Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hello All!

[sonyj]

I know Marisa has talked about growing some plants in the past, you could search through her old posts (which are a lot ) Or maybe she'll be by here later and fill you in. I've personally not kept snails or live plants. I tried anachris which my turtle had gone in next to no time. So for the price, it wasn't worth it to keep buying for a couple of days each. But if you can grow it yourself it would probably be great.

[flutterby]

What I don't understand is this.....


You've ordered things online that cost, what about $10 or so, when you could have gone out and gotten a proper tank/or a rubbermade container for about $10-15... especially since your turtles are probably not going to eat all of the plants you purchased and they will probably go to waste anyway....

Just some thoughts.

[marisa]

Angella, duckweed is arguably the best aquatic plant you can give your turtles--great calcium phosphorus ratio, so if you can get it, that's great.

My turts had access to anachris, water hyancinth and azolla this summer. It's been raining over a week and has gotten colder I'm hoping to get in most of the water hyancinth and anachris in this weekend. I'm going to try to keep it indoors for next spring (anachris has been declared an invasive plant in this state and I think water hyancinth may be as well by now). I think aquatic plants are really good to give turts, and as with veggies, depending on the nutrients in the water they're grown in, they can be a good source of nutrition for turts.

[Angella]

Flutterby:

Just for clarification purposes -- I'm all over this new tank thing.
1) I don't want my turts in a rubbermaid if I can find a decent size tank for them. I'd like to get a proper tank so that lighting and filtration setups will be simpler, and so that I can see the little darlings without scaring the bujeez out of them when they're basking.

2) I live in a small town and only have access to a K-Mart, and the tubs they do have, well they suck, and are on the pricey side!

3) All the tanks for sale in the classifieds this week were WAY too expensive -- like 300 bucks a pop for a used tank -- no way I'm paying that much for something that might not even work properly.

4) I'll be in Santa Clarita (a much larger town) in a week or so for several days, and hope to find a wider selection of used tanks there at more reasonable prices. If I don't find one, I can purchase a sturdier rubbermaid type container at a home/garden center than I could get here for the same or a cheaper price.

Also, the duckweed and snails I purchased were a real bargain! I'm getting them all, 10 full grown Ramshorn snails and enough duckweed to populate a 2-3 gallon tank for less than 10 dollars with shipping covered by the seller, and a live delivery guarantee. Additionally, these snails and plants will, once established, supplement the diets of not only my hatchlings, but 5 adult turts as well. I think they're a splendid investment.

Seeing as how I'm on a tight budget here, I take the deals as they come. In the meantime, I'm doing the best for my babies that I can with what I have to work with.

Hoping that helps to clarify the situation a little...
I appreciate your interest in the well-being of my little ones, and your candor, but your tone was a little flippant -- that part, I can do without.

[flutterby]

Believe me, if I was being "flippant" you would have known.


My turtle has spent the past 2 months in a rubbermade container, which was good because he had time to adjust without having to worry about people staring at him. I'm just thinking about whats good for your turtles, but as with most people on this forum, you will do what you want regardless of what advise we give.

[missibsu]

I personally wouldn't be too concerned about keeping the turts in their present container. You know that you need to get a larger one, and you are working on it. Furthermore, they are getting the light and heat that they need and that is just as important. I can't imagine how long my turts would have stayed in their death bowl if I hadn't found this site, and I imagine that in some cases turts are kept in less than desirable situations for even longer periods of time. So, way to go on reading the information and being of mind to do something about it!

[Angella]

Missibsu:
Thanks for the encouragement! I know I'm not the perfect turtle mommy, what new parent is? I am, however, learning as much as I can, and this site is a great source of information. I'm happy to be beginning this journey with my turtles with access to such a wealth of knowledge, and hope to incorporate a lot of the ideas I've found here into my own setup, as it comes together! You guys are great!

[tinyslider]

Welcome! It's good to have you here! I think that your are doing a great job with your new babies. NO ONE should expect a person to just get everything at once for their new pets, especially with the price of tanks and filters, ect. It takes time to build a perfect habitat for them. From reading your post's, you are "on the right track". It took my girlfriend and I a long time to get what we have, and we still need to upgrade The most important thing is free, love. I think your turts are in the right hands!

[TinySlider2]

Sounds like your providing the best that you can. You know what you need and at least your trying. Just shop around and you can find better deals on tanks ect.....That's what we did and ended up with a 55gal tank and stand at a great price. Welcome! [-----] luck with your new babies. keep up the good work!

[Angella]

You two wouldn't happen to be related would ya? One heck of a kwinkidink you both naming ALL your turts with the same names

[TinySlider2]

More like Girlfriend and Boyfriend. LOL

[Angella]

OH That makes perfect sense then! You two sure have come up with some amazing names. I'm just calling mine Baby Red and Yellow for now. Turtles have such varied personalities, really. I'm going to wait until they name themselves, I guess. Of course, I did that with my cat, and he ended up being called Chicken! Hopefully I can come up with something less insulting for the turtle babies!

[TinySlider2]

Thank you! Personalities had a lot to do with the names. I would explain how but it would take for ever. LOL.

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

Hit the garage sales, is all I have to say, well, almost all, I just recently passed up a 55 gallon tank, not cause I wanted to, just that I don't have a place of my own just yet, but as soon as I do, I may make a tank of my own design.

[curiousmonkey]

Angella
check out ebay! most tanks must be picked up but i was just looking for my turt and i saw ALOT from California. just a thought