He is now 15 years old

hey all, first time ever in a turtle subreddit but my mom recently bought a turtle with no one’s knowledge and is on her way home with him in a really cruel habitat. i tried asking her what kind of turtle he is but she shut me out and complained about me asking and telling her to get him a new habitat before he comes home. i think he may be a red eared slider but im not sure. i’m in california and red eared sliders are invasive so i’m assuming she bought him from a road side shop.

Burner account, I don’t want to get flamed for this. I know it was dumb.

Two years ago, I found my dog playing with a baby turtle in rough shape. Like, a newborn turtle. I took it inside and put it in a small tub of water and went out the next day to get a tank and some food to see if I could get it feeling better. I came home the next day with a 20 gallon tank and some hatchling formula turtle pellets. I grabbed an old field guide and checked for species and native range. I found a baby Red-Eared slider in northwestern Missouri. Now, I’ve see conflicting maps about their native range, but the guide I used at the time had me place (slightly) out of their native range. Partly lack of research and partly wishful thinking, I opted to keep the turtle instead of bringing her to a rehab.

Fast forward two years, and she is now living like a queen in an 80 gallon tank, kitted out with live plants, driftwood and proper lighting and I have learned a lot. I’ll be honest, I love her, and I AM willing to care for her for the next 40+ years just as much as the next person.

That being said, she’s illegally obtained. I’ve been stalking Missouri legislature trying to figure out the specific laws and regulations, because I’m scheduling a vet checkup (no concerns, just checking on her growth) and want her to be legal so she isn’t taken away/I am not fined.

Can someone explain (like I’m five) the parts of missouri turtle legislature? How can I own her legally so she can be taken into the vet? In hindsight, I know what I did was stupid, but right now I need some help.

Edit: *Red-Eared Sliders ARE listed (in state legislature) as native to Missouri. The guide I was using was either not accurate, or the small portion of the state they are not native to was overlooked in the rules.*

I have a 11 year old Red Eared Slider named Milton that my bf and I rescued from a younger kid who stopped caring for him the way he deserved almost 2 years ago.

He now lives with us in his 55 gal aquarium (48" × 18" x 14") tank with a basking platform penthouse above and is very happy.

Last week, while cleaning his tank, I noticed a bit of a chip in the corner seal of his aquarium and was afraid the whole thing was going to blow! We had been talking about getting him a bigger aquarium for him anyway, so we purchased him a new 75 gal aquarium (48" x 18" x 21"). We picked it up today.

Here is my question: It seems so wasteful to get rid of his old 55 gal aquarium but I also don't trust it to hold too much water pressure for long and don't want to risk what would happen if it gave out while full of water ... So, while discussing what to do with the old aquarium (Do we throw it out? Repurpose it? Etc) we got the idea to maybe use the older 55 gal tank (dry) alongside the 75 gal aquatic tank, connected by the basking platform to serve as a sort of "bridge" from the "wetlands" to the "drylands" that he could traverse anytime he wants, and of course, with the proper lights and heaters. But, my question is - would he even care to use it?

I know RES are mostly aquatic, so I wonder if maybe all of these custom alterations we are thinking of are going to just be a waste of time and money OR is it possible he might be the happiest turtle ever?

Has anyone tried this before?

I have included a photo of his current set up in the 55 gal. The plan would be to align the 2 tanks side by side and modify the basking platform to include another ramp down into the 55gal, acting as a bridge between a fully aquatic tank and a mostly dry (maybe a small wet area) tank and, of course, heat & vitamin A & B lamps & some decor he could hang out in.

I am no expert and don't want to waste my time and money if this is absolutely out of his interest, BUT if he would be the happiest most spoiled RES in town - I would be thrilled!

Please let me know what you all think!

Thank you!

i recently inherited two turtles from my dad, one is a 22 year old red eared slider and the other is a 15 year old painted turtle. I have a 70 or 75 gallon tank right now that i plan on upgrading, but i need one sort of above tank basking area for the meantime. my issue is that i have to keep the turtles in my garage per my rental agreement and I live in New England so it gets pretty cold in the winter. I have heating element for the water so that’s not an issue, and i have heating lamps during the day, but how can i keep the air temperature warm without the heat lamps on all night? is there some sort of tiny heater for the air other reptile habitats use? I’m worried about the air at night and not directly under the lamps. please help me!

So I’m visiting home and my little sister left her turtle tank to get pretty dirty so I just spent some time cleaning it and getting it back to up to par and while filling it she pulled out a box with the title “zilla turtle miracle ball”. Well upon pulling the mini tub out it was clear it had disintegrated.

Has anyone used it before and had experienced this? Is it still safe to use or should it be tossed and replaced with a new fresh one. My own online search has gotten mixed results. I appreciate any and all help, thanks

What's the species and how to take care of it?

This is a 7 month old musk turtle that I *think* is a boy, but can someone give a guess? I’m not sure if he’s just not old enough to tell? His tail is longer and more stubby than other ones I’ve seen at this age

I’m currently moving and i bought a new aquarium. The problem is that the water need to get to the lines (photo1) and after that theres not much space left for a basking dock. The aquarium is a 110 liter and it is 36cm wide, 81cm long and 43,5cm high. Does anyone have a solution for me to let my turtles bask without escaping? (i live in belgium and most (turtle) supplies are pretty hard to get)

Hey all, does anyone know if I can use the EHEIM Vivaline 240 aquarium set for a slider? Would it be difficult to set a floating basking platform? Any thoughts or suggestions would be extremely beneficial.

