General Care Discussion :: 2 new turts

[blulite]

hi guys ive not been on for a while but im back, so hi to you all .

so yesterday i ound a post on the freecycle network of 2 RES. i mailed the lady offering them and after she viewed my setup on here she kindly decided to allow me to re home the pair.

i "assumed" this was a new turt owner who just got bored or someone who diddnt realise what it took to look after them.

WELL! how wrong was i? i arrived at ladys home and she invited me in, as we moved to the room where the turtles were kept we spoke a little about them. at this point she told me they were a bit bigger than mine and she was sad to see them go as she had owned them for ......wait for it......20 years! yes you read it right 20 years. so immediatly thinking oh ok, i continued with her to the room and to my surprise and astonishment, the turts were in plastic 10gal rubbermaid tubs only half filled with water and with no lighting, filtration or anything. in each tub there was

1 turt approx 6-7inches shell length and a handfull of gravel thats it???????

the lady went on to tell me her turts have lived this way all their lives. her methods for looking after them were.

clean the tank and change the water daily on a morning and then feed them a bout dinner/tea time.

i am hugely amaized at how well these sliders have been cared for and how big they have grown without the use of any specialist equipment. have any of you guys seen of heard of similar findings?

this is by no means a dig or an attack on the care these RES have recieved, im just astounded as tho just how wonderfull the lady has don with their upbringing.

also what do you guys think about their future? how should i look after them? will a change ov environment effect their health in any way? should i continue to keep them as the lady did?

views please guys??

[vear]

Oh God no! Just because she kept them in a 10 gallon rubbermaid for 20 yrs does not mean it was a "good" life. Think of how happy they would be if they actually had room to swim around in, a basking area to warm up.... RES are pretty resilient animals, so it doesn't surprise me that they are fine.

[SabrinaF]

When you do have them happily set up keep a look out for the gravel to come back out. Could take a while

[mike hill]

blu-t What condition was their carapace? If they are not deformed she must have put them in some sun light. My first experience with turtles was a deformed shell because of poor lighting. Can you post a photo of these "20" year old turtles? They are extremely lucky to have survived in that condition.

[SabrinaF]

OOh yea pics please I love seeing everyones turts

[blulite]

ill get some pics up a litle later. the carapace loo fine though one of them is more elongated than the other, one of the turts is kinda skinnyish round the shell middle. but the other is fine had a bit of slime on the shell but that cleaned off with some tissue.

[mike hill]

The only advice I would give would be the basics to begin with. Clean water, proper temp, good diet and uva and uvb lighting. The size of the tank can an issue but for a later time.

[blulite]

well i now plan to care for them as i do my others. which is full setup and a varied diet. the tank size will become an issue eventually but for now there it still plenty of room. im going to build an out house for them and have a raised indoor pond that will connect to my outdoor pond so they can mooch about in the summer when the weathers ok. gonna be a year or so before i get that dont though lol so for now if they get cramped for some unforseen reason then i will just get another tank.

[Moose]

wow! I am AMAZED at that! do post pics soon!