My lovely turtle <3

[azulai]

Ok, here's my Shelly. I thought he was a she for quite a while there. :tongue:

I had just cleaned his tank so the water level isn't high enough yet.




So, we were on a family vacation down South. We stopped to visit one of my mom's friends in Louisiana. I was outside playing around and the friend's cat was batting something around. When I went to check it out it was this poor little turtle being toyed with! :eek: He was maybe an inch and a half in diameter. My younger self was outraged. I "rescued" him from the cat, brought him inside and fell in love. :tongue:

When it was time to leave, there was no way I was leaving him. So, he traveled approximately 1300 miles across the US in fish bowl. :biggrin:

He's really sociable. He does get cold and I kind LOL at him straddling his heater at times. I now have 2 filters in his tank and that seems to keep it clean longer.

[sneakyc25]

All I have to say about this thread is...

[Rainbowmum]

Naww she is so cute.

[mrk2010]

I once wanted a turtle and went to the pet shops but the smell of the tanks put me off, never smelt anything quite like it.

[Sylph]

@Azulai - He is so cute :biggrin: , I also like your set-up :3 . Sora always seems to like to just "flop-out" when she's hot. It's only cold at night here, so I leave on her heat/uvb lamp(on low, cause she has to sleep :p ). I like your rescue story, shame on that kitty :mad: .

@ Scotty- . lol

@The Deac- Don't Tegu's have super powerful jaws and can rip human fingers/hands off? :eek: .

@Rainbowmum - Thanks :3, it was all her really, I just provided the tank... and the food... and the lights...okay so maybe I helped :3 :tongue: .

@Sneakyc25 - :eek: . I don't know if i'm more traumatized by the fact that there's a zombie kid running around, or the fact that he likes turtles .

@Mrk2010- They can be quite "messy" but are generally not very smelly, unless not taken care of properly. Maybe it was just the petshop you went to. Sora only ever smelled once, and that's when I got her almost 2years ago .

(Were these in order? oops :tongue: )

[azulai]

@Azulai- maybe they can be long distance buddies . And she says thanks, took forever for her to "gather" her beauty >.< Lol.

Yes, definitely!
You did a great job managing her shell! Very healthy looking!

@Azulai - He is so cute :biggrin: , I also like your set-up :3 . Sora always seems to like to just "flop-out" when she's hot. It's only cold at night here, so I leave on her heat/uvb lamp(on low, cause she has to sleep :p ). I like your rescue story, shame on that kitty :mad: .

Thanks! It's taken me a while to get it to where we are both happy. :tongue: He has outgrown 2 previous tanks. The 2 pump/filters make things so much easier.

I know what you mean about "flop-out" lol. I have Shelly set up with a heat lamp but he's in a spot that gets a lot of natural sunlight, so I kind of mix it up for him. But he has fallen asleep on his raft and then gets too hot and you hear this loud splash to cool off! :biggrin:.

It's really cool to see him grow/shed scutes and thrive. I've learned a lot. He's a great pet! There's nothing like seeing him peaceful with his neck stretched out and sunning himself!

And, yeah, I agree with you, turtles don't smell. As the owner I have to clean the tank, change the filters and provide a healthy environment or the TANK will smell!

[Sylph]

Yes, definitely!
You did a great job managing her shell! Very healthy looking!

Thanks! It's taken me a while to get it to where we are both happy. :tongue: He has outgrown 2 previous tanks. The 2 pump/filters make things so much easier.

I know what you mean about "flop-out" lol. I have Shelly set up with a heat lamp but he's in a spot that gets a lot of natural sunlight, so I kind of mix it up for him. But he has fallen asleep on his raft and then gets too hot and you hear this loud splash to cool off! :biggrin:.

It's really cool to see him grow/shed scutes and thrive. I've learned a lot. He's a great pet! There's nothing like seeing him peaceful with his neck stretched out and sunning himself!

And, yeah, I agree with you, turtles don't smell. As the owner I have to clean the tank, change the filters and provide a healthy environment or the TANK will smell!

Thank you :3, wasn't easy. She was very difficult in the beginning, she hissed alot, but she got used to me.

I'm glad for you and Shelly :biggrin: . Yeah, I affectionately call it the "Superman Pose" :tongue: , well Superwoman in Sora's case lol.

I used to keep Sora's scutes and kinda frame them, but she shed so many, I just lost track and gave up on it . Turtles, as well as fish and other pets that are very tranquil, are usually very great stress relievers and that's probably why I like to sit and watch her while I'm either reading or playing my Viola.

(She likes when I play some Beethoven, cause her head pops up, and she just watches me ).

So true, I had a aquatic snail to take care of Sora's mess, but I came out one day to find it missing :eek: . ... I learned about the food chain that day... . I suggest Apple snails, or other snails that can swim away and hide, cause mine would just suck the glass and her rock, or a fast fish that can eat debris and waste :tongue: .

[Inchante]

Oh, I thought you were going to show us pictures of a sea turtle, since you are down in Bermuda. What type of turtle is that? Oh, and Remember to wash your hands, they carry salmanilla.

[Sylph]

Oh, I thought you were going to show us pictures of a sea turtle, since you are down in Bermuda. What type of turtle is that? Oh, and Remember to wash your hands, they carry salmanilla.

Oh we have loads of Sea turtles down here, we even have a beach named after one . Leather Shelled turtles, Green Sea turtles and a few others that I can't think of off the top of my head. Recently, I haven't seen any turtles, but that's probably because I haven't been out on the water for about a year, but if you go out on a boat, you can usually see them (and on more than one occasion, people have struck them by accident :frown: ). - The next time I go out, i'll try to take some pictures :biggrin: .

Sora (and Shelly ) is what's commonly known as a Red Ear Slider, or some people call them simply Terrapins (Traychemis Scripta Elegans). They are pretty much an invasive species, so much so that some people don't even know where they originally came from. They're freshwater turtles, usually living in ponds.

Don't worry, between handling Sora, playing my instrument(hands must be clean before playing )and general hand washing, I think I've scrubbed off my finger/hand prints .

[Sylph]

I've been taking pictures of my Snailies, so Sora felt left out . But last night, I found Sora in the most cutest pose ever! I was literally giggling so much, but I swear I'm not crazy(atleast, I don't think I am ).

This is her, in her cute pose
(It felt like I was on Animal Planet, cause I had to sneak up to her lol)

I walked up and saw her like this! AWwww


I snuck up closer.


Different angle :p


Bam! I got her :3


I got her from the front of the tank too!(Don't mind the smudges, it from the water :p)


Closer shot :p


This one is soooo cute . You can see her third eyelids :3


This is when I made a mistake and coughed :p. She jumped in the water and gave me the "mommy" look


I will be taking more pics of my baby () soon. Some out of the water next time :p . And those green flaps are the grips she practically ripped off her dock , don't worry about those :p .

(I hope Shelly sees this, Azulai lol)