# Guppy plans ruined by.....



## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

yep. a turtle. :I

Ma volunteers at my niece's elementary school, so everyone there knows her. well, my niece's teacher found this little cutie in her pond and didn't wanna leave the little guy there(cats, i guess. why else would you pick up a baby turtle?). he was the only one she saw, so i'm guessing it's a small pond. she brought him in to show the class, and let another teacher hold him to show HER class, but apparently the kids were arguing over him, so Ma took him in. :V

since we were so ill prepared for a TURTLE(fish... i can deal with. turtles? nope. :V), we don't even have turtle kibble for the little guy.

BUT! i'm doing ALOT of research on what he'll need, and already warned Ma that he'll need a HUGE tank soon. she's gonna get some turtle kibble tomorrow(Friday) so he'll at least have things to eat.

i call him Turtle. :I Ma wants to name him after the teacher who found him. i'm not getting attached, other than "d'awww! cute baby turtle!".


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

Wait was it wild?


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

i honestly have no idea. :I it may have been the offspring of a former pet, since she saw NO other turtles around. it wasn't MY choice to take in the turtle. i just ended up giving up my idea for a trio of breeding guppies because Ma took back the 10 for Turtle.


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Congrats looks like your good ol' average Joe of the turtle world: red eared slider! His belly spots do kind of confuse me o.o so perfect. I'm not gonna hark you on keeping a wild animal, it's tempting since baby turtles are so cute  you may want to check your local wildlife laws however.

I know he will need very good nutrition, the biggest problem with turtles I see in rescues is bad nutrition messing up their shell growth, the "scales" on the shell can become all deformed, the shell starts to feel soft.. Very bad. 
Also turtles need STRONG filters because they are very messy little guys. A proper turtle set up can run you up quite a bit! Good luck with him if you keep him!


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Also as to why he was there: turtles go back to where they were born to lay eggs (like sea turtles!) of course, this often ends up in our yards.. They especially like our soft garden soil. We have a mama res come to our yard every spring, and I always see her coming back (I carry her back to the creek). I've yet to actually see the babies, but I usually avoid digging around too much for a month or two 

ALSO; he DOES have red patches on his head? Otherwise my res guess is wrong.. o.o just noticed


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

asked a pal on FB. she said Turtle is a Yellow Bellied Slider, which is a close cousin of the RES, and they often interbreed. :B

i know how much they can cost. :I the light alone is gonna peeve Ma off. i just hope she listens to me when i tell her how much it's gonna cost to keep Turtle. i'll stick with my bettas. Turtle is cute and all, but it's gonna end up costing us alot to keep him.


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## sparkyjoe (Feb 27, 2012)

It looks like it could be a Yellow-Bellied Slider? If so, they are not endangered, but proper care could be challenging. 

Maybe your mom would be willing to contact a local wildlife rescue to see if they have suggestions?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

He's your moms right? Show her how much he's gonna cost, if she wants him, great! If not take him to a wildlife center


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## betta lover1507 (Aug 6, 2011)

i had a turtle before  you could feed them lettuce, minnows (fish), and some other veggies. you outta have water, and a slope of sand, gravel, etc. you have to clean the water too
my betta breeding plans where ruined for getting a cockatiel :lol: my dad's friend has a turtle too, a "Alligator turtle"  there endangered


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

A snapping turtle? I can imagine they'd be horrible pets.. I often help turtles across the street during breeding season.. And snappers are the worst.. They bury themselves in the mud, and the smell is impossible to get off your hands, even if you wear something it goes through D: they grow huugeee as well. I did find a hatchling once and he was adorable.. 

Baby turtles are tempting to keep since they're so tiny and cute.. But they get abused so often. In Canada its illegal to sell turtles under 2", but you never see an in stores.. Everyone thinks turtles are highly infected with salmonella (so are lizards, snakes, frogs, even birds..) and it's highly illegal to import turtles and tortoises... So people catch babies in our creeks and keep them


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

it's illegal to sell any turtle under 4 inches here, but they still do it at flea markets and at the beach. :I part of why Ma never got her baby turtle till now.

she's going to walmart today, so she's gonna get him some turtle sticks, and maybe look at the few reptile supplies they have.

he seems to be doing okay so far. doing turtle things. swimming, chilling on his rock, walking around on his dry land...


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## Leeniex (Aug 14, 2011)

I always wanted one but you can't buy them here either. Almost bought one in Florida, but I couldn't put the poor thing through a 24 hour car ride with three boys in a minivan. :shock:


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

you can buy bigger turtles at pet stores here, but it's illegal to sell the babies. something about kids putting them in their mouth? :I why would you have a turtle where the kids can get it, in the first place?

got Turtle some turtle food. :V baby turtle food, at that! i dunno if he nommed any yet, though. :B


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