When we got them in late October 07, they were about 1". Dory was a solid dark green and could barely swim, Nemo was a mossy green with yellow stripes and was a much stronger swimmer. Today's measurement puts Dory about 4 3/4" and Nemo about 4". Any idea of just how old they might be? I have no idea how big a new hatchling is, but we assumed that they were the same age b/c they were the same size. Since they're not really growing at the same rate, now I'm not sure what's "normal" and whether they're growing too quickly. And at what age does their growth slow down?
I'm also convinced they're overfed. They get HBH turtle bites 2x a day, probably about 15-20 each time. About once a week they get about 1/4tsp dried shrimp too. It doesn't seem like one eats more than the other, just depends on whose closer to the food when it gets dropped in. I'm not sure how to tell if they're fat though, and they're not pyramiding, so I don't exactly have much to go with in order to convince my husband they're overfed. They love anacharis but ignore cuttle bone and veggies. They've got DH trained pretty well and do such a good job at begging that he's convinced they'll starve themselves to death if he changes their feeding habits.
Right now they're in a 10g L reptile tank, with about 6g water but we're planning to buy a bigger tank in a couple weeks. I'm keeping an eye on the greensheet and craigslist for a good deal, but if we gotta buy new, then we will. We're getting at least a 50g but maybe we should get a bigger one? And if we do, how much is that going to impact the lighting/filtration/heating setup? We already have issues with not being able to find a small heater that fits in the tank and keeps the water warm enough, or at least not one within our normal budget. We do have a small in-tank filter that we got from Petsmart but I don't think it does all that great of a job since we still have to change the water weekly. Dory likes to take showers under the waterfall though.
Is it okay to take them out of the tank for short amounts of time and get them used to being held? DH goes nuts when I do it but I think it would make them more friendly and less afraid of us once they get bigger. They're both fairly social and will come out on their basking ramp to watch tv or just watch us. They're quick little things though (as I found out tonight when I was trying to take their pictures) which makes me a little hesitant to let them out. I think they'd have to go in a big box or something that they can't climb out of.
Oh, one more thing I just remembered. They flutter at each other nose to nose and then one will push the other away. It kinda looks like they're fighting, but they don't try to bite each other so I'm wondering if they're really just playing. We do stop them when we see it just in case it's signs of aggression, though. They'll go on their merry little way and like to sleep and bask laying on one another. Is any of this normal or are my turtles just weird? (All my other pets are, so I wouldn't be surprised if they are too. LOL)
Okay, that's enough for now. I know I probably sound uneducated about turtle care, but I figure we gotta be doing something right since they're thriving.
TIA!
