Urgent Care :: Turquoise fell

[Aqua&turquoise]

Turquoise fell out of his tank today. He fell 2 ft off my desk and I found him in the hallway. No clue how he did it or when, but is he ok???
His tank setup: http://m1337.photobucket.com/albumview/ ... 0&newest=1

[Mo Milazzo]

Is that really his setup? You plan on improving it right?

[adbritta]

Does he have any bruising or discoloration? Is there visual damage to his shell?

That setup isn't adequate at all, and if he stays in that he'll end up looking like Audrey, who spent 20 years of her life in a bucket, or some of the other turtles that Little Res Q has taken in:


You can see more of their turtles on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Littleresq

He needs a much larger tank - in one of your pictures, it looked like you have two turtles. Are they both in there? Even though they're small now, the males can grow to six or seven inches long, and females can grow up to ten inches. Also, as they grow, they will probably need to be separated, because more than likely, regardless of their genders, they may fight. They can also live up to 100 years, although in captivity I think the average is closer to 30 years. You need to get at least a 29 gallon tank for them for now. They sell them for around $60 at Walmart, at least around here. That should last you a little while. They need a heater in the water, somewhere to climb completely out of the water to bask, a very strong filter, and plenty of room to swim. They need their basking light to get hot enough for them to absorb adequate heat, because basking helps in their digestion. They also need UVB/UVA; I use mercury vapor bulbs because they have all three - heat, UVA, and UVB. They're about $40 on Amazon. The subermesible heater will be around $30 for a good one. Where do you live? I mean, what state? I have a 29 gallon tank that my turtle outgrew. I also have a clamp lamp, and I have a Rena XP filter that will work okay for the tank but you'll have to clean it out fairly often - I was new to turtles when I bought it and didn't realize that you should typically buy a filter that's recommended for at least 2-3 times as much water as your tank has.

From all your posts, it seems like you really care about your turtles, and that's great. I think you may have just bought them without realizing all of their needs, which I did, and I'm sure plenty of other people on here did too. Take a look at the indoor habitat forum for recommendations for each thing you need - lights, filters, heaters, etc. Here's a link to it, even though I'm sure you know how to go to the forums page. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6

I think I speak for most people here when I say that we'll be more than happy to help you however we can by answering questions and pointing you to other resources if we don't have an exact answer. I hope you'll stick around, and that Aqua and Turquoise will live long, happy lives.

[Mo Milazzo]

Does he have any bruising or discoloration? Is there visual damage to his shell?

That setup isn't adequate at all, and if he stays in that he'll end up looking like Audrey, who spent 20 years of her life in a bucket, or some of the other turtles that Little Res Q has taken in:


You can see more of their turtles on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Littleresq

He needs a much larger tank - in one of your pictures, it looked like you have two turtles. Are they both in there? Even though they're small now, the males can grow to six or seven inches long, and females can grow up to ten inches. Also, as they grow, they will probably need to be separated, because more than likely, regardless of their genders, they may fight. They can also live up to 100 years, although in captivity I think the average is closer to 30 years. You need to get at least a 29 gallon tank for them for now. They sell them for around $60 at Walmart, at least around here. That should last you a little while. They need a heater in the water, somewhere to climb completely out of the water to bask, a very strong filter, and plenty of room to swim. They need their basking light to get hot enough for them to absorb adequate heat, because basking helps in their digestion. They also need UVB/UVA; I use mercury vapor bulbs because they have all three - heat, UVA, and UVB. They're about $40 on Amazon. The subermesible heater will be around $30 for a good one. Where do you live? I mean, what state? I have a 29 gallon tank that my turtle outgrew. I also have a clamp lamp, and I have a Rena XP filter that will work okay for the tank but you'll have to clean it out fairly often - I was new to turtles when I bought it and didn't realize that you should typically buy a filter that's recommended for at least 2-3 times as much water as your tank has.

From all your posts, it seems like you really care about your turtles, and that's great. I think you may have just bought them without realizing all of their needs, which I did, and I'm sure plenty of other people on here did too. Take a look at the indoor habitat forum for recommendations for each thing you need - lights, filters, heaters, etc. Here's a link to it, even though I'm sure you know how to go to the forums page. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6

I think I speak for most people here when I say that we'll be more than happy to help you however we can by answering questions and pointing you to other resources if we don't have an exact answer. I hope you'll stick around, and that Aqua and Turquoise will live long, happy lives.

