Photo Gallery :: My Baby girl :)

[Tigris Tusha]

This is a picture of my RES that I doctored up a bit. I love her fixed smile lol.



I got my Wufei in Chinatown in New York for five dollars. Most of her other siblings were in a large salad bowl with water, climbing and stumbling over one another attempting to get out, some had even drowned. my baby girl was in her own seperate carrier, so i purchased her right away, not knowing anything about turtles, just wanting to get her out of that mess. I never regret doing that, because now I have a wonderful lovable RES. Shes currently 5 years old and about 7 inches long and a happy spoiled brat. I recently upgraded her 10 gallon tank to a 40 gallon breeder.

Now i'd like to start turning it into more of a permanent home. Id like to make it a more suitable habitat, rather than a pretty enclosure, since she will be spending most of her life in this. But i want to keep it simple, since cleaning is also a big issue. Hopefully Ill be able to find some good ideas in these forums. Here is a layout of her tank:



I know that there isn't much water in there, but beause her basking rock isnt a floating sort and also since it isnt very tall, I can only put so much in. Shes able swim though. Im just worried that she might be too heavy for floating docks, or that she wont be able to climb up. Maybe Im just being silly though. Any suggestions for better docks? As well as good filters for a 40 breeder such as mine?

As soon as she gets more comfortable with her new surroundings I will be sure to post more pictures of her! Enjoy!

And if you have any suggestions feel free to PM me! Ty!

[new turtle-lover]

You might want to raise the water level to 3/4-high enough so it wont escape. RES love swimming and do not fear of drowning - they are found in the wild, where there is large space. You should worry only if there is any illness.

[Tigris Tusha]

Where would she escape too lol. I know they can stay in deeper water, I had a plastic floating dock when she was smaller, but she got too big for it and every time she climbed ontop of it, it would dislodge itself and tip over, and sink. So I got this heavier one shown in the photo. Thats the only reason the water level is where it is.

[Tigris Tusha]

oh and another cute pic i found:

[cam722]

You really do need to fill up the tank, even if it means getting a bigger sturdier dock and replacing what you have. A 7" turtle needs a lot more water/space than she currently has.. The basking light (hopefully both UVB/UVA) is rather far away from the basking area... what type of lights do you have? I also don't see a ater heater... living in New York (I'm in PA).. I'd think the water temps would fluctuate too much during the day/night. What are the water/basking temps?

[sinbad]

good pics

[steve]

I also agree with adding more water. However, you should move the tank to a better/stronger stand before you do so. Also, a screen on top the tank would be a good idea to prevent an escape.

[Tigris Tusha]

Woot, ok. I am trying my best!! Atm I’m trying to save money since schools coming around as well. But I knew I couldn’t wait with the tank

- As far as the screen top, that’s coming this weekend.

- I know I definitely have to get new lighting and heating fixtures with this tank, right now the lighting I have was sufficient for the 10 gallon (recommendations are always welcome ) I have two 24" lighting fixtures, one uvb/uva, and a two bulb heating lamp (i don’t have the boxes so I can’t say what wattage they are.) and I added a 60 watt lamp last night and moved the lamps around to try and spread the heat evenly throughout the tank.

- Now if anyone has any ideas or recommendations on better docks that can support the her weight or more, and that wont dislodge itself (hopefully) and which can allow me to fill the tank to any level

- As for the stand itself. That’s the best I can do for now, I’m not in my own house atm so my bookshelf will have to do, it’s pretty sturdy though.

[cam722]

What sort of lighting do you have that it's not sufficient for a larger tank? You don't need to light the whole tank, but you do need the proper lighting over the basking area. As long as you're sure that the lights you have include a UVB bulb .. just concentrate the light on the basking area.

As for basking docks, look through the photo gallery and check out some of the homemade docks. There are a LOT of options that aren't expensive. What size tank do you have now? As for the stand, are you sure it will hold the tank once it's filled? You don't have to fill it all the way but for a turtle that size at least half way is a start. She can barely swim around in the depth it is now. It should be (I believe) at least 1.5 times the shell length.

[Tigris Tusha]

I recently upgraded her 10 gallon tank to a 40 gallon breeder. (36x18x16)

No no. Oy vay... Her basking area is fine when it comes down to the lighting, shes got all that down. i mean i KNOW what i need, im just looking for better things. Better filter, better dock, stronger lights thats all. like i said, id fill it up more but then it would be higher than her basking area, and i would rather her have a DRY basking area then a wet one....

[reptilegrrl]

You say you are planning to keep her in a 40-gallon tank for the rest of her life? Juging by your description and the photos, she already needs something larger. And if she is female, she could get to be 12 inches in diameter- females get bigger than males. She is not done growing yet.

You say you want to make a nice home for her; to do that, you should definitely start looking into something bigger. You can get a plastic storage box that is much larger and gives her the kind of space she needs.

Please read through the site and look at some of the space requirements. My local turtle care organization has a MINIMUM guideline of five gallons of water per inch of turtle length. Ten gallons per inch is a much better guide. Your turtle needs MORE space. Imagine her diving and splashing and cruising along!

[adammaxis]

Nice RES

[bubble1987]

your res is really cute