Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: Hey from Georgia!

[LadyBloodRose]

Well i already posted in anouther part so i figured i migth as well go ahead an do a bit if an introduction to myself an my turts.

Myself - i'm 23yr old i live in Murray County Ga, in the south eastern US. I've always had animals in my life, from horses to snakes an even insects. I've always loved turtles, often just enjoying examing box turts i'd find in the woods or playing dangerously with the big snappers we would catch out of our pond.

I've rehabed a bit on my own, an done ail of everything.
I've had alota exprence with varrious types of turtles from wild to tame an inbetween.

The turts i have now are

"Cooter" - whom i thought was a river cooter for the past 4 years lol turns out shes actualy a res with realy dark markings



"Nessie" - my Spinned Soft Shell. Much like cooter she is spoiled rotten. Shes cooters best friend an companion . many offten remark about her odd shell markings

[IMG]http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t193/lbr1/My%20Turtles/S4020628.jpg[/IMG


and finaly my baby soft shell, whom i have not thought of a name for



anyone who may have any sujestions for her name is welcome to make them .

turtles i hope to an am getting in the near future consist of a Musk turtle, I haven't had one for a while figure a baby would be just great!!!

And a "baby" 4 inch Orange Belly Common Snapper I just love these guys, an i have been wanting anouther snapper since i gave away my Ally Snapper an my Common Snappers

[kmichael55]

Welcome!! aww the second picture of cooter is adorable!

[LadyBloodRose]

lol everyone loves her open mouth pics XD
She realy doesn't like to be photographed sometimes lol she was a bit cranky cuz i was doing all the identification pics of her XD lol

[kmichael55]

I've never seen the underside of a soft shell, it's really interesting. Are the really soft? (ha that sounds stupid, but I mean is there any hardness to their shells or are they like a fish?)

[Safdar]

Ya the 2nd pic is the best
Welcome

[SpotsMama]

Greetings and Welcome to the Forum! You pictures are terrific and your turtles are beautiful. Where do your turtles live - do you have a pond outside?

[LadyBloodRose]

I've never seen the underside of a soft shell, it's really interesting. Are the really soft? (ha that sounds stupid, but I mean is there any hardness to their shells or are they like a fish?)

its kinda soft, sorta lke feeling firm cartlidge their undersides are so neat with some its almost like you can see threw them just slightly! Oh an their skin itself feels awsome!!!!!

SpotsMama Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 1:51 pm

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Greetings and Welcome to the Forum! You pictures are terrific and your turtles are beautiful. Where do your turtles live - do you have a pond outside?

My baby softie is currently in a 10 Gallon Tank due to Nessie getting abit grumpy the other day. an she shares her home with 2 3 inch Peacock Eels an roughly 10 red bellies (lil white fish barely bigger then a neon)
As for Nessie an Cooter (my res an adult softie) they both reside in a large 55 gallon tank, comeplete with home made basking dock that i created.
I'm hoping to get a bigger tank hopefuly, but it may or may not ever happen. They have plenty of room in their 55 though an enjoy their time togeather.

I don't have a pond though if i decide to do one i might get a stock tank an do a nice coypond for my turts for a bit of basking in the summer months, though right now i have one of the plastic shells haped kiddie pools that I often take Cooter out in an lt her relax in an soak up some sun, freash air an water

[DavidY]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you've had some cool experiences w/ turtles and animals. How big was your Gator snapper before you had to give him away? I love those guys and have been wanting to get a hatchling but I don't think I could house one to full size.

[Tattoo]

welcome from alabama. Love the pics. I have never seen asoft shell turtle before.

[turboturtle8]

Very nice pics

[LadyBloodRose]

Welcome to the forum! Sounds like you've had some cool experiences w/ turtles and animals. How big was your Gator snapper before you had to give him away? I love those guys and have been wanting to get a hatchling but I don't think I could house one to full size.

She was roughly a foot when i gave her away to a local wildlife refuge an rehibilitaion, they use her in their wildlife shows to help educate people about turtles an shes realy grown since then.
I didn;t realy have to give her up but i thought it would be a good thing for her .

Allys are great turts an some say they are not for beginners, but in all honesty i was a beginner when i first started takingc are of common snappers. A baby ally is easy to me to care for, in the same sence as any other turt, they enjoy having there space an having hiding areas, as well as having just drift wood outa the water to hang out on. An they truly do have their own personalities

I have actualy been known to dive off banks at the river up teh road to catch them! about 2 years ago i jumped off a 5 foot embankment into 3 foot of water to snag a ally with a 2 foot shell an haul it up the bank just to show my BF what a big one realy looked like! lol he thought i was nuts! an of course last weekend had to help a guy get one off his line that was probly lil over a foot.
(i'm crazy yes i know!!!)

