Hi! Introduce yourselves here. :: New RES Hatchlings

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Post Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 8:11 pm   New RES Hatchlings

Last week my wife was given a pair of RES Hatchlings as a gift. I'm guessing from someone who did not know that they can be a lot of (setup) work to keep as pets.
Luckily, Growing up, I had a couple RES for about 5 years and know a thing or two about them. Unfortunately we had to give up the RES I had as a kid because they outgrew the tank and we couldn't get a bigger one.
I don't plan to have that problem this go-round, I want to have these two 25 years from now.

Meet Gryff and Puff
Image
They are roughly 2" long and I have them in a 30 gallon tank, so they have plenty of room for now.
...Of course I'm keeping an eye out for a 90 gallon tank for them to move into next year. :)


The two of them were in a small plastic carrier tank for about a week before we could bring all the supplies together for the 30gal.
During that time, they did not have proper water temperature or lighting. I feel bad about that, but at least they were fed and water was changed daily with dechlorinated water since it was such a small tank without a filter.


Gryff is currently giving me a bit of a scare because he is so lethargic, but I think it could just be adaptation to the new environment.
I'll give him a few more days to acclimate before I really start to worry.
He does eat and occasionally will swim around the tank. He was actually the brave one who swam laps around the new tank right after moving.

Anyhow, for my first post on the forums, I just wanted to introduce Gryff and Puff!
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spork
 
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 2:42 am   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Welcome to the forum! I'd just make sure the water temps are just right and the Gryff is getting his/her equal share of food :)
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Post Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2016 11:59 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Hi Steve, thanks for the welcome and the advice, I am definitely following it.

The tank sits around 78-80*F with one of the pre-calibrated type heaters (I know these are not typically recommended, but it's what I've got at the moment. When I go to the bigger tank within the year I will get an adjustable heater as well.) My in-tank thermometer and an instant read thermometer agree on temperature and I check the in-tank a couple times a day, so I'm pretty confident of the temperature. Under the heat lamp is mid 90's as best I can tell. If I leave the thermometer there for 30 minutes it rises up to 100, but in the first ~10 minutes it only climbs to 93*F.

Since posting on Wednesday I have been feeding them on opposite sides of the tank at the same time so I can monitor eating habits and make sure both are getting their fair share. Puff is definitely more ravenous, and will eat anything in the tank. On Wednesday I had to either put the food directly in front of Gryff or physically move him towards the food, as my concern said he was pretty lethargic. I know moving him and being close may cause a bit of stress, but at least it got him to eat. He ate about 1/3 head of pellets on Wed, and 1/2 head on Thurs. Feeding as I wrote this post, Gryff ate even more than last night and I think it is just about a full head worth of hatchling pellets.

I also put fresh (romaine) lettuce in today a few hours before feeding. They don't seem to care for it much, but will take a chomp at it now and again. I left it in for a couple hours, then took it out so it wouldn't get soggy.

I call them he and she (Gryff and Puff), despite not knowing the sex. Puff is a bit bigger and they're from the same clutch, so I guess that they could be one of each sex, only time will tell.
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Post Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 7:32 am   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Getting Gryff to eat is the most important step right now, sounds like you're doing a good job :)
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Post Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 11:45 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Thank you Steve. I appreciate your recommendations and support.

Gryff has been a bit more active over the last few days since we've had him eating, but he's still not roaming the tank like Puff. He likes to sit in the corner whether the basking light is there or not.
He also seems to have a hard time grabbing the pellets out of the water, he will miss sometimes and only get half of a pellet others. I am currently feeding with the ZooMed hatchling pellets because they are so small. I ordered the Omega One juvenile pellets a few days ago, they will arrive Wednesday.

Puff was absolutely voracious in her eating today, I took her out of the tank to feed Gryff, but it may be better to feed Gryff out of tank instead, especially since he struggles at eating.
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Post Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2016 12:37 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Are they both getting the same amount? It's great that Gryff's eating, though I might consider separating them if he doesn't act more normal at that point.
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Post Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2016 2:47 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Even when separated Gryff had been a bit less and a lot more slowly. Now they are eating the same amount (regulated by me) and I have fed them both together the last two days.
Gryff has become far more active (swimming and basking) and has started eating much more voraciously, almost as much as quickly as Puff at this point.

I have not seen anything that I consider aggression between the two. Puff will follow Gryff around the tank sometimes, especially during feeding, but it hasn't seemed to bother him. He will often climb right over Puff if she is in the way, so he doesn't seem afraid. I have not seen either snapping at the other, just what seems to be regular turtle curiosity of each other.

I have considered separating them already and will do it if I need to, but would like to see if they will get along first. As long as they remain active and healthy and I don't see aggression I'd like to keep them together.
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:53 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

My comment about separation is more if Gryff is still sick. Aggression will be something to deal with as they mature.
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:09 am   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Got it. I was thinking aggression (bullying) could cause one of them not to eat.
Regardless, since my last post he has been doing well I don't believe he is sick any longer.


Now they both swim, eat, and bask normally.
:mrgreen: :msgreen:
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:48 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Bullying could make the other turtle more inactive, glad to hear they are better.
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 12:20 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Squee ~ They're so cute! :oops:

I have one turtle (named Swimmer) who looks exactly like your turtles! My other turtle Nibbles has a more olive hue to his shell, and the outlines and lining of his shell are more darker. Hope you enjoy your stay.
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Post Posted: Sun Jul 24, 2016 1:41 am   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Thanks Protracturtle! I love their light coloring, the stripes on their face and limbs seem to pop a lot more because of it.

I think Puff has become a bit lighter over the past month. There is an obvious difference between the two now!
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Post Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2016 5:53 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Lighter you say?

That seems odd, since usually the shell tone becomes darker as the turtle matures. I know Swimmers shell (the one with the same bright green hue as your turtles) hasn't undergone any alterations in their shell hue ... or perhaps your pets may be a unique breed of RES turtles that will develop a different coloured shell?

It would be interesting to find out. :wink:
"You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:04 pm   Re: New RES Hatchlings

Protracturtle wrote:Lighter you say?

That seems odd, since usually the shell tone becomes darker as the turtle matures. I know Swimmers shell (the one with the same bright green hue as your turtles) hasn't undergone any alterations in their shell hue ... or perhaps your pets may be a unique breed of RES turtles that will develop a different coloured shell?

It would be interesting to find out. :wink:



Sorry for the extremely late reply!
They have both become darker in the last few months. I'm not sure what I was seeing, but the shell definitely seemed to lighten for a period before darkening.
Photos seem to confirm the change over time from dark to lighter back to dark. :?:
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