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Boy or girl? Should I be calling this Wally or Wallene? Thanks in advance!

Oothimus

(moderator, feel free to delete the previous post that went out too soon)

I'll say female, despite my unsureness.

Do you have a proper basking area with heat and UV rays? Your turtle needs a good shed.

How old is she and how often/much do you feed her?

papoopeepoo wrote:I'll say female, despite my unsureness.

Do you have a proper basking area with heat and UV rays? Your turtle needs a good shed.

How old is she and how often/much do you feed her?

I just changed his/her basking area today actually. I had the classic PetSmart floating ramp... the largest one they make... and he/she would use it for a an hour and more each day, more typically later in the day. But, in researching basking areas, I read over and over again that they need to be completely out of the water. This floating ramp would often sink under the weight and Wally's feet would be under water. So, I grabbed some rocks and configured a new area for him to bask. He/she figured it out right away and was seen using it today... I have a good quality heat and UV lamp.

Okay, so, one of the hardest things for me, and my wife, is to resist his begging. We understand that he/she should be eating mostly vegetables and eating every other day an amount the size of his/her head or as much as can be eaten in 15 minutes. But the begging is so enthusiastic, we have decided to feed him/her every day, and amount equal to half the head... further, we divide that daily amount into a morning and evening feed. We have been feeding him stuff we bought from PetSmart... they call it gourmet aquatic turtle food. It has pellets, dried crickets, and dried fruit. He loves it of course. We give him cuttle fish bone and assorted vegies here and there too.

My son got Wally at college and when he graduated earlier this year, he landed a job and apartment in NYC. Unfortunately no pets allowed. My wife and I have had him/her since May this year. Wally is about 6 inches long, from front of shell to back of shell and is 5 years old.

Chris, thank you for you help. Any guidance you can share is most welcome.

Mark

yes he is defiantly a female, males have long nails at their front feet and a very long tail (you can't see that in these pics) and RES are mostly carnivorous so don't be shy in feeding him raw chicken and fish (dead or alive) but keep the veggies. good luck

Female.

Raw chicken is probably not a good idea.

How big is the turtle? inches?
If it's already 5" i say female...if below 4", it may not be sexable yet

A better shot of the tail showing the underside would be good. (I'll assume the shell length is about 4 inches(?)

I'd gently clean that algae off his shell. Some of those scutes need to shed.

Wally is 6 inches from top front shell to bottom front shell. The discoloration is his shell trying to shed... it is golden... me thinks Chris is right... he does not spend enough time basking. I am focused on that now... got a new dock and ramp arriving tomorrow. If it does not do the job, I will build something myself.

What on earth do you clean a turtles shell with? What would I use to clean it... I read somewhere that algae was not bad... that you need not worry over it. Wrong?

Thanks for your feedback on the turtle's sex. One time my son took him to a vet, who supposedly was trained in reptiles... the vet told him it was male. But the size of the tail and the shape of its claws did not support this. Thing is... she? has never laid eggs... so I have never been sure.

Chris, you can see the ramp behind Wally... it is about 2-3 inches under the water line...



This is a shot from behind the stone basking area... the top is, of course, where he basks. The second flat stone down is the back of the ramp you see in the top picture.



Tomorrow I am trying a different ramp/dock set up... it is this...



Kordon Turtle Ramp Large 16"L x 11"W x 4 1/2"H

If she likes it... I will keep it. If not, I shall move on to the next idea...

female

Ok, so I guess Wally is now Walleen. /smile

You can just use a soft clean cloth or soft brush. Some diluted white vinegar rubbed on the algae spots with a q-tip and a good rinse afterwards can be used if the algae is difficult to remove.

Okay. I will use and old soft toothbrush then. Thanks.

azazeal wrote:yes he is defiantly a female, males have long nails at their front feet and a very long tail (you can't see that in these pics) and RES are mostly carnivorous so don't be shy in feeding him raw chicken and fish (dead or alive) but keep the veggies. good luck

Raw chicken is bad for your turtle. Fully cook it then give it to him. But small amounts.