I have read some of the threads on here. *Very informative by the way. I happend to find a little turtle crawling in the road near where my horse was stabled in Ft. Lauderdale. So I scooped him up out of the road and put him in my 12 gallon tank. He also has a floating turtle rock to "sun" on.

I have been using the light that came on my fish tank for my turtle. It should be a flouresent right? Do I need a different light for him? How long during the day should it be on?

Also, My turtle who is named "Snappy" too, really loves to eat tad poles. But since we are not in the rainy season, I can't find any wild. I was wondering if there is a way to buy tadpoles by mail?
*I've seen the frog habitats on sale where you "mail in" for your tadpoles. So it made me wonder.

I bought him some live feeder fish, but he doesn't go crazy for them. But when i threw some pretty Neons in w/him...they disappeared. :unsure:

I also started giving him the turtle pellets. At first I wasn't sure he was eating them, but last night for the first time I saw him go up to the surface and grab a pellet. :P

If you have been reading threads here wouldnt you have noticed that turtles should be moved to a near by water source instead of bring them home? You live in Florida so why not release it?

Well Tommy, I didn't read ALL the threads. And the ones I did read seemed to think it was ok to have a turtle as a pet. But thanks for the warm welcome the forum.

Hey Guys !!
Welcome to the forum girl !!
If the turtle that you found has been injured or is young & weak then I think it is a good idea to take care of him/her & the release back into the wild as long as she hasn't become too dpendant on humans for food altho if she's appears healthy & undistressed I do think it is a far better idea to release her back into a waterway somewhere not too far from where you found it... I'm a big believer in letting nature take it's course & also it is unfair for something that was once wild to now become captive, it's a whole different story if you got her from a breeder !!
I don't think the floating turtle rocks are much chop, they really need something substantial to climb out on like a real rock for instance which btw cost nothing & is a much more natural thing for her to do... Live foods are the best foods for the turtle ( altho vary the live foods so she can get all her nutritional needs ) esp if you are planning on releasing her back into the wild... You also really need to get her out in the sun it is far better then any light & they need it for shell formation especially especially especially if they are still growing... I have read that atleast 20 minutes a day minimum sunlight is essential for shell developement but others have said & I am inclined to believe them ( because I was reading about Australian turtles which is where I'm from but people with American turtles have said otherwise & seeing as I don't & will never have an American turtle I think they know a bit better ) that an hour or two is more substantial... You will need to supervise this unless you have a cat proof/bird proof enclosure you can have her in while she is outside... If she doesn't get her sun she will develope shell deformities & her shell will be all soft & you will never be able to relase her back into the wild... Keeping a turtle is a big commitment - apparently the ones you have over there can live for 10 years or 20 years plus depending on the breed ( mine lives for 50 plus ) so you really need to ask yourself if you can do it altho in all fairness I feel very sorry for your turtle being held captive if there is no reason for her to be... I don't think the flouresant fish light will do much for her, the Reptile Guy should be able to answer that one for you - he knows more about lighting than I do... Keep it off when it gets dark so she can sleep normal hours...
I think if you want a pet turtle you should get one from a breeder, they were born in captivity, their parents were born in captivity & chances are their grandparents might have been too... Do your homework & ask yourself if you can commit to caring for one, if you can feed her every day, if you have access to live food, if you can get her out in the sun everyday ( altho if it's rainy or you forget on the odd occasion thats ok ) & if you have someone to take care of it if you go away ???
Last but not least... Think of the turtle & how unhappy it will be for the loss of her freedom & not your own... And if you can say yes to all the questions then well good, go & but yourself a turtle from a breeder !!
Cheers

would you like to keep it as a pet permanently? if so you will really have to put in the money for a proper setup. do you know what species it is? if you are not sure we can help you figure out what it is with a pic, a really good description, or you could look at pics online. he does need a different light. he will need a incandescent heat light over his basking area and he needs a full spectrum UVB light, that one is usually fluorescent, but not all fluprescents are full spectrum UVB. i only feed pellets because i have found them to be healthier than live food. i dont like live food because it can very easily introduce parasites and disease. i would feed about 3 or 4 types of pellets, mine get about 7 different types, but you dont need that many. variety is good when it comes to their diet. what type of filter do you have? how deep do you keep the water? will you be able to upgrade the tank size as he gets any bigger? once he has been in captivity for a while he shouldnt be released back into the wild. depending on how much you handle him (which i think should be very minimal anyways) and what you are feeding him the amount of time before he shouldnt be released will vary. im not trying to discourage you from having him, i just think you should know what exactly you are getting into. his max size is determined by species and gender, but he will probably need at least a 40 breeder aquarium, maybe even a 75 or 100+ gallon tank.

