General Care Discussion :: I cant get a straight answer please help. Mating or fighting

[SpotsMama]

1981camero, sounds like you do have a housefull!

There are two reasons why there are so many RES needing homes that can't get adopted. One is that there are more of them out there than there are people willing to adopt. They are quite prolific and they survive in almost every habitat that will support turtles so they are everywhere.

The other reason there are so many that can't find homes is that, as you've discovered, it takes a pretty elaborate setup to support a RES. With a cat, all you need is a litter box and some good cat food. For a RES, you have to have a big tank filled with clean water, fancy filter, elaborate lights, special food including fresh things, keep the temperature a constant 75 degrees, etc etc. It's just more than a lot of people want to deal with. They get the turtles when they are tiny and green but when they grow up, people don't want them any more because they are too much trouble. It's sad.

[TheComputerGremlin]

And really, it's not going to matter if you raise them from babies to walk around your house or not, it's going to depend on the turtle. If you want your turtles to feel comfortable walking around the house, just take them out for a few minutes each day and slowly increase the time out. You'll be able to tell after a few tries if your turtle is interested or not, depending on if they look for somewhere to hide or are in their glory sitting on the carpet. If you get a baby turtle, we don't advise anyone take the baby out until they are at least 4", if not larger, anyhow, for a few reasons: the smaller they are, the easier they are lost; the smaller they are, the more likely the stress will induce illness or them to potty on the floor/carpet and smaller ones are more likely to release Salmonella when doing it; the smaller they are, the colder they get quicker, leading to problems. So, even if you had a baby, you'd need to wait until they are a teenager or adult before taking them out anyways. And some of the turtles needing adopted are probably quite friendly and happy to wander around your house!

And I agree, RES are quite lovely turtles, and enjoyable to have!

[1981camaroz28]

I stated them walking at 2 maybe 3 inches never a problem and I have 3 of my cousins do it we never had any issues. I have to ask how does exercise hurt any turtle do you think in the wild they say in the water all the time? They leave the water all the time sun bathing for one reason and sometimes to move to another water source.