General Care Discussion :: poor turtle at the pet store :(

[RES123]

okay so he has been there for a few weeks now, and they usually have baby red ear sliders in there right
but when i first saw him couple weeks ago he was fine and was all excited to see people
but today, he looked like he was going just crazy, he was just trying to swim out of the tank, looked scared
hes about like 3-4.5 inchs from top to bottom of shell
and im guessing that the tank is only like 15 gallons
so do you guys think i should buy him and put him in my old 23 gallon tank until i upgrade my other 4 turtles tank to there final ( at least i hope) then put him in the 35 gallon i have right now when i do plan to do this upgrade?
just want to give him a better home where he doesnt have to freak out at the 50 billion people walking by
the guys there said he is just over a year old

[megcornell]

I can't really see anything in the video, sorry.
I don't really think giving people who house turtles poorly business is a good solution to the problem. The petstore will have three new RES to replace that one if you buy him. Do you honestly have the time and money to give him the proper set up he'll need in life? If not, don't do it.

Have you tried talking to the store owner about improving his set up? That's a good first step instead of buying him.

[RES123]

oh well thats the thing he was running and hiding the whole time behind the rock structure
but i do have the time and money too give him a proper set up
no the people there will not
i mean like they did babysittin once and it was a full grown like 11" turtle and he was in a tank like that where he could only turn around and swim a few inches before hitting the wall
think they would give him a bigger tank for babysitting
but im 17- almost turning 18 and my parents first thought that i wouldnt take care of my turtles and that they would die cause i wouldnt be there n stuff
but they are perfectly fine right now
and im willing to take this guy in and put him in a better set up than that, then a bigger size tank when i do upgrade like i said
i do also make my own money
i make over a 1000 a month so i at least hope that will help him through out his life?

[SpotsMama]

Honestly, that's a question that only you can answer. Are you ready to take on another turtle?

But since you have 4 turtles now, you're looking at a huge long term committment already. When the four grow up you're going to need to provide around 400 gallons of tank, multiple filters, lights, etc unless you have a really large outdoor pond and live in a warm climate so they can live outdoors all year round. This is feasible for people who are really into turtle keeping - there are several on this forum who keep multiple turtles and love it - but it's definitely not for everybody.

If you're sure you're one of the few who are really prepared to provide for so many turtles and you have the money and space to do it, then it would be fine to get the new turtle. If you're not sure, though, it would be best for the turtle to hang around at the pet store until someone buys him who can take care of him over the long term.

You're very kind hearted to want to help the little turtle. Not many would do it. Just remember how much you've already taken on before you decide to add yet another.

[RES123]

yeah
well 4 turtles is a big deal right now but im handling it pretty well right now, just only thing i need to do is upgrade there damn tank
but when i do plan move out in a year or two with my girl friend, i want to get them an indoor pond set up or dunno bout out doors
i live in North vancouver british columbia- Canada so i dunno
or even get the HUGGGE tank, i would not mind it at all, just need to save up thats all
but right now i dont get paid until the first of february
but i would like to take him in and put him in another set up so he can continue with the life he had before his owners decided to not want him any more
but if he is there on the 1st i will take him in and make the commitment to keep him healthy
but if he isnt there then glad someone decided to buy him
i think he hasnt been baught yet cause he isnt a little cute "baby" but hes still like any other turtle
just little mature than when he started you know?

[RES123]

ive also been looking at the logger head musk turtles at there two
there so cute! haha there like 150 though so eventually
i want to get those, (obviously not wiht the res turtles though )
im just a turtle lover, ive spoiled my 4 baby turtles sooo much

[emma]

OMG! That tank is so small with such a big turtle in there! I feel so bad for it! If you can take the turtle, you should.

[megcornell]

5 full grown turtles will take up A LOT of space in any house, let alone an apartment. That's a huge financial consideration as well, I know I personally couldn't sign up to take on 5 turtles, I just don't have the space or money.

[RES123]

yeah its sad to see him in there

yeah i realize 5 full grown turtles is a big space taker
but then again i just remembered that my friend down the street wanted a turtle so maybe ill buy it and keep it in the tank i have right now till he has the money to get his own stuff?

[SpotsMama]

Why don't you talk it over with him and see how serious he is.

[wezeles]

even the best pet stores arnt going to give them the right size home... your talking a display that cost well over 30x what the turtle itself probably sells for... you would never make money on selling turtles if that were the case unless you sold them for 50-100 dollars each..

im suprised they make money on them now when a 4 inch turtle sells for 13.50 at petsmart... how much food and care did it cost to get it that large? probably more than 13.50 i dont know how these large turtle farms do it and id really hate to see it...

besides thats part of pet stores gimmick all of them do it specially the big chains like petsmart/petco...
they give them just enough room where they can survive "healthy" maybe unhappy but healthy... they know someone will come along and feel sorry for it and buy it...
The best thing to do is buy your turtles from known breeders or hobbiest that keep them in good conditions they usualyl care less about the money and more about the turtles...
the less you buy from a pet store the less they stock and 1 turtle will be much happier in a small pet store cage as apposed to 3 or more, because they keep getting purchased...

[RES123]

yeah
i talked to my friend he said hell let me before the first if he can have the money time and room for it most likely though so thats good

[flyjawn]

The best thing to do is buy your turtles from known breeders or hobbiest that keep them in good conditions they usualyl care less about the money and more about the turtles...
the less you buy from a pet store the less they stock and 1 turtle will be much happier in a small pet store cage as apposed to 3 or more, because they keep getting purchased...

or rehouse a turtle that someone else can no longer take care of. the more i read the more depressed i get realizing how many people have no idea just how much a fully grow turtle needs in terms of space, care, cost...

[kikicool]

Oh so sad. Please keep us posted RES 123!! And it's really wonderful that you want to help. go you!!

[RES123]

thanks kiki! yeah, well im going to go down this weekend to "check" up on him see how hes doing and if hes still there, maybe ill sneak some food in haha jk but ill get some pics on my phone that are better than the vid where you only get to see a split second of him