i disagree that live food is the best if you plan on keeping it as a pet. i also do not think sunlight is essential if you get them the right lights. if you do get the right UVB lighting you are simulating sunlight and therefore do not need the natural sunlight, although natural is the most intense and best for them. it also cuts down on 2 hours or more of supervised basking in the sun everyday. it is easier for you and the turtle if it can bask whenever it wants to, not just when it is convenient for you.

I told you the Reptile Guy would know about the lighting altho I really think she's from the wild & thats where she should be... As long as she is "finding" the live food in her tank or "finding" the pellets & you are not handling her too much she'll be fine to go back...

yes if she is still eating live, hasnt been in captivity too long, hasnt been exposed to any captive turtles, and hasnt been handled beyond what is absolutely necessary, i think wild should stay wild. buying captive bred turtles also greatly limits the possibility of any parasites and diseases already being in the turtle. baby captive turtles should be avoided because they arent necessarily off to a good healthy start the way a slightly larger one will be. even under perfect conditions some baby turtles will die, that is why i would avoid a hatchling or baby turtle and go with one that is 2"+ minimum.

Yep, you're right there !!
Did you read my other post about the solastic ???
The only reason I took Penny home was because she was in a dried up creek bed, she was starving ( very very thin limbs ), dehydrated & only a newborn & the nearest waterway is a very large dam which is our towns water supply & the large cods would eat her ( the adults lay around 20 eggs per season which might only happen once every 4 years or so depending on rain which we are drought declared for a long time now so it could have been longer since they had a breeding season & also out of that 20 it is very very lucky if one survives & makes it to the water ) & because I knew that I knew how to look after her otherwise I would have given her to someone who could... I knew that she would thrive while she is with me ( I think it's a male because of it's colouring which I will photograph for you sometime ) but I like to call him a her...
Ciao Meow

TO THE PERSON WHO WANTED ADVICE ABOUT SNAILS, I'm really sorry I don't know a lot about snails excpet they are very very easy to breed, perhaps pet stores might buy or swap them for you... Sounds like you have the ieal environment for them... If you don't like killing the eggs then you could probably let them go in a stream where there are already some there...
Cheers

Thanks for the info guys. I'm really a horse person, so I have a lot to learn about reptiles.

Here are some answers to your questions...
I have him/her in a 12 gallon tank about 3/4 full. He does use the large floating rock to sun. He is still catching his own food, and I never handle him unless absolutely necessary. But I love watching him in the tank. He is so busy all the time. Right now he is still pretty small. I would say right about the 4" mark.

I checked some of the pix on this site, but he doesn't look "exactly" like any of the other turtles to me. JMHO tho. I'll have to let you guys be the judge.

I do have a couple other questions tho...

What turtles are illegal to have w/o a permit? And which ones are ok to have? I don't want to get into trouble. :blink: I described him to a pet store owner and he said I should be ok...but ya never know.

Also, how often do turtles need to eat? I always have food out for Snappy (live and pellets), but I don't always see him eat and I wondered if they were in any way like a snake who only eats periodically and I was giving him too much food.

One more thing...someone told me that turtles don't out grow their environment, but from reading the posts here...it seems they CAN over grow a tank. So I might have to reconsider keeping Snappy, depending on how big he could get.

They most certainly will outgrow a tank that size !! You can't stop them from growing... He might get really big, really really big depending on that type he is...
I really think you are far better off ( if you want a turtle so badly ) to get one from a breeder that way you will know what type he is & what equipment you will need for him...

Sorry about that, well are you planning on keeping him? i think you should let it go if the turtle is okay. Also animals taken from the wild dont eat sometimes.

I haven't decided yet about keeping him. I have really enjoyed him so far. My parents live 3 hours away and they have a pond on the property. Would it be ok if I kept him just a bit until he got bigger and then put him in the pond? If I kept him eating live food and minimal handling? How fast do they generally grow anyway? :blink:

The fish light might be okay if it's full spectrum (made for planted tanks) but most are not. The turtle needs a full spectrum light. At 4", the turtle is between hatchling and "adult." My page on hatchlings is at http://www.fishpondinfo.com/hatchling.htm and should answer a lot of your questions.

