All Turtles Message Board

Bubonic · Level 2 Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 81

Me, I'm a turtle novice, so please don't flame me this is just like a editorial type thing.

When I was a kid, these people who'd had their turtles for about 6 years gave them to us for some reason, two res living together.

They were in a 20 gallon tank with gravel substrate at the bottom, a fish tank filter, were fed just on pet store food, and i don't even think there was a uvb lamp, but possibly a heater. They had their little floating platform, and fake backdrop, and this was the height of their luxury.

They lasted well over 10 years, and would of lasted much longer had the tank not been cracked during a move, and had it not ended up with my dad, who ended being a jerk about things.

You guys are obviously aficionados, and might bring up the good point that even though they lived, they didn't have as good a quality of life as they should have.

But if someone came in here saying thats how their set up was going to be, I'm sure death or disease within the first month would have been predicted.

My point is, I'm having a hard time deciding how much of the advice on the board I should take to heart... These seem like very resilient creatures, but come to listen to some of you, I'd have to spend 3k just to set up my aquarium properly!

heck, I'm saving this turtle from imminent death at the SPCA, giving it a 40 gallon home with some sort of submersible fluval filter, but now I'm freaking out about the gravel substrate issue...
I'm getting a cool large platform, a heat lamp and a uvb lamp.
I'm planning on getting another same size res just to fill up the tank more, but I'm feeling like they'll eat their faces off and run out of space!
I worry my tank won't be hot enough, or that the tap water will kill them!

I don't know if I'm falling for a marketing machine where I'll end up buying two tanks, a bunch of water elixers, timed heaters, italian marble shined pebbles for the bottom...

I don't want to seem cheap, but I think I'm going above and beyond, and that for indoor turtles my res will do fine!

Are people being too paranoid, or am I being too ignorant?

Cyn · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:09 am Post subject:

I think you make a very good point! I think the indoor setups I have for my turtles is just fine! They only care about two things, eating and basking. They are lucky to have a outside pond to spend their summer days. It was an old Kio pond that I spent less than 100 dollars on. If they didn't have it they wouldn't miss it.
If a turtle gets plenty of food, lots of basking time, and some swimming done I say it's quality of life is perfect! *And maybe some live feeders to eat*

Like I said they don't want much just sun light & food!
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ryanandsuzyro · Level 3 Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 200

There is a balance. For instance, if you visit a site like www.tortoisetrust.org, you will see some VERY serious keepers who truly believe that if you keep a turtle, you HAVE to give the best best best of everything or don't bother.

There are no official guidelines or registered turtle training programs. All you have is the experience of other handlers. Cyn and I have a disagreement in another thread, but ultimately if her turtles are healthy and have the basic needs met, then even if things could be "better" (and they always can be) then there's not really a problem. (also I didn't realize they had a big ass pond to swim in during summer)

I think a lot of the details come from the fact that there are too many people out there who have zero idea of what a turtle really needs. There are a LOT of myths unfounded in reality (your turtle will only grow to it's tank size, for one). There are a lot of turtles out there that have poor homes, and poor health. There are way too many handlers who buy what looks a "cute" and "inexpensive" fifty dollar slider without any education or understanding of how much time, money and energy they can be --- and the pet stores that sell such turtles and give people the bare minimum for keeping if that, and little to no instruction. I personally walked into a pet store, bought two turtles, and left with no information. They were a gift for my friend who already keeps turtles, wedding gift. HE gave me bad advice though and it led to one turtle dying a few months later. "Just put them in a margarine contrainer with some wet paper towel and a little food, they'll be fine." These were baby sliders! "That's how they ship them, they'll be fine." Annnnnnnd I know from talking to a turtle selling pet shop that many turtles die in transport in such conditions because they're way too cold. Unsurprising that one of the babies died with no real water, whatever the temperate in the house and the car was...

I have talked to far too many people who "used to own turtles" and heard horror story after horror story of ignorant keeping and handling. Most of these turtles died. One lady WROTE ON HER TURTLES SHELLS to tell them apart with a marker that was TOXIC and killed them. One guy's turtles died because they got in his sock drawer and starved because they couldn't find them (HOW DID THEY GET IN HIS SOCK DRAWER???). One guy let his turtles run around the house (aquatic turtles), even coming in the bathroom while he was going. He'd flip them upside down for fun. A friend of mine right now tried to get my wife and I rescue another friend's slider, because it was in about an inch of water that was never, ever cleaned. WOW AMAZING.

