General Care Discussion :: Finding RES a new (qualified) home?

[genamariep]

Hiya!

I'm new to the forum, and finding it very helpful to helping me improve the care of my turtle. I was using a RES book from the pet store before, and it's proven to be woefully inadequate.

Unfortunately, the more I learn about RES care, the more I feel like I am inadequate - or, at least, my current lifestyle, if that makes sense. My dad got me the turtle on the whim while I lived in a college dorm. I have been improving his housing and set-up ever since, but reading this forum, I still don't think it's quite good enough.

For example, I live in an apartment. I know I need a bigger tank for my turtle, but my landlady has put the kibosh on it, and got upset when she found out how large and full my current tank is. I had to talk a blue streak just to keep my current setup.

I'm also entering a phase of life where I have to travel frequently, and for long periods of time for my job and I'm worried about how to find someone to care for him while I'm gone.

So, I guess my question is, if turtle needs a new home, is there a resource or suggestion for finding a qualified owner? Not just some ten year old kid somewhere but someone who really knows what they are doing and can give him a good home?

[BullDog]

This link has some rehoming sites:
http://www.redearslider.com/links_adopt ... scues.html

The other thing you can do is put a price on the turtle, so only people who are truly interested inquire, and not the ones that are like, "Hey! A free turtle! Lets get one!"
You can perhaps sell your current equipment with the turtle, as long as the new owner understands that he or she will need to upgrade in the near future.

You can also "interview" possible new owners. See what they know about basic RES care (how big they get, what size tanks they need, what to feed them, lighting, etc).

[TheComputerGremlin]

Rehoming RES is rather difficult because there are just so many of them.

But some things to consider. 1) You don't have to meet the 10 gallons per inch guideline under certain circumstances. You are living with a limit due to your landlady. As long as we aren't talking a 12" turtle in a 10 gallon tank, you are already providing better conditions than most turtles have. What size is your turtle and how big is your setup? A few years of abuse will likely still be better than living with someone else. For instance, my turtle has outgrown her setup. But I'm moving in 6 months. I should upgrade her to her final tank now, but honestly, I can't see spending the money with having to move everything soon. 2) Turtles can go for periods of time without daily care. You can purchase automatic pellet feeders to make sure they get daily food. You can generally hire someone to check in on them, and I can't imagine them charging anything too much for checking in and dropping some veggies in 2-3 times a week. My cat sitter tacked the turtle on for free, so I'm sure you could arrange for less than $10 a week. Turtles don't really care if their owner is in their face constantly.

Another method for rehoming is to contact your local humane society. You should be able to become a "foster" parent for your turtle (I know, it sounds weird) until someone comes in interested in getting a turtle. The humane group would interview them, and probably allow you to do the same. You may even be able to arrange for a nominal adoption fee and see if the new owners want to buy your current setup.

[genamariep]

Right now, he is about six inches long, and his tank is about 30" x 18", with 10-12" of water in it (I need to add more water at the moment, but the fullest I can have it due to land lady is about 12").

If it is that hard to find a new owner, then I will probably keep him. I made a commitment to the guy, after all . I am just feeling stressed out at the moment.

[TheComputerGremlin]

So you have a 30 gallon breeder by those calculations. One way you can maximize your tank is by building an above tank basking area. This allows you to have as much tank for water and not have other things in it. As well, you *might* be able to get away with connecting two tanks using a basking ramp to connect them both. I'll look for the link in a second. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... =two+tanks

And don't feel bad. After I found this board, I had a nervous breakdown. I was freaking out, saying that getting a turtle was the biggest mistake ever, I can't live with an animal that lives for 40 years, I don't have the money, etc. But my husband calmed me down, we worked out the finances and discovered we had enough to get my turtle started at least, and decided that she is a really great pet.

[steve]

Once you get the basics down and develop a feeding and cleaning routine, things will be so much easier. You won't regret keeping a turtle for a friend

[genamariep]

So you have a 30 gallon breeder by those calculations. One way you can maximize your tank is by building an above tank basking area. This allows you to have as much tank for water and not have other things in it. As well, you *might* be able to get away with connecting two tanks using a basking ramp to connect them both. I'll look for the link in a second. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... =two+tanks

It sounds like you and I had similar reactions! I went from thinking, "Easy, low maintenance pet" to, "my god what did I get myself into..."

Right now I have the largest Turtle Dock they sold at the pet store - and he seems to use that frequently - do you think that's OK? Of all the basking set-ups I've tried, he uses this one the most frequently. It floats, so I generally add as much water as I can, while still leaving enough room that he can't escape. I don't think we can do a second tank, though, as there is not really room for it.

I am going to try and get him a heater soon - any suggestions for good ones? I have access to Petco and Petsmart, or I could possibly buy one online, as well, if people know of any good places.

[TheComputerGremlin]

The turtle dock should work for now. Browse the site, esp. the picture section, for above tank basking areas. This is going to be a whole big extra room you'll make on top of the tank. It won't be store-bought, you'll have to construct it yourself. But you've got plenty of time to work out the construction and make it, so don't fret.

As for heaters, I think Hagen or Marineland VisiTherm are good brands? You want something called a stealth heater, which is less likely to break. For a 30 gallon tank, you'll want 100-200W I believe. I think the rule is 3-5W per gallon. I have a 40 gallon breeder with a 200W one. I have the PetSmart brand, Top Fin I think. It hasn't given me a problem yet, so I'm happy with it. There are a lot of trustworthy places online, petsolutions.com is a good store, Amazon.com also sells some fish stuff, PetSmart and PetCo are also online.

[SpotsMama]

Visitherm stealth is a good brand of heater.

[genamariep]

Ok - I got a 150 W heater. I am trying to get him to eat veggies, but I'm having a really hard time. I got one of those mixed greens bags (not of iceberg lettuce - the kind with red lettuce and a variety) and, so far, he just refuses to eat it at all.