Photo Gallery :: Pics of Rascal the Piglet UPDATED 12/28 with more pics!

[mkoby]

These aren't very good. She's pretty active and hard to capture!











She's not so afraid anymore!



Basking




Look how chubby!




Hello!


She took this krill out of my daughter's fingers!

[Kallistos]

Haha in the second picture I had to double take because it looked like she was climbing the glass! She's so small, just make sure she doesn't get stuck between the glass and black bar.

[SpotsMama]

What a cute little turtle! He/she is just beautiful!

What kind of pink plant is that with the roots hanging down? Does your turtle eat it?

Like RESowner34 said, you'd better be careful about your turtle getting stuck. Some turtles on here have actually drowned when they got stuck there and couldn't get loose. One way to help prevent this is to turn the plastic hanger upside down so that cross bar piece is above the water. Another thing you can do is remove the bottom suckers - the ones under the water. That allows that plastic frame to move in case the turtle needs to get loose. Little turtles seem to like a snug place to hide which is why, I suppose, they like to get behind that plastic frame. However, you've got plants in the water that would be safer places for the turtle to hide in.

[mkoby]

She does hide in the plants too. She tries to go on all sides of the dock. We do have the bottom suction cups unattached just in case.

[Muirner]

hey where did you end up getting your new baby? I'm so unsure of what i want to do with my tank, maybe turtles, maybe fish, who knows.. but those pictures were cute.

[industrial_girl_2000]

hey where did you end up getting your new baby? I'm so unsure of what i want to do with my tank, maybe turtles, maybe fish, who knows.. but those pictures were cute.

Michelle, her daughter, & I met up at a local pet store by her house here in Michigan to pick out a turt. Since she had such a sad experience with the first one (flea market turt), I offered to meet up with her *personally* to look at turts with her at this clean pet store & help her pick one out!

They had many of these little adorable RES babies in the tank, including several baby mississippi map turtles....many of them were very very young (still had a very soft leathery shell). The guy at the store was very patient with us as we had him pull out turtle by turtle so we could get a good look. Rascal the piglet was the one that caught my eye right from the start & we finally had the pet store guy grab her. He pulled her out of the tank & immediately Rascal sucked her little head in so far, you could only see her little nose...! I was immediately taken by her shy little personality, but the thing that impressed me the most was that there was evidence on her shell that she had been *eating* (you could see that she had grown quite a bit since the hatchling stage). The shell had a nice rounded appearance, and both eyes were completely open & alert but she was not aggressive. Just all-around a great-looking turt!

What I didn't tell Michelle that day is that if she wouldn't have bought Rascal, I WOULD HAVE! I don't need another turt, but Rascal was special and when Michelle called me later in the evening to let me know that Rascal had just finished her *2nd* feeder fish and was actively going after a 3rd fish, I knew I was right. I was just very glad to see that Rascal got a great home, and that Michelle & her family got a healthy sweet new baby to care for!

[Muirner]

Good work industrial! I didnt know you could find turtles this small in the store. I'm acually trying to convince a local petstore to let me adopt a quarter sized yellow bellied slider. not sure what i'm gonna do, but something sooner or later!

[mkoby]

I had to sign a waiver that said the turt was for educational purposes and I was aware of the salmonella risks.

We went to a pet store that specializes in fish and reptiles. It wasn't your normal Petsmart or Petco. My girlfriend also got a little half dollar sized turt at a different petstore.

Muirner, I think you should get another turtle! You have already done all the research and no what you're getting into. You make an incredible turtle dad!

Kristen, Thank you so much for everything!!!!! We LOVE Rascal! She is so much fun to watch. I'm currently looking into a larger tank and I think she will have to come out of my daughter's room. She's getting tired of me being in there! lol!! She's still very active and eating like a champ. I have even gotten her to eat in a separate tank. Now we're working on getting her used to us. She won't let me hand feed her yet, but she will eat in front of me. She's not running off her basking dock quite as fast either. Baby steps.

[d0eb0y]

what a cutey u got there. my RES does the same exact thing wit the turtle dock crossbars. Thats where she sleeps at night. I also keep the suction cups unclipped underwater incase she decides to get stuck but the idea of turning the holder upside down so the crossbar is above water is a pretty good idea.,.cant believe i never thought of that...lol
ty for that bit of advice,,,,,and goodluck wit your new RES!

[Muirner]

My turts used to do that (sleeping on the bar) until i devised the top floating plants... that was their new sleeping place.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Muirner, I think you should get another turtle! You have already done all the research and no what you're getting into. You make an incredible turtle dad!

Kristen, Thank you so much for everything!!!!! We LOVE Rascal! She is so much fun to watch. I'm currently looking into a larger tank and I think she will have to come out of my daughter's room. She's getting tired of me being in there! lol!! She's still very active and eating like a champ. I have even gotten her to eat in a separate tank. Now we're working on getting her used to us. She won't let me hand feed her yet, but she will eat in front of me. She's not running off her basking dock quite as fast either. Baby steps.

Yeah, Muirner, you should try again! As wonderful as Sheba is now, my first attempt at turtle-keeping wasn't the best either. But I didn't give up, and now I am glad.

Michelle, I am so glad that Rascal is doing well! She was a little shy in the store, but initial shyness in a turtle is not too much of a problem. I know you guys give her plenty of attention, and I think you will really see her personality develop over the next 2 months as she continues to get used to her new family.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Those updated pics of her basking are really cute! She is definitely starting to get over her shyness. I love the pic of her completely sucking into her shell....you can only see the little nose.....reminds me a lot of my Binky (2" painted turt) many years ago who used to do the same thing when I first picked her up. Ahhh, memories.....

Glad to hear Rascal is taking the krill from your fingers. That is VERY encouraging. I think that in time, with all the attention she is getting, she will continue to come out of her shell even more! Let me know if you need ideas on training. She looks great! Keep up the great work with her!

[cam722]

Sounds like you got very lucky this time around. You sure did pay your dues!!!! I'm so glad you're having a great turtle experience..

[mkoby]

Thank you for the comments! I didn't realize how much fun a turtle could be. She is an absolute joy to watch. I am constantly in my daughter's room watching her. I have been driving my daughter crazy. When I upgrade her tank, I think I will put it somewhere I don't need to get permission to enter. lol. I really want to put it in my family room because it is the only room that is on a slab instead of the basement, but I'm not sure about all the activity. Or the cat!

[mkoby]

Here's her temporary home...




Here's my daughter Alison and her cat Ruby