Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: im a newbie

[spedturtle]

(shyly tries 2 talk!) I hope 2 get 2 know alot of people and learn more about turtles on this website!!!! Well... i have 2 turtles one is 3 years of and named Goldmember(yes she does shed shell not skin! lol)and i have a 7 month old one named sped!(no shes not slow!!!) I got Goldmember in China Town, NY and I found Sped in my back yard by my pond and i thought it was sick and no parents were around it so i took i t in and raised it ever since!! neat huh??? well i want 2 know as much about u guys as i am tryin 2 tell u about me !!! yes i know i am writin alot so ill stop now!!! I want 2 fit in and meet new people and find out more about the turtle species and how i can raise my turtle 2 be better!!! W/B pleaz!!!!

[JessicaTS]

Welcome to Turtle Talk
Do you have pictures of your two turts? What kind of setup do you have for them? How big are they?

[sonyj]

Welcome to the forum...

Be sure to browse through each section and read the stickies posted there as well as go over to the main site: www.redearslider.com There's lots of great info on there.

[spedturtle]

hi guys wow u guys reply fast!!! well thanks u guys 2 welcomin me!!! well.... my turtles stay in a container i got from walmart!!! my little one(sped) is in a small container no filter and has a rock and is about the HALF the size of a mouse(a computer mouse that is) and my huge turtle is in a huge container also from walmart has a filter and has a bridge that fish would go under well instead of a rock im usin that. Oh and is the size of a womens size 4 shoe!! shes big what are the sizes of ur turtles???

[spedturtle]

quick question how did u guys get those pictures under neath ur name like that??? i love ur pics!!!!!

[cam722]

Hi and Welcome to Turtle Talk

You can put an avatar under your name by editing your profile, the option is down at the bottom. Make sure the picture is about 80x80 in size.

Now I have a question for you... When someone says "Dont do cross-country! Its soo scary!" Are you talking about cross-country running? If so, my 2 youngest boys ran cross-country and made it to the State level

[sonyj]

By container from wal-mart, do you mean a rubbermaid type storage container?

Both turtles need a complete set-up including filter, basking area with both UVB light and UVA(heat) light. General rule is 10 gallons of tank/container per inch of shell. And as much water as you can fill without them escaping.

And it is good that you have them separated due to their size diference. Never place a small turtle in with a larger one, terrible things can happen.

What is their diet like? How many pellets per day/ what kinds of veggies do you feed them?

The pics under our names are our avatars. You have to host them on a photo hosting site i.e. photobucket and the pic shouldn't be any bigger than 80X80 in size.

[spedturtle]

well i was actuaaly talking about horses but i can do track im on the track team at my school!!! WOW!!!! urs sons must b really good!!!!! I wish i could go 2 state too!!!! Tell them i hope 2 c them on tv or in the olympics someday!!!

[spedturtle]

its a little bit more heavy dutyier than a rubbermaid but yeah u get the concept um.... I am goin 2 wait jus a little bit longer 2 get the little one a filter because she can stick her head into the top part near sort of blade thing and i want 2 take alot of ercaution because i have already hone die one me because of soft shell disease i do have a uv lamp on top of them i forgot 2 mention that um... there feeding is about 15 pellets for the big one and 4 for the small one they get krill once a week and it is only a pinch for the big one and only one little krill for the small one jus 2 b on the safe side

[cam722]

Well neither of them run anymore.. both did Track also. Both made it to States there too

One was in 3 events (1500m, 3200 relay (both boys) and the 1600 relay) The older of the 2 had broken 3 school records or was part of a relay team that did. He nearly broke the high jump record but missed it by an inch. One is still in college and the other is a Marine.. no more long distance running for them, I think they've had enough.

Now with that out of the way... You really need to read up on the proper environment for your turtles.

http://www.redearslider.com/res-guide.pdf

You have no filter? What about UVB/UVA lights?? How much water do you have in their containers? What's the water/basking temperatures?

[spedturtle]

i have enough for them 2 swim and so when they go on the rock or bridge the top of the shell is stickin out

[spedturtle]

i have read many books and have done much reasearch and have asked editor and every one i could about proper enviormental issues 4 my turtle and all said the same quote on quote "the way u are raisein ur turtle is a perfectly safe way of raisin ur turtle" so pleaz help me and find out what else i need 2 do 2 make my turtle have a better enviorment because i not 2 b mean cant find anythin wrong i clean the small one who has no filter every other day and it seems 2 b workin out

[spedturtle]

deleted

[sonyj]

i have enough for them 2 swim and so when they go on the rock or bridge the top of the shell is stickin out

Just humor me once again as I ask some questions. By asking questions, we're just trying to get a full pic of your setup in order to help your turtles live a long healthy life.

I'm trying to get a mental image of this. Do you mean that only the tops of their shells are out of water when they bask? If so, this will cause shell diseases. They must have a place to completely haul out of the water and dry every part of their shell off.

You said you have a uv light. UVB or UVA? Both types of lights are needed for both turtles to insure their health. UVB lights need to be between 7-10% and they help the calcium in their diets harden their shell. A UVA(heat or regular bulb) is needed to thermoregulate their body temp as they are cold blooded. Without heat they won't be enticed to bask and dry off their shells either. Water temps should be 72-75 steady for older turtles, and 78 for hatchlings, with basking temp at least 10 degrees higher or between 88-90.

Pellets should be fed one time a day, every other dayfor older turtles, the amount that will fit inside their heads. The amount you're feeding doesn't seem bad. What about veggies? These are a neccessary part of a turtles diet to ensure he stays healthy gets all the vitamins he should. You can give veggies daily. Look in the feeding section for a list of do's and don'ts for feeding.

OH, we're not mad... just trying to help. I was very confused by all of this when I first got Koopa but I decided early that I would learn all I could to give him a long, healthy, happy life. Now I just try to pass that info on.

[cam722]

its a little bit more heavy dutyier than a rubbermaid but yeah u get the concept um.... I am goin 2 wait jus a little bit longer 2 get the little one a filter because she can stick her head into the top part near sort of blade thing and i want 2 take alot of ercaution because i have already hone die one me because of soft shell disease i do have a uv lamp on top of them i forgot 2 mention that um... there feeding is about 15 pellets for the big one and 4 for the small one they get krill once a week and it is only a pinch for the big one and only one little krill for the small one jus 2 b on the safe side

You said you already had one die of soft shell disease? Are you aware of the causes of this? This is why they need to be able to get fully out of the water to dry off, why they need a UVB light (which simulates sunlight) and calicum in their diet. No one is angry with you, we are just trying to help you provide a better life for your turtles. Are you feeding your bigger turtle 15 pellets a day? Do you give them any sort of veggies?