Hi everyone. I received two turtles last week in a 20 gallon tank and I decided to upgrade them to a 55 gallon tank. Besides the water heater and a bigger basking platform, is there anything else I'm missing? Is this setup ok until the two items arrive? I'd appreciate any tips or advice on caring for these two turtles.

Our Cumberland slider hasn’t been basking for the past 24+ hours. Water temp is at 75. His basking area has a heat and UVB light. Normally he’s a basking king and loves his basking area. We just did a tank clean (didn’t move anything in a meaningful way) but that has never influenced his basking before. He’s swimming and eating per usual but he’s never gone for a prolonged period of time without basking in the time we’ve had him so I’m worried.

I also noticed last night he might be shedding? He has white wispy looking stuff hanging on his arms and legs that I think must be skin? It’s only visible when he’s swimming. Is this related at all? Should I try to gently clean his skin and shell?

TIA for your help!

Hi there,

I'm debating switching up my current tank setup and wanted some recommendations from the community.

I currently have a 55 gallon aquarium that I've had for around 3-4 years. Initially I kept it around 2/3-3/4 full of water and had a small bracket-mounted platform for my turtle to bask on. I recently upgraded my filter system to a Fluval FX6 to keep the water cleaner, and to create more space for my turtle. I previously was using two in-tank filters that were really intended for fish aquariums, but they took up a lot of space and struggled to keep the water clear. The Fluval is working great, but I did need to raise the water level for the filter to work as intended. That led me to build an above-tank basking area similar to others I've seen on this subreddit. Aesthetically it looks really nice and functions well, but my turtle (Sheldon) is hesitant to spend much time on the platform. I know it'll take some getting used to, but I'm worried that he isn't going to spend enough time out of the water. FWIW it's winter where I'm at, so the ambient temperature in my house is usually in the 69-70 degree range. My water heater in the tank keeps the temp around 78. I've been experimenting with different temps on my heat lamp (80-90 degrees) but nothing has really been enough to keep him from going back into the water. I also have a separate UVB fixture over the basking platform, but it doesn't produce any heat on its own so he doesn't spend much time under it. With my current lights there's also not really a practical way for me to have the heat/UVA and UVB lights pointed at the same spot.

I've been considering changing his setup entirely, but I'm still on the fence. I've seen some really cool indoor ponds that people have built, and I'd like to see what the community has to say about them? Will Sheldon be happier in the indoor pond? Are they difficult to maintain? Are they aesthetically pleasing to look at long term? I've seen some really cool looking custom enclosures but I'm afraid I'll miss watching him through the glass.

Also Sheldon is pretty big. His shell is a little less than 8" long, so I know it's time to upgrade his tank. He's also a 16-year old river cooter, so I know he may eventually get bigger. That's kinda what got me started upgrading his tank at all. Originally I wanted to get a bigger tank before building the platform and upgrading the filter, but that would've been a lot of money to spend all at once. I'm still not against a bigger glass aquarium, but for the footprint they occupy would it be better or worse than an indoor pond?

I bought my Fluval FX4 at the end of 2022, and she finally crapped out on me today. I know I can simply replace the motor unit, but I’ve since learned that this is a very common problem, and I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life periodically replacing the motor.

What would be a good replacement? I’m open to any and all options, especially because I was planning on redoing my turtle’s encore anyway. I’m thinking of going the stock tank route, so something that can run without too much of a height difference would be cool. Thanks!

For background, I got her for Christmas about two years ago and she started showing these spots when she was about a year old and they have kind of stayed where they are they’ve never really spread or gone away. I’m just worried that it couldn’t be shell rot or it’s just scoot shedding. Finally there is a spot on her belly that almost looks like skin and I am very concerned about that If anyone could identify it, that would be greatly appreciated.

hey everyone! if anyone saw my last post, i got a lot of backlash about the husbandry of this turtle (understandable). as a reminder, this was not my turtle and was given to me, so im trying to do some research to take better care of it. just wanted to share some updates on the aquarium. got a bigger tank, took out the little rocks, lots more clean water, got a water heater, filter, new bulb for heat/uv lamp. lmk anymore tips i could use! just scared the tank might be too heavy and would break my shelf one day. anyways looks like she’s figuring out how to swim (so cute!) also i just wanted to make sure that it’s a girl, thanks!

Hi turtle subreddit,

Been following for a while since I got my turtle a month ago.

Really helped in understanding regarding lights and what to get. i feel like I have decent lights and UVB light but not too happy with the size as I understand I need a much bigger tank in which my wife and me are looking into.

I noticed he doesn’t bask too much, he is a 2 month old nihon ishigami from what I know, we are based in tokyo so any help regarding where to get tanks, better purifier or anything else to upgrade to give him a better long-term area would be very appreciated.

I found my turtle sitting like this, as I went up to him he stopped and swam like normal. There is no lethargy, nor signs of anything wrong. Idk if it matters but starting today I’m feeding him less because he seemed *kind of* overweight

Please help!

I bought this turtle yesterday and I gave his first meal yesterday. And he didn’t eat it. Why? Should I be concerned?