turtle people! i need your help!
- Thread starter deeleywoman
- Start date
I'm glad to hear your turtle is doing well. I just wanted to let you know that you really don't want to bother with a substrate. I speak from experience that it is a real pain in the butt to keep clean. Turtles are 10x dirtier than fish of equal size. It's so much easier to spot clean a bare bottom tank then to deal with a sand or stone bottom that will trap all the waste. Another thing you have to worry about is the turtle accidentally ingesting some of the substrate while feeding. This can cause impaction in the intestinal tract.
Oh yeah, I'm just curious how do you know it's a girl?
Oh yeah, I'm just curious how do you know it's a girl?
incredibly short claws, and the, uh, exit is at the base of the tail instead of near the middle. according to ATP and others, that's a girl.
i've been going back and forth over the substrate thing, and i just can't leave it bare. it's not natural, it doesn't look good, and she keeps laying there near the bottom staring at her reflection in confusion lol... i know it's more work, but i really don't mind. i'm extremely OCD so i am constantly cleaning and fussing with my tank regardless. i've been over the various articles about setting up aquatic turtle habitats, and the fine gravel i use shouldn't pose any serious problems (as far as impaction goes), especially since it's so tiny, and i've found in my other tank that stirring it up even a tiny bit releases all the crud into the water very thoroughly, allowing me to scoop it out easily. i also would like to plant the tank lightly with some good turtle-friendly greens, and i don't think siliconing them to the bottom would work lol
i've been going back and forth over the substrate thing, and i just can't leave it bare. it's not natural, it doesn't look good, and she keeps laying there near the bottom staring at her reflection in confusion lol... i know it's more work, but i really don't mind. i'm extremely OCD so i am constantly cleaning and fussing with my tank regardless. i've been over the various articles about setting up aquatic turtle habitats, and the fine gravel i use shouldn't pose any serious problems (as far as impaction goes), especially since it's so tiny, and i've found in my other tank that stirring it up even a tiny bit releases all the crud into the water very thoroughly, allowing me to scoop it out easily. i also would like to plant the tank lightly with some good turtle-friendly greens, and i don't think siliconing them to the bottom would work lol
It's good to treat the turtle as if it were a female because they get much bigger than the males but in reality you can't sex this species until it's a few years old. Males don't start to develop the long claws until they're about 3-4 years old.
well, then, i guess i'll find out if i keep him/her/it/Jimmy that long lol... either way, i'm still calling it "scooter"... so i guess i'll just give it a gender complex lol
thanks for that!
thanks for that!
Hi I agree with all of the advice Vicious gave you, the substrate is really a bad idea. I clean my tanks all the time and the empty bottom is a snap to clean. I paint the bottom of the tanks so they don't try to swimm thru. I use a long piece of slate glued to the side of the tank for basking. Put it in at an angle so the turtle can get on it no matter what the water level is. I also always have live food in their tanks. I use guppies, minnows and goldfish. They give the turtle 'something to do' and they also keep the tank clean by eating the small pieces of food that the turtles miss. And the best part is...they are food when the turtles get lucky. I also put duck weed in every day for their veggies.
Also I use a repti sun 10, heat lamp, and a daylight cf.
Good luck.
Also I use a repti sun 10, heat lamp, and a daylight cf.
Good luck.
woooooot time for pics!!! 
initial tank set-up:
it was bare. just the floating log, some river rocks, and the frogbit. it was really sad-looking, and the poor thing pretty much just hid inside, under, and behind the log all day. v.v
clicky 1 | clicky 2
partial remodel:
then yesterday, i was able to make a run to the LFS and LPS, and it got a little better...
clicky 1 | clicky 2 | clicky 3
finished:
after another run to the LFS, and another run to the LPS, and a run to walmart >_<.....
clicky 1 | clicky 2 | clicky 3 | clicky 4 | clicky 5 | clicky 6
initial tank set-up:
it was bare. just the floating log, some river rocks, and the frogbit. it was really sad-looking, and the poor thing pretty much just hid inside, under, and behind the log all day. v.v
clicky 1 | clicky 2
partial remodel:
then yesterday, i was able to make a run to the LFS and LPS, and it got a little better...
clicky 1 | clicky 2 | clicky 3
finished:
after another run to the LFS, and another run to the LPS, and a run to walmart >_<.....
clicky 1 | clicky 2 | clicky 3 | clicky 4 | clicky 5 | clicky 6
vicious fish my boys are called "seychelles giant land tortoise" they live to over 100 years old
the oldest i hav is only 15 years old =}
the oldest i hav is only 15 years old =}
vicious fish my boys are called "seychelles giant land tortoise" they live to over 100 years old
Very cool! You should start a new thread and post some pics!
Very nice setup Deeley! The only thing I might recommend is moving the basking light so it's above the floating log. Seems that the turtle likes use that to haul out on instead of the turtle dock.
