Photo Gallery :: My Turtle - 20 Years Young!

[Mnuemonix]

Okay, so I'm attempting to post some pics of my good reptilian buddy which has been with me since I was around 7 years old and had yet to learn how to ride a bike. I'm now 26 and married. I have no idea how old he was when I got him, but like I said, he's been with me for about 20 years now...I've written about him in the Introduction forums, as well as the General care forums so far.

I have no idea what species he is, And for all I know, he may actually be a she...You guys can help me determine. ...The pet store I got him in said he was an "African Slider" turtle, but I can't find anything on an "African Slider"...So without further ado:

"Puddles", but I've always called him "Buddy" (gimme a break I named him when I was 7!)

I took a few pictures of him lounging underneath his log in his tank, and a couple of him on the computer room floor...He's about 7 inches in length...But that's a rough guess, I haven't actually taken a ruler to him yet, and right now he's sleeping (it's 11 pm where I'm at right now), and I don't want to wake him just so I can take a ruler to him.

[missibsu]

very cute little guy that you have there! I can't help much on determining type, but I do know that some RES have yellow stripes instead of red. Also, if he's anything like an RES he may try to eat the gravel...and that wouldn't be good. Best, I would think, to remove it.

You should enter your photos in the photo contest!

[DOOMSTACHE]

Wow, no heat lamp or uvb bulb. Looks like he's done good for himself. The shell does look pretty bad and amazed to see that there is not curling.

[Mnuemonix]

As I've stated in other threads, his tank has always been lined with rocks, and I've never had any issues with him trying to eat it...He likes to dig around in it, and sometimes it looks as if he's playing with it...But I've never seen him try to eat it.

And I didn't know he's apparantly un-healthy.

[Mnuemonix]

And yes, you're correct...I have no lamp for my good buddy either.

I've always relied on sunlight for him to bask in.

[sonyj]

I've done some searches and can't seem to identify him either. Maybe some one else will come along that can help.

He looks good to me. I'd imagine that after twenty years and he's never tried to lay eggs that you probably do have a "him". Females will lay eggs even if unfertilized so you would have known if he was a "she" surely by now.

A basking lamp will induce them to bask. It's important that they bask for several reasons. One is that the heat helps them digest their food. They also bask to regulate their body temperature since they are cold-blooded. Also, in the wild they bask to soak up sun that provides essential UVB rays for healthy bones and shells. Without adequate UVB they can develop Metabolic Bone Disease. So a heat light and a UVB light are very important and should be placed over the basking area and be on for around 12 hours a day. If he gets to go outside to soak up rays a few times a week this will meet his UVB needs. Glass/Screen etc will block most UVB rays so there shouldn't be anything in between the UVB light/sun and the turtle.

I've heard stories about when the owners removed the gravel from the tank even when they thought it wasn't being ingested, they'd find little pieces of gravel on the bare bottom of the tank for months after having removed it. If he has ingested it and it's been passing then you are blessed because it could very well have become impacted which will lead to surgery or worse.

Hopefully soon we will be able to find out exactly what kind he is.

[jn]

20 years ?? woah i hope my turtle could like that long

[Mnuemonix]

I have such trouble trying to find out what species he is.

And my dad once tried to tell me that female turtles will lie eggs no matter what, and I always thought he was crazy. I guess he knew what he was talking about...He always does apparantly....And I haven't seen anything egg-like ever, and I change his water bi-weekly.

For right now I will look into upgrading his living conditions little by little...Money is tight being a newly wed...But I guess the first thing I'll want to look into is a sunlamp for him....I've always sat his tank near a window where the sunlight hits his log for at least part of the day.

What are the price ranges for the lamps, and are they easy to hook up and install? How safe are they in terms of catching things on fire? And any suggestions into brands and where I could find one for a good price?

At the moment there are only two pet stores near me...One is a dirty hole in the wall (who has nice employees), and then a Petsmart.

[Pugness]

petsmart is probably one of the best and cheapest that i know of that has actual stores in damn near every city, but hey you can check out bigalsonline.com they happen to have really good pricing for their stuff.

[rtswim400@yahoo.com]

Also petsmart usually price matches with their online store, you can save a lot of money that way. They are really simple to install: just screw the buld into a fixture that you buy at the pet store(usually like $11 and comes with a clamp to just clamp to the tank). I have only heard of close calls with dropping the thing in the tank, but never fires.

[hannah.26]

I saw that DOOMSTACHE said his shell looks bad...care to elaborate?

I think he's cute by the way! The yellow stipes are fabulous!!

Oh and congrats on your wedding!!

[Pugness]

pescagoula map turtle maybe???

[Mnuemonix]

pescagoula map turtle maybe???

That's the closest looking one yet...Except in all the pictures that I've found for this species (which weren't many for some reason) the shell looks different...The shells are kind of jagged, or spikey...But maybe he is a form of map turtle, and not a slider.

Maybe this should be a contest.

"Guess The Species"

[sonyj]

Did you see this one? Texas Cooter

[Mnuemonix]

That's pretty close, too.

But the beak looks different...The one in the picture is kind of jagged, and mine is a smooth curve.

And again the shell is different...My turtle is a little more stream lined, and this one is kind of bulbous...All of the colors seem to match, though.

My poor turtle seems to be all alone in the gene pool.