Well said!

[Aqua&turquoise]

I have been literally bugging my mom to get me a (at least) 240gallon tank for my turtle, but our house has no room for it

[Aqua&turquoise]

I still have a (maybe) 40 gallon tank in the furnace room. It used to hold hermit crabs. (no where else to put it though and i despise the furnace room. Too many dead insects!)

[Aqua&turquoise]

From all your posts, it seems like you really care about your turtles, and that's great. I think you may have just bought them without realizing all of their needs, which I did, and I'm sure plenty of other people on here did too. Take a look at the indoor habitat forum for recommendations for each thing you need - lights, filters, heaters, etc. Here's a link to it, even though I'm sure you know how to go to the forums page. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6

I think I speak for most people here when I say that we'll be more than happy to help you however we can by answering questions and pointing you to other resources if we don't have an exact answer. I hope you'll stick around, and that Aqua and Turquoise will live long, happy lives.

I did buy them on impulse. My cousin had a painted slider as a child (it died already) but they had no filter, 2" of water, fed it only pellets, ect. That's the reason my parents don't believe me about all the needs of a turtle. I'm currently trying to get a UVA/UVB light and a filter, but my mom doesn't want my room to look like a 'pet shop'.

[Aqua&turquoise]

My cousins turt lived for 23 years

[Mo Milazzo]

If you truly are unable to reach the required needs for your turtles best interest, it's quite possible you should maybe....give them up? I know it seems crazy because as adbritta said, it does seem like you care for them, but that's no life for your turtles. Living in a little container? It seems like you're not getting anywhere with convincing your mom about the upgrade. Maybe you could show her the site, open up her eyes. If all else fails, you can always check for a rescue in your area...

[steve]

If properly done, there shouldn't be any smells, insects, etc. Some people even make it the centerpiece of their offices, rec rooms or living rooms. 240 gallons is huge, no one is going to go for that right away. You really need to have a family discussion and figure out what you guys want to accomplish.

[Aqua&turquoise]

My moms like get rid of them!!! My dads like there's no room in the house. I'm like there's room and anyways, I'm emotionally attached to them, so we need to buy a really large tank, a bigger house, a new uv bulb, a fx5 turtle filter, organic red leaf lettuce, organic green leaf lettuce, organic dandelion leaves and everything else that redearedslider.com says a turtle needs. My moms like I don't want my house to look like a pet shop and they're dirty, there's gonna be salmonella everywhere!!! My dads like don't spend uneccesary money!!! Im like fine I'll buy everything with my own money!!!

[Mo Milazzo]

...The choice Is yours. You say you're emotionally attached, so:
1. Convince your parents to get you at least a 20 or 30 gallon tank
2.Admit you can't give them the life they need and give them to a rescue who will make sure they go to a good home.

In the end the choice is yours. You said your father doesn't want you spending extra money, so show him the story of Audrey. Maybe them he'll see why you need a regrettable. If that doesn't work, makes deal with your mom and say "If you want me to give them away, you have to take me to the nearest rescue." Of clues don't say it like that but something along those lines. You can always compromised another plan with your parents. Like if you have to give up your turtles, the Maple Sugar gets a new friend. It's all about compromise. Please, look past your selfishness and give your turtles what's best.

[Aqua&turquoise]

Maple sugar is a male and I want to get a female, but my mom ABSOLUTELY refuses to have baby guinea pigs (too much work and smell and money)

[Mo Milazzo]

I feel like you missed my point. You need to either improve your turtles home, or find them a new home. Ask your mom about what animals she is willing to have.

[adbritta]

You said you had a tank in a room but you didn't like going in there. That's still better than them living in a plastic box not fit for crickets. I hate to see you ask your parents to take you to a rescue because it makes me sad and angry to think that there are all these animals that have no home because people didn't spend the time to do the research. I'm not being mean or saying that if you do that, you're a horrible person - to the contrary, it's a much more responsible decision than leaving them where they are. I can almost promise you that they will die within a few weeks - all you have to do is look through this forum at the number of threads with titles like, "Help, baby RES not moving, won't open eyes" to know that. You seem like a smart person and you have to decide what is best for the turtles and your family on your own. The only thing I would request is that you let your parents know that it's illegal in most states to release sliders into the wild because they compete with native species for food and space.