 years old) had birds that were dying almost *weekly* and would just go out and buy a new one - without quarantining them or first finding out what the cause of the birds' death was! Not only that, but they felt that "waiting it out" when one of their birds was sick was a better judgement call than getting the bird to the vet. Other members wouldn't say anything because they didn't want to "hurt their feelings; they're so young" - yes, someone did say that in a post!!! And when a member did say something, these young moderators simply deleted the posts rather than admit that they were doing more harm to their birds than good. These are the people that new members depend on for advice on the proper care of their birds. Turned me off immediately.

I've checked out several forums for fish, parakeets and turtles and am only an active member on this forum. Everyone here - especially the moderators - see the importance of pointing out what is being done incorrectly in the care of a turtle and, when someone doesn't agree with the advice given, everyone here is quick to recommend "give it away". It makes me sick sometimes to read posts from someone looking for advice on what is wrong with their pet and when told the severity of the situation, feel it "probably isn't such a big deal". I'm glad no one here "babies" those who refuse to get the proper equipment or provide the necessary vet care for their turtles.

Okay, I'm done venting.

[SpotsMama]

Well said. This forum is pretty tough sometimes. But if you want to know the right way to care for a turtle, this is where to go. No sugar coating!

I find the emphasis on taking responsibility that so many of the active people on this forum display to be refreshing. There's more to be learned here than turtle-keeping.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Wow, CountryGirl68, I am glad to hear it isn't just me who deals with some real idiots on some other online pet forums. I am very sorry to hear about people who just discard their pets like that. I wonder about these people....in addition to the animals' suffering, don't they realize how much money they are wasting by having to run out and buy the animals over and over and over again??? Yeesh. What a bunch of morons (well, actually they are "more-offs" since they are more OFF than ON). I swear that the human gene-pool needs a little chlorine......

And I agree with you, I have stuck around on this board because people actually care about animals' well-being.