Reptiles Magazine Community / Reptile Forums / Turt and Tort Talk

fl boxies

herperchic — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:54:19 GMT

my boxies only eat live food i offer veggies daily but they dont like it.Any ideas to make it more appealing?

How do you tell the gender?

I love chelonians — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:18:39 GMT

My sulcata book are kinda vague on the 'how to tell gender' subject, do any of you guys (and gals) know how to tell the gender of sulcata tortoises? My sullies are still under a year old but I was wondering if there was a way to tell the gender at such a young age?

Snapping turtle documentary

Zalen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:40:33 GMT

Blutegu22 told me to post this here so i did.

Well I plan to make a documentary video on the common snapping turtle. Like one of those videos on crocodiles on Animal Planet. I was going to talk about some of the myths and life style of them. Just a thing i want to do.

I wondering though, if you guys have anything you think i should talk about. You can also write some things on the Alligator snapping turtle to since i will be talking about them for a little bit too. Hopefully, the video will come out great.

Tortoise identification

pythonman14 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 21:11:51 GMT

Click to enlarge

so long story but my brother has found this tortoise (i think its a tortoise) in his care... well mine since im house sitting but none the less i want some help getting an ID on this little guy the picture ain't the best but it was taken with my phone and i can get more pictures if it would help

im not good with tortoises or turtles which is why i stick to my snakes!!!

Painted turtle has a sore

GingerInTheSubstrate — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:43:43 GMT

I got back from a weeks vacation, my turtles were fed and taken care of, but when I was doing my check-up I noticed that my one painter had a sore that was white with an almost red border. Does anyone know what this is and what I should do?

sulcata lovers ho!

I love chelonians — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:47:17 GMT

i found a NEW sulcata forum that seems pretty cool. and when i say new i mean NEW, there are only about two posts made, and both are in introductions and are separate topics. i thought i might let everyone here know about it, here is the link http://sulcataforum.forumotion.com/

too big or too small?

I love chelonians — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 21:17:34 GMT

my sulcatas are both about three inches long, and the planes for the enclosures are kinda condo style, they are going to be attached but obviously they won't be able to travel between them, they will all be 5 sq. ft. by 6 sq. ft. and 3 feet tall, i know that that is about prefect for boxies but will it be that way for the sulcatas?

Wierd behavior

geckolover8 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:56:24 GMT

Ive had my hermans tourtus for a few monts an he started accepting less and less food, and was less active. I thought he might be going into hibernation so i raised the tempurature. Now hes eating again but hes only active at night whats wrong?

AWESOME

I love chelonians — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:05:44 GMT

my babies Nancy and mayhem will eat out of my hand! i can feed them things like bananas out of my hand! it is really cool

Florida Box Turtle Pics

tspuckler — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:59:20 GMT

Male breeder Florida Box Turtle.

I've got four females to match him up with:

And three 3-year olds:

I've been lookig forward to this project for quite some time. All of my turtles are captive bred and raised by me.

Name for a new Eastern Box Turtle?

Shelly&Bella — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 06:35:31 GMT

Does anyone have a good name for an female EBT? I might get one. (It would have to be female because I already have a male, I've heard two males in the same pen are NOT good)

Anyway, here are some names I was thinking of:
-Taylor "TayTay"
-Eloise "Ellie"
-Ellyana "Elly"
-Kiara
-Daisy (as in Duck)
-Faline
-Ariel
-Haley
-Tiana
-Wendy
-Jane
-Georgie
-Penny
-Melody
-Song
-Molly
-Marissa "Reese"
-Teddy
-Alex/Ally
-Emeri "Emmy"
-Juliette
-Bridget
-Minnie (as in Mouse)
-Clarabelle "Claire"
-Sophia "Sophie/Soph"

Thanks, any other names you might have in mind can help!!

Alfalfa

green_iguana_lover — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:48:31 GMT

Could you feed a red-eared slider on a staple diet of alfalfa?

I'm wondering

I love chelonians — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:02:47 GMT

my little MayMay (AKA Mayhem, i call him MayMay sometimes, don't think he likes it much though cuz he gives me a nasty look when i do) has the weirdest sleeping behavior, he sleeps with his arms, legs and head all sprawled out first time my mom saw him like that, she got scared cuz she thought he was dead, obviously he wasn't. it's cute and weird at the same time. i was wondering if any of your herps do anything like this?

what do i trim my turtles nails with?

