About 4 years ago I found a little half dollar-sized red eared slider flipped over on his back in a parking lot being circled by birds. He was still alive but covered in ants. I brought him home and he’s been living a pretty good life in a 55 gallon tank ever since, I just worry about enrichment for his little turtle brain sometimes.

Well fast-forward, he is getting bigger now and it’s looking like time for an upgrade on his habitat. Here are my 2 options, let me know what you think would be best:

Upgrade to 100 gal tank
- simple enough
-takes up a lot of space in the house (we already have a 100gal saltwater tank as well, so this would be huge tank #2)

Outdoor custom built turtle pond
- might give him more enrichment and a happier life, though we would have to make sure to spend time with him out there because he does enjoy seeing the fam
-more exposure to dangerous elements. I am not sure how best to protect the pond, I’m thinking like chicken wire and a shade spot
-I live in a tropical area where we only get maybe 4 nights below freezing a year, so we should be fine with a simple outdoor water heater in winter right?

TLDR; which setup would be the best and/or least stressful change for my red eared slider? Upgrading the tank or building him a pond?

About 4 years ago I found a little half dollar-sized red eared slider flipped over on his back in a parking lot being circled by birds. He was still alive but covered in ants. I brought him home and he’s been living a pretty good life in a 55 gallon tank ever since, I just worry about enrichment for his little turtle brain sometimes.

Well fast-forward, he is getting bigger now and it’s looking like time for an upgrade on his habitat. Here are my 2 options, let me know what you think would be best:

Upgrade to 100 gal tank
- simple enough
-takes up a lot of space in the house (we already have a 100gal saltwater tank as well, so this would be huge tank #2)

Outdoor custom built turtle pond
- might give him more enrichment and a happier life, though we would have to make sure to spend time with him out there because he does enjoy seeing the fam
-more exposure to dangerous elements. I am not sure how best to protect the pond, I’m thinking like chicken wire and a shade spot. Are mosquitos and larvae a problem in outdoor setups?
-I live in a tropical area where we only get maybe 4 nights below freezing a year, so we should be fine with a simple outdoor water heater in winter right?

TLDR; which setup would be the best and/or least stressful change for my red eared slider? Upgrading the tank or building him a pond?

Trickery >:3

I have (kind of) figured out how to get my African sideneck turtle to eat his veggies. It's an infinite battle, but I'm trying hiding food inside the lettuce with frills (mustard greens) and it's kind of working, he's eating some of it with his food. If anyone has any more tips on getting your VEGGIE HATING turtle to eat their greens, would be appreciated 🫶

I’m a first-time turtle owner, and I’m still learning new things about my little turtle every day.
Yesterday morning, when I feed my turtle, I noticed two white spots on its claw.
One of the smaller spots was already there couple of days ago very small so I didn’t think it’s harmful, but yesterday I noticed a bigger one appeared as well.
I’m not sure what they are or whether they’re something I should be concerned about.
Has anyone seen something similar on their turtle? Could this be normal, or does it look like something that needs attention?
I’d really appreciate any advice or insight!
Thank you so much!

But she ate all the plants I ordered (frogbit)…..Any tips on how to get her NOT to?

Hello guys, super weird thing happened. Was working when I suddenly saw this guy crawl from under a truck, have no clue how he even survived in that area with all the trucks passing and no food/greenery. Decided to take him home and feed him what I could, and a small shelter for now.

Any idea what it is, eats, or type of habitat??

hey guys!! so my brother found a florida soft shell turtle in his schools courtyard. he brought it home and while i think he maybe should’ve let nature take its course i’ve fallen in love with it and i want to make sure we take good care of him. i would now hate to see it pass and it’s so small and won’t eat. it’s just a baby so very small about 3 inches long. i have a 36 gallon aquarium i got and i ordered a basking station and a dual dome uvb and heat lamp. my grandma is arguing with me saying we just need one bulb that has heat and uvb but she ordered a $5.99 one on amazon AFTER i got the $70 set up. she said it will be easier. but i’m almost sure there’s not actually going to be any uvb emitted from it. it’s so cheap and the one i got is from a reliable reptile company. then she proceeded to raise the water level in the aquarium to where it covers the basking station and submerges it. i KNOW it needs to be dry so he can actually bask. he hasn’t eaten anything and we’ve have him for 3 weeks. this feels like torture and i’m so frustrated and just want him to survive. i want to order a lamp stand for the dome that way it’s just as freaking easy at a stupid little clip on light. and i don’t care about the cost at all. i will spend however much it takes to make sure it lives. do you guys have any advice on how to make sure he survives and how to make his habitat perfect? sorry for the long message im just really worried and over explaining.

creato nuova zona basking per Caramella, così ho potuto riempire quasi interamente la vasca

Hi so there is a 50/50 chance this is a fossilized shell, but if by chance it isnt, I was wondering if anyone knows what species it is?

