Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: A new person.

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Post Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:34 am   A new person.

    Hello.
    My name is Bailey - but if you can come up with any nicknames, go ahead and use those if you please.
    As one might of guessed, I am new to this website and decided that I might as well drop by and say hi. I have two turtles;
    a nine year old female RES, named Shakespeare, who I've had all of her life, (and ultimately thought she was a male until
    surprise, surprise, eggs.) and around a year old undetermined YBS who's been called Flapjack. Flapjack came to me last fall
    when my little sister, who's three, won him at their local fair. He/she and the rest of the prize turtles were kept in a tiny ten
    gallon tank without UVB, heating, or room (there were 20+ turtles in two ten gallon tanks) for god knows how long. Anyway,
    my little sister lost interest basically after a week, and so I took the turtle as I had a spare 55 gallon he/she could live in until
    he/she got bigger. When Flapjack came to me, his/her's shell was already beginning to deform, the ends of his shell curving
    up like a bowl, and his belly losing defined texture. He's stunted in his growth, and since I don't really know how long he'd been
    in the fair I've no idea how bad this growth stunt is, but he has grown considerably over the months I've had him and I'm hoping
    with adequate care that he will go on to live an enjoyable life.


Image
    This is Shakespeare!
    As you might can see from the picture, she is slightly overweight. We've been working on that, though,
    and have since gone on a strict diet, which she detests, but it's better for the long run. a few years
    ago we had some problems in the husbandry department in which her previous tank had busted and
    she was kept in a temporary setup until something better could be acquired. She did end up developing
    persistent bacterial infections while in the holding pen, but they've since cleared up wonderfully after
    another tank had been acquired and we haven't had problems with it since.


Image
    And this is little Flapjack.
    You can't see his shell deformation very well from this picture, and it used to be much worse than that in
    front. The ends of his shell are now most noticeably curved in the rear, and that too has improved with
    growth. Most of his underside lacks clearly defined scutes, it's as if one has taken the smudge brush on
    photoshop and went to town on his belly. Flapjack eats protein (fish, shrimps, various insects and other
    various pond life - tadpoles, frogs, snails, etc) twice a week and pellets five days a week, with the
    occasional bite of big "sister's" veggies when taken. Lighting, UVB, underwater heaters and nice basking,
    voracious appetite - basically he's just very spoiled now and enjoying his swimming space.

    anyway, I look forward to joining the community and seeing all of you around!
    ~ Bailey.
Bailey
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Jun 2, 2015
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Wed Jun 03, 2015 10:19 am   Re: A new person.

Hi Bailey! Sounds like you're doing a great job! Are you sure Flapjack is a YBS? They might be mating soon, if not already. Since he is a male, you will most likely have to separate them at some point.
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steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 12:23 am   Re: A new person.

    Oh, Flapjack and Shakespeare aren't together.
    Shakespeare lives in her own 120 gallon flat, and Flapjack has a 55 gallon until they get a bit bigger in which it will be upgraded.
    I'm not 100% certain that Flapjack is a YBS as he did come from a fair stand, in which the lady was very misinformed about
    turtles - she had said repeatedly that if one were to keep the turtles in the small plastic carry totes (I'm sure your familiar
    with them) with NOTHING that they would be perfectly fine and would not grow as long as they remained in the carry
    totes. As you can imagine, it's no wonder Flapjack has suffered from deformities. He's diffidently not a RES, and as a
    young baby did look like a YBS hatchling, he might be a hybrid of sorts, but YBS is what I saw and YBS is what I'm calling it.
    Anyway, yeah - I don't keep them together. Shakespeare would smash the poor fellow, could eat him up in one gobble
    (which she would, she is very territorial) and so no problems there.
Bailey
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Jun 2, 2015
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2015 1:51 pm   Re: A new person.

Thanks for the clarification. His current coloring does look like a RES, but not all RES hatchlings look a like either. Both of their tanks could probably serve as permanent homes too.
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steve
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Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male


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