Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello from Louisiana

[Crush]

I have been a RES owner for about a week now. I have already received some very helpful hints from the other topic areas...so thank you to all you regulars and experts! Crush is about 1.5" in length. He was found walking through the grass by one of our pitbulls who amazingly didn't swallow him ( I know, too early to tell) whole. He was covered in mud without so much as a speck of green to be seen. We washed him off and completely fell in love with the little guy. He is now happily residing in a tank complete with basking lamp, filter, fake duckweed, basking rocks, etc. Once we found the right water temp. he immediately began eating and swimming all around the tank. He is even becoming accustomed to our black lab, Hank who is still somewhat jealous, but is coming around.

I really enjoy all of the helpful hints, stories, and pictures and look forward to continue my RES education! :D

[TexasJagsFan]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

Do you have a UVB bulb?

[steve]

Hi, in addition to the UVB, do you have the other requirements? They are important to get your RES adjusted and keep your dog away from Crush, even if Hank seems friendly to him.

[Crush]

Yes, he does have a UVB light. That was one of my biggest concerns at first. A couple of days after we put him in the tank, he hadn't even attempted to bask. Come to find out, the thermometer wasn't working properly. We tested the water with a new one and found that the water was too cold. After an adjustment with that, he seems like a normal little turtle.

As far as Hank goes, I don't trust him as far as I can throw him, and he is a heavy dog. I don't want him torturing Crush, let alone swapping any germs or other critters.

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

Welcome

I am glad to see that your turtle is in good hands

Apart from not reading if you have a UV light, it sounds like you have things under control, if you can't afford a UV light for now, you can take your turtle outside for a couple of hours of unobstructed sunbathing.
One thing though, don't put the tank out in the sun, it won't do much good to the turtle(glass blocks UV rays) and it will cook your turtle, the glass acts as a magnifying lens, so be careful.

[Crush]

Funny you mention that. While we noticed he wan't basking in the tank, I did take him outside. He really seemed to enjoy the stepping stones. But I have to be careful not to lose him in the grass....he's so tiny!

[steve]

also, he may be tiny, but he's still fast! keep a close eye on him when outside.

[Crush]

You're not kiddin'! And he's strong too. When I pick him up to move him, he pushes with his front legs. It surprised me how much strength they have. Explains why that can climb out of so many places.

[tinyslider]

Yea, they are amazingly strong for their size! I hope that you have the best of luck with your new turt. You should find this forum very helpful on any problems that you might find. Good luck and welcome!

[Crush]

It is Monday, Aug. 29 and Crush has survived his first Hurricane. Even though he spent the night in unfamiliar surroundings, we were able to keep him in water that was about 75-80 degrees most of the night. This morning we were able to go back to our own house. Crush was more than ready to have his breakfast and sit on his big rock. Luckily for us, we were on the west edge of Hurricane Katrina with very minimal affects. I was glad to see that he adapted fairly easily under the circumstances. Please keep all those who were in the direct path of the hurricane in your hearts!

[JessicaTS]

Wow. Was the entire place evacuated? even with minimal effects. My turts never were in a hurricane... thunder sounds get them going crazy. Glad you (your family) and your turt is okay

Btw, welcome

[Crush]

We didn't have to evacuate where I am. I heard on the radio this morning though that in the New Orleans area, they are evacuating the shelters, like the Super Dome, that people evacuated too because the water is still rising. It's very bad down there. It could be 4-6 weeks before they can get electricity back in the city.

[marisa]

Glad to hear you and yours made it through. And everyone down there is in my thoughts...

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

I used to be stationed in Gulfport MS, I was saddened to find out that it was hit the worst, I hope to God that they recover from this hurricane, they had a previous hurricane called Camille that devastated everything in its path and now this one.