I have some photos on my site but also see http://www.enature.com to try to find a match. If you send or post a photo, we may be able to identify the turtle. The answer to your legality, growth rate, putting him in a pond, and care instructions varies depending on the species. Laws and permits vary state to state. Young turtles can eat daily but as they grow, adults don't have to eat as often.

Didnt you say it was a snapping turtle? If it is i would release it. You may want to go to your lfs and get another type of turtle like a red eared slider.

I emailed some pix to Robyn and she thinks he might be a Striped Mud Turtle. I agree that is the one he resembles the most. I just thought he was a Snapper b/c he had a scary looking mouth. :blink: And he sure could go for those tad poles like a snapper. :P

How are Striped Mud Turtles they as pets? It says they are on the smaller side for turtles.

I really dont know to much about them but i do know that they do look kinda scary/ugly. How big is it?

Tommy-I haven't really measured him proper, but he looks to be about 3" I'd say.

gynmonkeys work just got some of those (i think) and it definitely looks like a striped mud turtle. im not sure on the differences between the muds and musks, im more into baskers and snappers. he looks good though. you might want to look into their situation in your state/area, it is possible that that species is protected, threatened, or even endangered. just something to look into that may decide for you whether or not to keep it.

I don't know about your laws over there but over here it is illegal to have a turtle without a reptile licence & also illegal to have a turtle under 10 cms ( 4 inches. ) There are quite hefty fines in place like $5000.00. So it's a good idea to find out about those things... If the turtle you have is an endangered species or illegal to have it would probably be in everyone's best interests to hand it over to a wildlife ranger rather than putting it in a water way where you found it ( I am thinking the ranger would know exactly where it should go, for example places where there are numbers of them for breeding & where they will be safe... )
Hey Reptile Guy, I couldn't fins any photo examples of the solasticed perspex but I did find out about products that suction onto the side of your fish tank which you can put rocks on for basking areas & still water underneath ir for your turtles & fishies to swim around in !!. Pretty kool huh !!.

BTW that is a very cute turtle !!!

Thanks everyone. I actually have already contacted someone w/the Wildlife Commision and they are getting back to me on what is needed if anything. ;)

I just heard back from the Wildlife officer! NO permit needed... :D

Cool, Reptileguy what tank size will she need? In New York its illegal to have a turtle under 4 inches dont know about Floida.

U.S. law states that it is illegal to sell turtles under 4" carapace length as pets. when i read the law i didnt see anything about owning them, just selling them. some states have their own laws and can limit that law even further, so yes everyone should check their state's laws as well as their county's/city's/township's laws on the subject. their max size is about 4" and that is siginificantly less than most other water turtles. max size tank would be something like a 30 gallon. pasogirlz, any full tank shots?

is that an eclipse tank with the light and filter built into the hood? if so you should get a different tank for him so you can expand on the lighting and filtration you (or actually the turtle) need. also assume that anything besides the turtle that is in its tank will be food eventually.

Yes it is an Eclipse filter in the hood. I was trying to find out about the lighting here to know what to do. I plan to go to the pet store this weekend and see what I can do about the light issue.

I figured any fish in w/Snappy would be a gonner, so I just put a few cheapies in to see what happens. So far, he ate one guppie, 6 neons, and has barley touched any of the feeder fish. :P

did you figure out what lighting you need form here yet? pretty much a fluorescent UVB light rated for at least 5.0 UVB. you also need a heat lamp over the basking area, try and get the UVB over the basking area as well (as best as you can). do you plan on getting a bigger tnak anytime soon? do you know exactly how long he is? (measure the carapace's length, which is the top shell.)

I haven't taken him out and measured him yet. I try not to disturb him too much.

I'll try to measure him over the weekend. When I go to the store, I'll see what I can afford to do at this time. I know he will eventually need a bigger tank for sure and I'll work towards that.

Do you know how fast this type of turtle grows?

no, and even the species the i am more familiar with have greatly varying growth rates even amongst individuals of the same species, sometiems even the same clutch. between the diet, lighting, cleanliness of the tank, even the genetics of the individuals can all greatly affect growth rate. in general you should get the biggest tank you can deal with (space wise and financially) as soon as you can. do you have an estimate of his length? like 1-2" or anything like that so i have an idea if the tank he is in is satisfactory or if he seriously needs a bigger tank yesterday.

