Hello! Nyx here. SAHM with 4 kids at home, though only one on two legs.
(1 7yo girl [Cheez or Little Miss depending on the day],
2 cats [Merlin and Willow],
and 1 RES [affectionately named (by my husband) DOOM TURTLE!])
We adopted this little dude into our family about 3 months ago, neither of us knowing ANYTHING about turtles, from my sister. (Who apparently knows less about turtles than we do...) She bought 3 baby RES from someone selling them at a roadside stand. Unfortunately, 2 of them died. The turtle formerly known as "Leo" officially became a member of our household after she and her family were evicted.
Realistically speaking, we still aren't all that certain about what we're doing, but we're actively learning, and he's (she's?) still alive and eating, so we're getting something right. Doom Turtle has since grown quite a bit, from less than an inch to just under 2 inches in the past month. He has also consumed 5 snails to date.... Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
We are looking into getting a new tank in the very near future, but as newbies, we're not sure what size we need to get. I've seen people talking about having a 75 gallon tank for a full grown turtle, and have also been told that we NEED a minimum of 125 gallons.... So, any advice is welcome. We're bound and determined to keep him, but know that we need guidance as well.
Only other thing I can really say is expect a lot of questions from my end, and please, be gentle. Reptiles are something new to both myself and my husband, and so while we may not have necessarily been looking at getting a turtle, you can bet that we're going to do our absolute best to keep him healthy for the long haul!