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Hi all, here are some pictures of my boyfriends turtle. His name is Pier and he is 12 years old now. They didn't raise him correctly so his shell is not so good. He was raised out of water and without a tank, he just has a really short plastic container he goes in and out of when he pleases. No UVB light, but he lives in Seville Spain which is really hot in summer and so he basks alot of real sun rays.





This is one more of my little lady Ugui from 2005

Heh, that's a funny Turt! What's he eatin in the first pic? And what is he tryin to bite in the second? lol

Hi rush, he is eating a prawn and in the second pic he is biting his food container

Is your boyfriend planning on setting up a suitable tank for him now?

No he is not, says hes been like that for 12 years now and is used to living that way. Not sure how he would react being in a tank since hes never known that.

That is so sad.

It is sad. Natural instict would tell the turt to swim. If there was any concern about it though, you could start with a little bit of water at a time, gradually adding more. I can't say for sure, but would be willing to bet that the conditions in which he has been raised will affect the lifespan of the turt and has obviously affected the overall health.

A person could get 'used to' living in sub-par conditions....that doesn't make it right. Sickening.

How is he supposed to eat correctly if he isn't in water? My RES can't swallow food without being in the water & her skin gets really dry if she is out of the water for too long.

No res can swallow food without water. And they can get severely dehydrated if not kept in water. I can't believe there's only a DISH of water that he gets in and out of 'when he pleases'

In the last pic, he does look like he's on a dock. I'm also surprised he doesn't have any other noticeable problems, however it is unfortunate that he won't be offered any appropriate accommodations.

I think the last picture is her turtle. lol But it is sad that he is not going to try and make a better home for him.

That last pic looks almost as bad anyway.

I wanted to add something here. You said

Not sure how he would react being in a tank since hes never known that."

I took in two adult res last year. They were about 7inches long each and had been kept in a 10 gal tank with only 2 inches of water their entire lives. They were 10 years old. I brought them home, set them up in a 50 gal, filled almost to the top and they took to it right away. They were meant to live in the water. Nothing will make them 'forget' how to swim. That turtle will appreciate having the correct AQUATIC environment even after 12 years of neglect. Please convince your boyfriend to do something good for his pet. No one else can.

Hi all,

Thanks for your concern, the turtle has more than a "dish" of water. He has a short plastic rubber maid he gets in and out off. I know its not appropriate but its not up to me. The turtle lives in Seville with my boyfriends mother, not in Madrid with me, my boyfriend and my turtle.

By the way Janaero, I take ofense to you saying my turtle looks just as bad, for one thing I've had her for almost 4 years now in the utmost conditions. Of course she is not perfect, but not one turtle is perfect or has the perfect shell. I am delighted to see that she is healthy. I take her to her vet and she has a clean bill of health. I'm sure not everyone here takes the time and money to take their turtles to the vet. Unless ofcourse for emergencies.

Seeing as she nearly starved and dehydrated to death before I found her. I think she is gorgeous and looks beautiful compared to what could have been. I am very proud of her, her health, and her steady growth.

I came here thinking I could get sound advice from fellow turtle lovers and caretakers, but I see that you ask for pics to judge people and their turtles. I will not post anymore pics here, if I continue to get negative comments about my Ugui.

As for my boyfriends turtle, yes I know he is not in good shape, I know he wasn't raised correctly but it is not up to me. Its great that he's been alive and well for 12 years now but not all people want to invest money on turtles. The best I do is tell them the correct way, but I can't force them.

I for one will continue to take care of my turtle for as long as it takes.

Thx

It's Jenaero, but anyway...I'm sorry for offending you, but it seems to me that something must have been going on with the feeding or lighting for your turt's shell to look that way. You must know she's slightly deformed. I'm sure she's beautiful in your eyes, as my pets are in mine.

We do not ask for photos here in order to pass judgement. You told us what your boyfriend's turtle's living conditions were and you must have known some of us would be concerned about that. Especially when you said he had no intent of improving her conditions. You will get sound advice from the people on this site, but you should be open to taking the advice that is given. Most of us here feel very strongly about the proper care of our animals and some of us will get upset when we see an animal that is so obviously being neglected (his, not yours).