All Turtles Message Board

kab134 · Level 1 Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 12

Hi Everyone!

I'm new to the board and an new turtle owner!! I "rescued" three baby red eared sliders from someone who wasn't taking care of them. When I got the tank, the water was actually THICK because he threw so much food in it so he could go on vacation for ten days!! Poor little guys! Sad

There were four originally but one died because he wasn't fed for two weeks. Mad

Anyway, I think I have two females and a male. I only feed them once a day but I'm worried about them getting chubby. What happens if their little bodies out grow their shells? How do I know if they are getting fat? The females have gotten bigger and look a little porky, but the male is still pretty small. I understand that is a characteristic of a male. They eat tuna, shrimp, whale krill, strawberries, romaine lettuce, bananas, and pellets made for young turtles. The pick at the fruits and veggies but fight over the shrimp and tuna! I just want to make sure I'm doing everything right. They had a rough start to life! Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank You! Laughing

Kelli, "Oahu", "Maui" and "Kauai"

dixieee · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 4:21 am Post subject:

welcome to the board the 4 of u Smile

ok things seem to be going fine since they're eating..do u feed them all that?? pellets should only be the basic diet and the other only given as treats (once a week or so/less)..over-feeding will cause problems so u have to watch for that..to know if ur turtles are over-weight, flip them and look at their bottom shell..if u see flesh coming out from their hand and feet holels (always out not only when exhaling) that means they need a diet..

good luck with ur guys and keep us posted Smile

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Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

STRAYKINGFISHER · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 10:03 am Post subject:

Welcome to the board, I feed my turtles ZooMed's aquatic turtle food soaked in tuna juice (packed in water) every other day, I give them a slice of banana, carrot, and Romain lettuce once in a while. Very Happy

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kab134 · Level 1 Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 12

Hi Guys!

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I checked the underside of my turtles like you suggested. There doesn't seem to be "fat" coming out of the holes. It looks like there is when the inhale, but not all the time. I didn't feed them all of that stuff all the time, I'd switch it up. Since I read your post I've been feeding them Tetra's ReptoMin Baby and once in a while shrimp. (They love it!) They definitely have appetites, but hey leave food behind so it's good that they don't eat everything just because I put it in there. I've seen them fight (more than once) over food, is this normal? They are so active I'm surprised they gain any weight!! At what age are they considered full grown? I understand that they can't reproduce until they're 5, is that how long it takes them to be full grown? It's so funny because the two females come up to the glass when I'm by the tank. If I move they follow me. Do you think they can tell the difference between me and someone else? A book I have says that they will recognize you. The other little squirt (the male) is still tiny and scared of everything. Question

He should know by now I'm not going to hurt him!

Thanks again!

Kelli

dixieee · Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2005 9:43 am Post subject:

yeah ur turtles know u by now and there's a big probability they're linking u to food that's why they come begging to the glass whenever they see u Smile

give the little guy some time and he'll be acting the same too..turtles have different personalities and some are very shy..they keep growing in size but are considered mature when they're about 4-5 years for females (a bit more for males i guess)..by that time they are sexually mature and can mate or show any mating rituals..they'll grow faster at first and then slow down but will still grow maybe for good

anyways, good luck with ur babies and if u need anything we're always here to answer and talk Smile

_________________
Wed 10/27/2004 is the worst day..i lost my best friend Leo

so now i have a female RES, Green, and a cute stupid male YBS, Mint

5/4/2006 RIP Lemon, u were my first rescue and i'm so proud of u. will never 4get u

VersteckterGeist · Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject:

that's so sad to hear that someone would actually do that to an animal.. much less babies.. Sad

i congradulate you on taking them in though, and especially trying to set them off right Smile

listen to ms. dixiee and mr. strayfish, they've got the best advice Smile

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