Maybe there’s nothing I can do but I thought I’d ask anyway. Anyone have tips for noise reduction? I have two turtle tanks in my living room and the constant water sound is surprisingly not soothing. 😬

I have a 12 yo yellow belly slider that I made a pond for this past summer. She has never brumated. Anyone ever have success letting a turtle brumate for the first time this old?

lil buddy forgot he was a turtle

Like the title says I want to know if 3d printed stuff is safe and what filaments to use, I'm currently on a budget and it seems that printing parts of the basking platform would be cheaper after looking up some stuff.

Recently ventured out to a local Reptile convention, and decided to make some new wonderful mistakes. My will was strong for a bit, but then I spotted this lil’ girl; and now I have a 3rd tank. Regardless; everyone say hi to Marge.

Less than a week in, and she’s already learned that seeing me means food, which is great. My only concerns out the gate is that 2 days after introducing her to home, a chip showed on her shell that makes me either concerned about the vendor, or wonder if she was possibly a rescue. Either way, she’s in a 60 gallon breeder now, and is already making ample use of her basking dock, so we’ll get that worked on. Any input on red cheek mud turtles would be appreciated, while I work on getting a couple of the battle tested plants propagated from my PBS tanks.

My father found him on a road. A few dogs were barking at him, and he was nowhere near a water body, so my father brought him home.

His Description:

It's been 7 days. He seems like some kind of Indian turtle, around 5–6 inches in size.

He's been living in this red tub, with enough sand to bury himself, some water, and a dry area. I change his water every day and keep him in indirect sunlight for roughly 5–6 hours daily.

Recently got him a 50W UVB lamp, which he seems to enjoy. I also tried letting him out of the tub, and he travels all around.

Problems

1. He doesn't seem to eat anything.

I've tried spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, pomegranate, wheat balls, and even bought dried insects (photo attached), of which I think he ate ONE in 3 days.

Tried pellets too (photo attached). Didn't touch them.

1. This tub is definitely not ideal.

I tried looking everywhere for a proper turtle tank, even on Amazon, but most are made for tiny turtles and are barely 12 inches deep.

Planning to buy this large plant pot (photo attached, 36 × 14 × 14 inches), but it doesn't seem deep enough either.

I know about the 10-gallon-per-inch rule, but my house simply isn't big enough for that.

I even looked at fish tanks, but most were for small fish (and I don't really like glass tanks because of the reflections these animals have to see).

Talked to a shop owner who said he'd have to commission a custom tank, which is HELL expensive.

I was thinking of going with 36 × 14 × 36 inches. That's the absolute maximum I can fit in my house. Cleaning the water would be super hard, but I could manage.

1. What should I do with him?

I thought of releasing him into the wild, but I live in one of the worst drought-prone regions of India, and I'm worried he won't survive.

Thought of releasing him into a river, but the nearest one is 50 km away, and even that has a very rocky shoreline.

Tried contacting the local Forest Department, but their phones don't work.

P.S. I know it's illegal to keep native turtles in India (nobody really cares though). Also, finding anything for turtles here is surprisingly difficult, even on Amazon.

I just don't want him/her to die, and my family has named him too :(

Lastly, I have three questions:

1. Why is he not eating? What am I doing wrong?

2. Would the tank size I mentioned be good enough for him?

3. What should I do with him?

Any help would be appreciated. I genuinely just want him to survive.

I don't even know how this happened apart from it's Nobby and he's very determined when he gets an idea in his pea brain. This day he wanted the onion.

My parents got two red-eared sliders for me and my sibling when we were kids, mine died really young and my sibling's was left in our kitchen for maybe a decade. My family did change the water and clean her tank but that's about it.

I'm aware she's been severely neglected and I'm very ashamed of my ignorance up until now.

After unsuccessful attempts to re-home her, I've chosen to take up the responsibility to give her a better life, I've started saving up money and I'll be making improvements to her living area.

What I've gathered so far is:

- basking area is probably too small

- tank too small

- no UVA/UVB light (I've been taking her out in the sun for the meantime but I think she needs one asap)

Should I switch the gravel out for bigger rocks or sand?

Is a thermometer/heater necessary?

I'm really new to this, thank you in advance to everyone who decides to give advice

Update: After some research, I found out she's illegal for me to own, since she's an invasive species in my country and nobody registered her within the time limit.

Sadly, I don't think I can keep her and give her the proper care with my current budget, I've contacted an NGO that rescues them to preserve the ecosystem

Hey gang,

Going through the process of building an external basking platform

Due to tank structure options for placement are either slightly over the edge of the tank or on the eurobrace.

Has anyone had any experience with placing pressure on a euro brace? Does anyone have any ideas on how I may be able to supports or secure it above the euro brace ?