Now that said, my buddy who gave me bad advice? His old turtle is in great shape, healthy, happy, very active and friendly. The surviving baby is in great shape. They co-habitate and the big one has not attacked the small one. COuld that change? Maybe. But whatever things he does "wrong," his turtles are in great shape. My other good friend has never stuck a thermometer in his turtle's tank, assuming room temp was fine. Well, he could stand to raise her temp ten degrees, and that might explain some of her recent sluggishness, but by the same token, she is a well-grown, healthy, active turtle with a big aquarium and large basking spot.

All of this is to say. I think ultimately, people need to be aware that keeping a turtle isn't as easy as dumping a turtle in a tank with an inch of water and feeding it a few times a week. There are costs involved, even if they don't have to be AS MUCH as some people suggest. There is time. There is energy. Those cute small turtles, babies or 4-inch, get BIGGER. They CAN bite. They are NOT GOOD PETS FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD!

The internet has given keepers much more accessible information than ever before. It's less excusable to be ignorant now.

If you want to keep a turtle, give it the best life you reasonably can. Give it what it NEEDS. If you're not taking it out in real sunlight, then have a UVB-UVA lamp in addition to a spot lamp (or get one of the more expensive ones that is both UVA/UVB AND a basking heat lamp). You need a filter, there are various options. My buddy only uses a Fluval 4 in a 75 gallon tank + a fluval 1 filled only with Carbon. It's not 2-3x more than the water quantity but it keeps it clean, soo... Heater is optional to an extent, but a thermometer should tell you if you need one or not. You got 'em at home, give 'em some diet variety, it's not hard. Can they get out of the water and dry off? If they can't, then get them that.

Things like putting two different turtles together, rocks on the bottom, all that... there are proven risks. You risk violence. You risk health problems. And those are risks you decide to take, or, you decide if it's right that YOU decide for the turtles to be put into that risk. You don't NEED gravel or even any substrate. Turtles don't NEED companionship. I think rocks make the tank look nicer and give Tucker a bit more 'natural' environment, but I don't want to risk using small but pretty aquarium gravel he could eat. My buddy Ant took out the small stuff when he started seeing it in Mercutio's fecies. I'm considering rescusing a slider from a nearby reptile rescue center, but at the same time, I need to be prepared to separate them if they get violent towards each other, because I don't want to just give the turtle back to the society after rescuing it.

I realize this is long, but the past couple years of keeping a turtle, comparing my keeping to that of my two close friends with turtles, going to different pet stores, boycotting at least one for their ignorance, observing local turtles in their natural habitat and researching, researching, researching have led me to many of these conclusions.

A turtle would be happy in a big fat rubbermaid with some sun (real or fake), some heat, a place to haul out and dry off and bask, enough food. Observing turtles in the wild shows me that giving them floating plants is a good thing, they can hang in them and hide in them. You know?

Bubonic · Level 2 Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 81

Thanks for the lengthy and informative reply.
Those horror stories were awful, they'll be no such trouble with me!

I saw the turtle at the shelter today, medium sized... Yah right, it is at least 9 inches long, 5 inches wide, and 4 inches high!!!!
It is apparently 9 years old, and I'm not even sure if it is a slider!

The shell is pretty dark, it does seem like it has the red ears, but they're like washed out orange, pretty faded, and the shell seems higher and more rounded out then a sliders(didn't look like pyramiding, seemed even).

From what I could tell it was a female, due to its size and it didn't have very long nails.

Anyways, I'm happy I ordered the 40 gallon tank and not the 27!

Definitely taking the advice about the substrate, I'll go for big flat shiny rocks that they had... Even though she said they were useless compared to gravel, just too much to worry about.

Still feel like getting the other slider I saw at the pet shop, its about 6 long, 4 wide, give or take 3 high.

I had ordered one of these,

Hopefully they won't be too heavy for it!

ryanandsuzyro · Level 3 Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 200

I have the largest size of that exact brand. Tucker is slightly sinking it at five inches but it's basically fine. Test it out. If it don't work, there are lots of options for a basking spot.

Bubonic · Level 2 Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 81

How big is your Tucker?
I'm pretty sure she said she ordered the biggest one for the 40 gallon tank.

But as I said elsewhere, seems like a hefty turtle I got.