I love chelonians — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:22:40 GMT

am i supposed to trim them with a nail file or something else? it doesn't say in my books

Refusal to diet

green_iguana_lover — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:05:55 GMT

Does a male Cuora amboinensis refuse to eat when it wants to mate?

video

green_iguana_lover — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:14:55 GMT

Check this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_935eZl84k

Help with lost turtle?

pikabun91 — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 22:14:24 GMT

Hello everyone... I need some ideas. My RES has run away! My folks were watching him while I was on vacation, but apparently he disappeared from his outdoor pool about a week ago. I've had him since he was a hatchling. He's over 6" across now, and the yard is fenced, so it's unlikely he was carried away by an animal. The folks looked everywhere for him, but it's a big yard with lots of cars and sheds and boats and tools- you get the idea. Personally I think he's under the house.

Anyway - I have no idea how to get him back! Unfortunately we live in the desert so even though it's been rainy lately, there is no standing water for him to hide in. I built a strong ramp up to the edge of his pool in the hopes that he'd somehow recognize it and crawl back in. This is probably overestimating his tiny little brain but it's all I could think of! Is there a chance that this will actually work? Any other ideas?

Thanks!

ate a fishing lure

green_iguana_lover — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 22:06:51 GMT

My Trachemys scripta elegans or Cuora amboinensis ate a rubber fishing lure that doesn't have a hook. I don't know what to do?

why do my painted turtle and map turtle like to bother eachother?

blutegu22 — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:32:08 GMT

I have 2 sliders a Mississippi map and 2 painted turtles in a tank. On painted turtle likes to bother my map turtle. He does not bother anyone else. Sometimes my map turtle opens his jaws in preparation to defend himself. My map turtle is my favorite and I 'm worried that they could get into a scuffle (he has bitten him once before but that was in a smaller tank with only them together)

How should I stop them from fighting? or potentially biting one another?

I love them both and don't have the tank space for a separate enclosure :/

woooo hooooo, sulcata

reptiledude24 — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:46:26 GMT

Ok, i'm getting a sulcata for Christmas. Does anyone know and reliable places?

Sick Juvenile Russian Tortoise

rainylove — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:36:16 GMT

We purchased a young female Russian Tortoise on 11/25/11 at Petco. She was the most active and had the brightest eyes.

Since we got her, she has not eaten anything at all, and even though we soak her 2x a day (recommended by vet) she has not gone to the bathroom yet. As of Tues. she weighed .27 of a pound, but she feels heavier now from frequent baths. Her shell appears to be loosing a bit of color and it may be a bit flaky. However, her shell is more raised and bumpy unlike it was when we got her which the vet said is supposed to be a sign of growth. If she is not showing signs of improvement by Monday she is going back to the vet.

She is also less active and she wants to hibernate, but the vet said not to let her hibernate this year so she doesn't loose weight. Her cage's cold end is kept at about 70F and the basking end is about 85F (150 watt bulb) How do we keep her from hibernating?

Please help us, we don't know what is the matter with her. Do you have any suggestions on how we can make her feel better?

Cuora amboinensis

green_iguana_lover — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 17:39:08 GMT

How does a Cuora amboinensis court and mate? Also, how could you tell a turtle has eggs?

My Albino Sulcata Tortoises

Tortuga Joe — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 10:28:53 GMT

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum but just wanted to share my Albino Sulcata babies that have Ruby Red eyes!! These were created from 2 normal looking Adult Sulcata parents that carried the gene for Albinism. I am told these are really rare and sell for $3500 overseas. I am selling the babies @ $2500 each. Thanks and best wishes to everyone!

Enjoy the pic!!!!!

Albino Sulcata babies for sale

Tortuga Joe — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:45:57 GMT

Baby Albino Suclatas for sale just in time for Christmas! $2500 each plus shipping.

Thanks, Joe...

(305)788-0340

A couple of book reviews!

zooherper — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:40:53 GMT

OK, so I just finished up with some turtle books and though others may feel it useful to have a review available to them if they are trying to decide on whether or not to buy that book. The books are as follows:

Turtles of the World, by Ernst & Barbour (1993).--I really really really recommend this book to anyone interested in turtle biology. Let me be clear though--this is NOT a care guide on all sorts of different turtles, rather it is more of a reference; discussing each of the world's turtle species. Provides an all important dichotemous key to identifying individual species within each genus; notes about their habits, range, and natural habitat. Photography is rather sparse and mostly black and white; and some of the latin names are a bit outdated, but still an invaluable addition to any hardcore cheloniaphiles' library.

