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Hello Everyone!
Here's my lil one- I got him down in FL so the smaller tank he is in when these pictures were taken was only temporary- now he's in a 20 gallon tank that needs some adjusting after visiting this site! I'll post pictures later when it's refinished for the safety and comfort of the lil guy! (or so we think...still too small to know for sure) His name is Leo for now...but that may change as soon as we get him to a herp vet and get everything checked out! I'm very new to all of this so if anyone has any advice to make sure he gets past this delicate phase it would help out soo much!

Thanks,
Jennifer and Lil Leo








In the 20 gallon tank:: gettin rid of the gravel and gettin some river rocks later today

Hi Jennifer and welcome. Your turtle is a cutie. Glad you have been reading through the site and realize what needs to be done for your turtle's well-being.

I am so glad to hear that you will be taking him to the vet. Many small turtles are bought sick and the owners don't realize it until it's too late because symptoms don't show up right away. Preventive medicine is soooo much cheaper than having to get treatment for a sick turtle.

Post some pics once you have the new set up so that we can give you suggestions, if necessary. Good to hear you are getting rid of the gravel. And be sure to give your little one a nice amount of swimming space. Fill up the tank as much as you can without giving him (or her) a means of escape.

Good luck!

He's so tiny! ^__^

Very cute, I never got to see mine that small!

The best advice I can offer right now is to keep doing your reading. Just about everything you need to know is already here. Don't forget that when you upgrade, it is more cost effective to go as big as you can. Saves on expensive small step upgrades.

Can't wait to see updated pics.

He/she is adorable! So small and green!

So sweet.

Here's an update on my tank and Lil Leo

It looks completely different!!


The New Tank


Hangin out


Hangin out 2





Checkin himself out


Cool Shot (I love his belly markings)


The booty shot


His new tank set up and a Lil Leo swimmin around

Let me know what you think!!

Nice. Can you raise the water level without over heating the basking dock? And screening with holes that are less then 1/2" will filter out UVB rays. Do you have a UVB light?

Very nice upgrade. Like stated above, give the little guy more water and you'll see him swimming like crazy.

Since these were taken I haven't had the chance to take a picture but I added a good 2 inches of water in there- do you think I should add more? my boyfriend is afraid that if we put more in there the basking light will be too close to the little guy? I have noticed him swimming a lot more but I want to make sure he's got as much as he needs/wants!!

Well always try and get as much water in the tank as possible without allowing easy escape or over heating the basking dock. Remember there natural habitats are large ponds. So the more water the better.

You can buy a clamp or stand for the light so you can adjust how close it is to the basking area. But you need to get a cover with bigger holes in it. The holes need to be at least 1/2 inches in order for the UVB rays to get through.

Here are some newer pictures of the set up- added some more plants and water s/he seems to be lovin i!! (especially the new place to hide and the rosie reds to chase!)





Let me know what you think- that's his basking lamp- he gets his UVA from real sunlight outside!

It looks fantastic! I have watched the progression and it is better and better! If you are just using the lamp for heat when basking, you can use the screen cover. I would use the screen cover if you can, because they are amazing climbers! I think maybe the pretty viney type plant in the back right corner could be a way for a little turtle to go for a big adventure.

What kind of stand do you have the tank on? It looks like the plastic ones. If it is, you should get something alot sturdier. Water weighs almost 9 pounds per gallon so a 20g tank mostly filled can weigh over 160 pounds.

How does he get the sunlight? Do you take him outside?