My favorte thing about allys though is that they can't bite your hands if you hold them in the right place unlike commons who can realy streach those necks out!
If your thinking of getting one, specificly a small one, you can start off with a small 10 gallon tank an work your way up.
Some says o much per inch or what not, but so long to me as the turt has plenty of room to swim, turn without running into walls, an can get around without any issue the tanks are fine .

When ally get to big for a tank an you dun wanna by a 300gal then a stock tank works great for them!

Tattoo Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 6:46 pm

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welcome from alabama. Love the pics. I have never seen asoft shell turtle before.

this actualy suroprises me a bit, that not only you but alota people have never seen a softie before! They are just awsome turts, an are verry intresting to watch in their tanks. My baby softie which i have yet to name enjoyed actualy sleeping with Cooter.

If you ever get the chance to see a softie an realy touch them, its an awsome exprence. One your not likely to ever forget either I just also recently gave a young adult softie to a friend of mine whos never owned turts before. An he absolutely loves his!

[DavidY]

I have actualy been known to dive off banks at the river up teh road to catch them! about 2 years ago i jumped off a 5 foot embankment into 3 foot of water to snag a ally with a 2 foot shell an haul it up the bank just to show my BF what a big one realy looked like! lol he thought i was nuts! an of course last weekend had to help a guy get one off his line that was probly lil over a foot.
(i'm crazy yes i know!!!)

woohoo! Yea I'd like to hang with you! Man a 2 foot alligator snapper! That thing must've weighed a ton. lol! What's really cool about those guys is how they use their tongue as a lure to attract fish to come closer so they can bite 'em!

[LadyBloodRose]

DavidY
woohoo! Yea I'd like to hang with you! Man a 2 foot alligator snapper! That thing must've weighed a ton. lol! What's really cool about those guys is how they use their tongue as a lure to attract fish to come closer so they can bite 'em!

lol any time course some of my psycho jumping off banks has to be calmed for a few months I'm pregnant right now lol! But i still find myself wading out an working myself under logs an stufflol my bf thinks i'm crazy sometimes but he supports me, which i am happy about lol he grumbles the entire time he's dragin 10gallon buckets across the river an up the banks lol.

Oh! somethin i forgot to mention about softshell turtles that i ment to, an that is a verry intresting fact that not alota people know, is that soffties have extremlys pecial skin, which allows them to obsorb a bit of oxygen from the water around them an allow them to stay under longer!!!!!! Its like an emergency tank!


I can't wait to get my Orange Belly Common Snapper lol the owners gona hold her for me till i can get the $ up for her, an is wilin to throw in a Penn Cooter to thats roughly the same size.

[DavidY]

Congrats on your pregnancy! Yeah don't get yourself hurt now! So you don't worry about getting your fingers taken off while you're reaching under a log? I know snappers don't go looking to bite people but I would think if you inadvertantly got your fingers too close to a gator's mouth, he'd bite 'em off.

Is your new Orange Belly snapper a local color morph or is she one of the imports from Australia?

[LadyBloodRose]

Congrats on your pregnancy! Yeah don't get yourself hurt now! So you don't worry about getting your fingers taken off while you're reaching under a log? I know snappers don't go looking to bite people but I would think if you inadvertantly got your fingers too close to a gator's mouth, he'd bite 'em off.

Is your new Orange Belly snapper a local color morph or is she one of the imports from Australia?

Can't be afraid all the time right? Usualy if i am goin to be stickin my hand under a log i have a pair of goggels on so i can see, but sometimes i forget those. I don't worry about gettin bitten in the water as much as I do once i haul the guys up on land to check'em out. cuz then they realy get an attitude problem lol.

That big 2 footer i pulled up was fairly diocile in the water, but once i got her up that bank an onto the ground in our campsite, she got nasty, i even got my bf to bring a good size stick over to show him their bite force, an he watched her snap it like it was nothing. lol all he could do was look at me an say "your crazy you know that" lol.
My dad used ta tell me when I was lil

if a snapper ever bites you, they wont let go till it thunders.

lol thankfuly the only ones i've realy been bitten by have been lil babies an while its painful they just pinch!

As for weither shes a local mrph or importa i'm not sure yet, working on getting all the details from the seller. She's gona cost me 115 thats with overnight shipping.
The guy also has some stinkpots i might be intrested in, as well as a Pen Cooter.