Terralog Turtles of the World, Volumes 1-4 (various years starting in 2002), by Holger Vetter.--On the whole, these were OK books. They were easy to read, with a lot of really nice pictures (and some bloody aweful ones too lol). However, the systematics used were a little controversial, particularly in the 4th volume. Little useful information about their natural history is given, and the care info provided runs from pretty thorough to nonexistant. Range maps are sloppy and don't give accurate ideas of watersheds. etc. For the price, I would avoid these titles.

Keeping and Breeding Freshwater Turtles, by Russ Gurley (2002). An absolute must have for any turtle keeper. Provides wonderful information on the husbandry of about 50 aquatic turtles, with a focus on reproductive husbandry (as the title indicates lol). Easy and enjoyable to read, with plenty of good photos, this is bar none the most useful book to the turtle keeper that I have read. If you want to be a better turtle keeper, "shell" out the 45 bucks for this book (haha puns...).

turtle skin issue

sunrisesoup — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:01:39 GMT

I pulled a 'thing' off my tortoises leg. I thought it was a scab when I got the tort, but it hasn't changed in a couple months, so I pulled it off. It did not bleed and left a clean hole with 'tunnels' where the 'roots' lifted out. I'll post pics. The stick is a toothpick, for scale. Anyone know what it is or might be?

Basking problem

ladyletti — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 20:57:52 GMT

I have had my two RES for about 3 years and ive had a turtle landing ( 30 inch, TURTLE DOCK) and they are now to heavy for it and to big. they are in a 40 gallon tank and have ample swim room but i want to find a better to let them out to bask. any ideas???

clean the shell

green_iguana_lover — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:39:29 GMT

Is it true that if you clean the turtle's shell, it will get sick?

My Turtle

green_iguana_lover — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 20:37:58 GMT

According to My Turtle by Hartmut Wilke, the larger turtle can bite off the head of the smaller one when the food is in front of the smaller one and both turtles want the food.

New Member

Nmbr1Jedi — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:04:02 GMT

Hi!!! I am a new member to this forum. I am the proud owner of a young red eared slider. I wanted to get some opinions from my fellow turtle owners out there. What is the best type of wood to put in the tank with my RES? I am looking to upgrade his tank and I'm unsure of what I should use.

Thanks

WHAT IS THE BEST STARTER TORT?

nascar48 — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 15:46:48 GMT

HELLO, MY KIDS AND MYSELF ARE WANTING TO ADD TO OUR COLLECTION AND WAS WANTING TO GET A TORTOISE. WE'VE BEEN WANTING ONE FOR WHILE NOW. THOUGHT ABOUT A BOX TURTLE, BUT IT'S HARD TO GET A CAPTIVE BREED BOX. I DON'T WANT WILD CAUGHT! SO WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST AND EASIEST STARTER TORTOISE? THANK YOU!

Captive bred Aldabra Tortoises for sale- We Ship

trueawake10 — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 05:54:53 GMT

Captive bred Aldabra Tortoises for sale

4" Captive bred

6" Captive bred

28" super tame male.

350 lbs & up inquire

also freshly hatched Captive bred babies available also to qualified customers

Can grow to 200 pounds in just 15 years. Contact for prices. Email: true.awake99@blumail.org

Drowned and resuscitated red earred slider

KLEEAMT — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:55:25 GMT

Last week after cleaning my tank I forgot to put the basket back on the intake valve tube of my FX5 canister filter. The next morning after about 7 hours I found a lifeless turtle with the front left arm (fin)? stuck in the tube. It was swollen and had blisters of fluid and blood all over it. With a lot of tears thinking I had been so stupid and caused my poor turtle to suffer and drown for hours I held it and stroked it's head and arms and legs for about 20 mins and cried...Unbeknown to me I was actually giving him turtle first aid by pulling on his arms, legs and neck. My guess he was without air for anywhere between 5-8 hours and struggling to get off the tube until he passed out. It took him several hours to fully recover and after taking him to a vet that knew absolutely nothing I found a vet on-line that told me how to help him but to find some one local to administer antibiotics incase he got pneumonia. I haven't been able to do that as the nearest reptile vet is about 10 hours away and he seems fine (his wounds have all healed although he drags his front right leg when he is walking but will still retrieve it and pull it in if I touch it and it appears to be getting stronger and all the swelling has gone down. Herein lies my problem and I don't know what to do. He hasn't eaten since that time which was exactly one week ago. I'm very worried that he has injured something in his throat or that he might just be too weak and he is slowly starving to death. Although he swims around and walks around on the ground when I take him out he just looks at the food when I put it in the tank, opens his mouth and watches it float by but does not attack it like normal. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The list..... part 4

