I'm a bit bored right now, so I thought I'd just type up an introduction.
A few days ago my sister left with her family for a vacation. And what did she drop by before pulling out of town? A turtle, which her kids had found somewhere (maybe the lake...maybe. Who knows). This is what it was brought in:
Now, I'm not a big animal person, really. I mean, I like nature and all, and the outdoors, but as far as a desire to own a pet or anything -- well, let's just say that the mere possibility of the thought of even owning a turtle popping into my head was pretty remote. But even though I didn't know much about turtles, I knew that it wouldn't last long in what is apparently known the world over as a "death bowl," and that for however long they had been keeping it, it wasn't getting the care it needed (and it was only being fed worms).
So, as soon as I saw the turtle, which was very small (I haven't measured it, but perhaps 3" at most), I hit the Internet hard and went on a species search. Turns out it was a Red Eared Slider. And that information inevitably led me here. How's it going?
I've kind of taken it upon myself to make sure this turtle is taken care of. And after mentioning what it takes to do so to my sister (who is still out of town, by the way), she's decided that maybe keeping it wasn't the best idea, and that I can have it if I want it. So here I am, a reluctant owner of a fairly young RES.
Anyway, I ran over to Wal-Mart to pick up the bare essentials: an aquarium (10 gallons...small but I'm working on that), some turtle pellets, a heater, some river stones, a basking platform, etc. etc. I set up its new home like this:
Oh, and don't worry -- I removed the small rocks soon after, and the bottom of the tank is clear except for the larger river stones, now. I'd snap a quick picture but the turtle is asleep.
Anyway, by now you're probably curious to see what the turtle looks like. Apparently its name was Squirt, but I've secretly renamed it Threepwood after Guybrush Threepwood from ye ole Monkey Island adventure games. Yar. Here he is (I'm assuming it's a he):
Once again I'd like to say hello to everyone. Just reading these forums has been a stress reliever for myself and probably a life-saver for what would have been an otherwise (most likely) poor turtle. It took a while to get used to its habitat, but now I've actually gotten it to eat the pellets, carrots, romaine lettuce, and even a bit of banana. It basks in the sun when I take it outside (I haven't purchased a UVB light yet), and follows my fingers around because apparently they're like a magic food dispenser to him.