If he is more than 3" I would be shocked. But I would say at least 2" at this time.

okay. its not cruel (depending on who you talk to) to keep him in there for a short period while you figure things out and get him a bigger setup. since he does not require as big of a tank as most other water turtles, so you might as well get a tank that will hold him at his full size if that is at all possible. im pretty sure those types like shallower water (another reason to get him his own setup). by shallow i mean 4" deep or so with varying depths by piling gravel in one area and having the gravel at a regular fish tank depth at other areas. he would probably also appreciate lots of hiding places at those varying depths. this way he can hide and be comfortable at whatever depth he finds most comfortable. you can use rocks and drift wood for hiding spots, as well as other commercial reptile and fish hiding areas. another less visually appealing way (at least for you) is with PVC pipes usually used for plumbing. the T-connectors for PVC pipes are good for many fish and reptiles to hide in and he would most likely adore them. i would probably use 3-4" diameter T-connectors, at least while he is smaller. you may need to get bigger ones as he gets bigger (thats assuming you use them at all). because of his low depth you would need to use an internal filter. i like the whisper i line of internal filters. they suction cup to the inside glass so you can put them as high or low in the tank as you want/need. whispers give a range for the tank size they can handle and i would go by the lower number. so if you decide to use a whisper i (which i HIGHLY recommend) and you have a 20 gallon tank, make sure th elower number on the box is no less than 20. soem of this may sound a little confusing and if any of it is please ask about it so i can clarify it for you. please ask any other questions you may have. i woudl rather answer 100 questions that may seem simple than to hear one question about a sick turtle.

I was looking online at the whisper turtle filters. I figured that was what you would recommend. B) I think I'll check at the stores in town this weekend. Thanks for all your help.

was it called the reptofilter? that is the smallest one and i would probably get the next size up at least depending on what size tank you go with. the reptofilter is pretty much a whisper 10i with green plastic instead of black and it has a cover over the filter cartridge. the whisper 20i is the next size up and takes a bigger bio-bag (the name for whisper filter cartridges) and will be better for a turtle tank. has he eaten pellets yet? sorry if you already said he did, but i get people confused between different forums and people at work (i work at a pet shop).

I finally saw him take a pellet this week. Before that I wasn't sure. He likes to wait until I'm not around. lol

Yep I just read the law on turtles here too says illegal to sell under 4 inches, doesn't say anything about owning them altho have to have a licience... Funny how some laws are the same ( the 4 inch thing ) & others are not...
The paradise fishy eggs have hatched - if anyone wants to read about it you'll have to read all about it the paradise fish info thingy...
Cheers

Well Guys !!
Penny's outdoor set up is almost complete... I wanted her to be outside & able to bask whenever she likes & be in as natural environment as possible so that when the time comes for her to be released she won't be human dependant... I am going to get an outdoor pump etc so that I don't have to touch her, the only time she'll see me is when I am putting in her live foods or having a peep... All we have to is make a "lid" out of chicken wire so as to make it bird & cat proof altho my old cat isn't interested in her at all & I have some plants which I am just figuring out how I want to set them up so she has a shady place to go to if she doesn't want to bask in the sun... Her trough gets full sun for a few hours from morning til mid afternoon & then is completely shaded by around 4pm... REPTILE GUY, is it better to have the full sun early in the day or should I move to a spot which gets the afternoon sun ??? The early sun is very very hot so hot that it kills your feet if you stand on the paving etc, the afternoon sun is far more enjoyable, what do you think ??? Thankfully there is only one other cat in my neighbourhood that is allowed out at night. Mine mostly stays indoors because he is soooo old ( he's 16 ) he lies in front of the fire place even tho it's summer, LOL !!! His name is Monkey, when I was younger I loved monkeys, I wanted one but the next best thing was a black kitty... His mother was siamese, she got out one night & mated with something that was not also siamese hence the breeder was anxious to give the kittens away...
I'va taken photo's of the hatched albino paradise fishies & just working on ways to enlarge the images without making them blurry...
Ciao Meow

morning sun is better since that is when they naturally bask in order to heat up from the cold of the night and be warm enough to be active enough for the rest of the day. they will also frequently bask late afternoon to early evening, but the morning time is more important.