Kernel — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 11:12:43 GMT

Since Lord of the Frogs did it in Snake Stuff, zooherper did it in Lizard Lounge, AK did it in Amphibian Arena and iloveturtlestortoises hasn't done it her yet, I figured I would. What are the next 10 chelonians you want to get? I only have a few.

1. Red foot tortoise

2. Sulcata tortoise

3. Mata mata

4. Common musk turtle

Injured Red Eared Slider

BigD47 — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:08:04 GMT

My mom went to go toss some food to the turtles this afternoon. I walked out shortly after she did and noticed there was a good amount of blood on the concrete square we have in there for them to climb on with concrete bricks under it so the platform is submerged just enough for them to be able to pull themselves up and out of the water and onto the dry platform where the sun beats. Anyway, My mom told me that she noticed that one of my turtles had a nasty gash on the side of his neck and told me to wait a second and that she would show me. I waited a few minutes until he came out and gently grabbed him and looked him over. It looks like one of the other turtles bit him. I have a total of 6 turtles. All are around the same size, All eat without any dominance issues or harassment, and live in a HUGE outdoor plastic tub. Anyways, He has a reall nasty wound on the side of his neck. It doesnt seem to bother him and didnt effect his appetite and seems to be doing fine. I cleaned the old turtle pond and placed him in there and fed him. He's eating well and he is relaxing under the hide I put in there for him. My question. How do I go about trying to treat his wound? Do I just let it heal over on it's own?

So pumped!!

herperchic — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:39:09 GMT

So I go to school today and got there early and I saw a teacher walking in.she came up to me and told me this boy had a turtle and that I should look at it.so I go over to him and ask him to see the turtle and what does he do?Sticks his hand in his POCKET!and pulls out a baby F.L. Boxie!o he gives it to me so my mom teaches across the street so I went to her class to drop it off but no one was there sobi put it in a tub and wrote her a note and left well I ended up keeping the turtle and it so tiny it could sit on a quarter itso cute! So excited!

Wanted to share

ReptiKs — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 20:50:55 GMT

I attend the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where we have a fairly descent sized swamp in the middle of our student union. I snapped this picture of a few turtles basking on a hot day and thought I would share.

I only managed to capture four of them in the photo today but usually there are about twenty of them piled up. It really is quite a site.

RES Shell Issue

topskanker — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:32:36 GMT

Hi. My wife and I have a red eared slider and have for 7 or so years. In the last year+ she has been shedding chutes. When it started happening I looked the condition up and everyone said it was normal (She was growing). However, her shell has gotten really... dry looking in the last month and more recently I have noticed pink showing through the cracks between chutes and even a little bleeding! She is in a 55 gallonm tank, has UVB and UVA lamps and is fed a combo diet. She looks terrible but is acting fine. I think I probably need to take her to a vet but I'm not even sure if we have a reptile vet in the area.

I would really appreciate any insight someone might have. She looks so bad I'm worried that the damage is done... Thanks

Carmel Pink Albino Red Eared Slider or Albino Red Eared Slider

turtlelover202 — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:51:13 GMT

Hey all, have a question on RES morphs. I know some of you aren't fond of turtle morphs, but I have been try to decide between these two amazing turtle morphs for a long time. It would be very nice if you could respond saying which turtle you like more and why. Also, if you could, give me a breeder that does well with turtle morphs like these. Any help would be appreciated. (If you are going to tell me about a website please don't say turtlesale, turtleshack, or turtlesource.) P.S, I am aware of kingsnake.com too. Thank you all so much for taking time to read this and reply!

Adding a new RES

AnnieP — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 09:59:55 GMT

Hi. i have two RES that are about 7 inches each and are about two -three years old. My friend needs to rehome a 3 inch res. Can I put him in with the big ones?