General Care Discussion :: What Next on a Couple of Rescues?

[LKitsch]

I just rescued two juvenile female sliders and put them into my 200 gallon pond that has two juvenile female sliders in it already (my hope is that they will get along for a few years at least until they are all fully grown, if not longer).

Their shells are badly pyramided, with that "too small for the body" look---domed and they look like they are bulging out of them. Otherwise, they seem OK---eyes are clear, shells are firm and green, skin is good, and they are active (they have already checked out the pond and basked today).

I intend to give them plenty of sunshine and artificial UV and basking light, go easy on the protein and heavy on the veggies and reptomin, which has lots of vitamins. The pond is big enough for them to get in good swimming activity. Any other suggestions? Calcium or other vitamin suplements? Any other treatments or dietary stuff?

[SpotsMama]

Cuttlebones. They should have cuttlebones to nibble on. You'r supposed to remove the clear, plastic-like backing and break the bones up into chunks. Cuttlebones are found in the bird section of a pet store and are a great source of calcium. They should be left in the water until they get slimy or until eaten, unlike regular food that you remove if uneaten.

[cam722]

You say they look like their body is bulging out of their shell.. is it that the shell is too small or is that they are too fat? Can they pull into their shell if scared? I agree with SpotsMama.. only thing you missed was calcium via Cuttlebone.

anyway you can post pictures?

[LKitsch]

I think it's a case of both---they probably were fed too much animal protein, so got a bit chubby, but other poor conditions resulted in the shell not overhanging enough and being too domed. They can get their heads in, but their legs stick out. I've already requisitioned a cuttlebone from my budgie supply shelf! Sorry, no pix yet---got to borrow a digital camera.

[cam722]

Sounds like they got a good home and will get the care they need to get healthy again Do you know how old they are?

[marisa]

Wait a minute---you had a space issue with the two turtles you had to get rid of and now you've taken in two more? How big are they? If I remember correctly, you're turtle's weren't that small, and a 200-gallon pond isn't that big. Were they quarantined at all or if you got them from a rescue were they at least deemed to not have anything contagious?

The fact that you want to rescue turtles is commendable, but are you sure you have a viable set-up for the four of them---especially since you're not talking about for the near term (you said for a few years, perhaps longer...)?

[LKitsch]

The resident turtles are juveniles, as are the two new ones---all between 4 and 6 inches. I ended up getting rid of all the adults, and am prepared to only keep these until they are fully grown, as well, which will take a few years. I like the idea of helping rehabilitate and making that the focus of my turtle keeping, rather than just as pretty pets.

There seems to be a small demand for adult sliders in So CA because the new trend is people constructing huge ponds (1000 gallons and up---I saw a photo of one that was a 10,000 gallon lake that had 50 sliders living there) on their estates, from Beverly Hills to the desert. When I brought my adult females, which were healthy and looked great, to the CA Turtle Club person, she already had a place for them to go, which is reassuring. Interestingly, they have problems placing the hatchlings they rescue from Chinatown, however.

So far, everything is peaceful. They were given a clean bill of health by the person I got them from, who rescued them from negligent owners who turned them in. She had them for a couple of months.

[cprcheetah]

I would also add a Multi-vitamin to their food once or twice a week. I use a baby food jar for zekes, put his pellets in it and shake it about and then put in the water.