Turtles

[celstu1]

I got baby turtles! They are sooo cute!

They are red earred sliders and are small now but can grow pretty big.

I never had turtles in my life, so any advice anyone could give me or post pics of your turtles here!!

[Mom2TwoYorkies]

My husband had red-eared sliders before . . .just make sure you clean the water . . .because they can stink up your home. . .alot!!

They do this really strange thing . . they will face each other and do like a finger wave . . .really cool to watch . . .

[jmdt]

Aw they are cute

[celstu1]

They are wicked cute!!! I keep the dogs away from them, turtles can carry salmonella. We use hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap after we handle them. Fletcher would like tasty little treat at any time so I have to keep them up high where he can't get to them! LOL

[MeganS]

SOOOO cute!!!! I used to have a little slider turtle when I was around 10. But I stopped paying attention to it and my dad gave it away. Make sure you clean their cage A LOT, and put a little rock in so they can climb out of the water if they want a dry place to sit. I don't know about slider turtles, but I know with some turtles their size depends on the size of the aquarium, so I'd do a little research on that.

Congrats!!

[chattiesmom]

Awww, how cute! I don't have any more words of wisdom to add to those you have already gotten.

[celstu1]

Im sad, I think one of my turtles is not doing well. I clean the water every other day but I only have a smallish bowl for them. I hope he makes it but its not looking good! My poor baby turtle! Say a prayer he makes it.

[FL Tink]

Originally Posted by celstu1

They are wicked cute!!! I keep the dogs away from them, turtles can carry salmonella. We use hand sanitizer and antibacterial soap after we handle them. Fletcher would like tasty little treat at any time so I have to keep them up high where he can't get to them! LOL

THAT is exactly what I am thinking!! But you are a great mommy so knew you would think of that !
They are cute lil buggers!!

[FL Tink]

Originally Posted by celstu1

Im sad, I think one of my turtles is not doing well. I clean the water every other day but I only have a smallish bowl for them. I hope he makes it but its not looking good! My poor baby turtle! Say a prayer he makes it.

oh no!!
Do you think it is the chlorine? do you let the water sit to allow it to evaporate ..?
I have no idea if this is a problem for turtles.
Maybe you can call the pet store and see how they do it!

[celstu1]

Well I have 2 and one is doing great, more than great! He is active and happy but the other, not so much! I put a piece of a tablet in the water to condition the water for the turtles but I am not sure how it all works. I just feel sooo bad for this little one. I hope he is ok and not hurting. I took him out of the tank and put him in a bowl with some water and food alone trying to get him to eat something! I hope he does!

[hnybun128]

Very cute! I don't know anything about turtles, but my sister just inherited 3 red eared sliders from her step-daughter a few months ago. I know she has a huge tank for them and has done a lot of research on how to take care of them. I do remember they need to be in a big tank and that a small bowl isn't adequate. Remember, they're aquatic animals so they need plenty of room to swim. I also know that she has read not to buy the turtle set ups sold at pet stores because they are not adequate habitats. Additionally, make sure you have space for them to bask out of the water under their heat lamp. My brother-in-law actually built a basking area on the top of their tank with a ramp for them to climb out of the water on. Also, she takes them out of their tank and puts them into a smaller container for feeding them (except when she feeds them fish) because they're such messy eaters. She said it keeps their tank cleaner and I can personally attest to the fact that their is no smell from them at all.

Sorry, that's all I can think of right now. If you take the time to do your research, I'm sure your new babies will be just fine. I know my sister has found a wealth of information online, so I'm sure it's easily accessible. Good luck!

[celstu1]

I think I am going to buy them a tupperware container, I read thats a good thing to keep them in, sides are high enough, they are affordable. I will ask my BF to build a ramp for them with a platform and we will cover it with that fake grass carpet stuff. I will buy a basking lamp for them too. Oh boy, they need a lot more than I ever expected. As a good responsible pet owner though I will make sure they have everything they need to be healthy and thrive.

[celstu1]

Well both turtles are still with us today! Thats good. I might just have a shy little guy who feels uncomfortable leaving his shell. However, Frank, the goldfish passed away today. I fed him this morning and he was bright orange and swimming around, happy as could be it looked and then my friend (who is staying at my house) got to my house at 330 and texted me that Frank died. So sudden. It's my bf's son's fish and I was entrusted to care for him since sunday night until tonight when his son comes back and I thought I did a good job when I left for work this morning when he was fine.

Well I asked my friend to run out to the store to get another small goldfish! LOL I know it's bad but he does not need to know I somehow killed his fish!

[MeganS]

Originally Posted by celstu1

Well both turtles are still with us today! Thats good. I might just have a shy little guy who feels uncomfortable leaving his shell. However, Frank, the goldfish passed away today. I fed him this morning and he was bright orange and swimming around, happy as could be it looked and then my friend (who is staying at my house) got to my house at 330 and texted me that Frank died. So sudden. It's my bf's son's fish and I was entrusted to care for him since sunday night until tonight when his son comes back and I thought I did a good job when I left for work this morning when he was fine.

Well I asked my friend to run out to the store to get another small goldfish! LOL I know it's bad but he does not need to know I somehow killed his fish!

I'm very glad your turtles are OK and I'm sorry to hear about Frank. Your story reminded me of one my mom told me. when my brother was little - around 4 I think - he came home late at night from the Fair. My aunt had taken him and he won a gold fish. My parents put it on top of the TV in a little bowl and he went to bed. When my mom woke up the next morning it was dead, so she got rid of it really quickly and when my brother woke up and asked where it was she said he must have dreamed it LOL.

[celstu1]

LOL! That is funny!

Know what? We got this goldfish at a fair too!!!! My bfs son won it! I guess you can't expect too much from a goldfish won at a fair in a game!
We actually decided NOT to swap out the goldfish and opted to buy him a beta fish instead. He was bummed about Frank but when he saw the Beta he was pretty happy. At least they are a bit more hardy and easier to care for. I told him that I was so sad that I took such good care of Fred and when I left for work yesterday morning he was fine. Then he died while I was at work. Luckily the kid was not too upset.