a friend and her baby RES... *sigh* - Paw Talk

halfwaynowhere · #1 01-07-2008, 01:22 PM

my friend has good intentions, but just doesn't seem to think things through. A few months ago, she saw that the local dollar store was selling baby RES turtles, and felt sorry for them, so bought one. She's been keeping the little guy in a bowl (a large food bowl) with a rock in the center so he can get out of the water. He hasn't grown much, if at all, since she bought him, and the water is ice cold! I'm so worried about this little guy. I used to have sliders, and I know how big of a commitment they actually are. I have instructed her on their proper care, but she can't afford a setup, and probably wouldn't take care of it anyways... I wish there was some way i could convince her to do the right thing and give him up to someone who will take care of him properly. there is a reptile store that my sister shops at frequently, who will take the babies in and raise them until they are the right size, and then adopt them out to people who actually want them. I haven't suggested this to my friend yet, because i know that she thinks she's doing an okay job with this little turtle, and won't listen. Awhile back, she had found a bunny in the park, took it home, and we found out he had some problems that she couldn't afford to take care of. I had her bring him to the local rabbit rescue for more information, and was trying to convince her to let them take him, but she refused. she ended up giving him to a neighbor, and he died. I'm so worried about this turtle, but don't know what i can do.
I did recently buy a 10 gallon starter fish tank set, with the intentions of setting up a community tank, but never got around to it. I was thinking of giving this tank to her for her turtle, so he could have some room to swim, and have a heater and filter and everything... it cost me around $50, so I'd hate to just give it to her knowing that the turtle will eventually outgrow it, but it might be the only way to get him a better life for now... any ideas?

Vanilla_Rat · #2 01-09-2008, 01:46 PM

Poor turtle.
I have had RES turtles growing up and they are a big commitment.They require more care then alot of people think.

I would definatly suggest her rehoming it or at least getting the proper things for him.He definatly needs heat,a GOOD filter as turtles are really messy,good diet,basking area and UVB/UVA.

I would also give her the 10 gallon,at least to borrow until the turtle gets bigger.He will eventually outgrow it...but it is better then what he is in!

And she got him at a dollar store??? They are allowed to sell pets there??? Our dollar stores are not and thats a GOOD thing if you ask me.

halfwaynowhere · #3 01-09-2008, 02:06 PM

i don't know what was up with the dollar store selling them, honestly... its some wierd little private-owned store, and they have a section up front with more expensive items... i guess this turtle was $5. Legally, they should not have been able to sell them, i believe its a federal law that turtles cannot be sold if their shell measures less than 4 inches long, unless its for educational purposes. people do it all the time, which really bugs me... When I had my sliders, they were given to me by a science teacher who had bought them for her kids, who got disinterested. I was in Jr. High. there were 3 in a 10 gallon tank, which we quicky upgraded... I eventually had to rehome them when they got to be about 10 inches because the tank was just too big and heavy to clean. I have been friends with this girl since before I got those turtles, 8 years ago. She knew everything we went through to take care of them, which is why it really irritates me that she would do something like that. I think she feels that she is meeting his basic needs, and everything I tell her is just "luxury" and not required... Next time I talk to her, I'll ask her if she wants to borrow the tank... I'm not using it, anyways...

Vanilla_Rat · #4 01-09-2008, 04:14 PM

Hopefully your friend will listen to you and if not,then for the turtle's sake I hope she rehomes it or gives to someone who knows how to take care of a turtle.

Yes,it is a law here too...not to sell turtles under 4 inches (I think thats the measurements).I was just in one of the pet stores tonight and sure enough they have a ton of 2 inch sliders! Very cute,but sad...because people are going to buy them on impulse! They are selling them for $30.It seems nobody listens to this so called "law" and it is not very enforced.

Angelnstuff · #5 01-10-2008, 03:02 AM

Kind of off topic, but is there a reason for the law? i remember hearing something about it awhile back, when my aunt worked in a pet store, she said they had alot of little turtles, but they had to hold them until they were bigger, but people could reserve them or soemthing? so they had a huge turtle set up in the store where they had atleast 20-30 baby turtles.

Ravnos · #6 01-10-2008, 04:17 AM

The law was enacted, from what I gather, as a knee jerk reaction to salmonella scares in younger children. Red-eared sliders are ridiculously cheap in the wholesale market because they are so easy to breed and can have such large clutches of babies - so they are readily available, cheap to obtain, and to many people, a disposable pet. At one point they were given away as prizes at county fairs and so forth. Now, the market has shifted a bit... and many are shipped to the overseas food market instead of into the pet trade.

I would say the main reason he isn't growing is because of lack of UV lighting. Without it, no matter what you feed him, he's not going to be able to properly synthesize calcium and at the very least end up with deformed and stunted bones and shell... at worst, and more likely, die. So even if you give her a tank, there are still other steps she needs to take if she wants him to survive, much less thrive. Aquatic turtles are not a cheap investment, they take a lot of care and a relatively expensive setup - which only gets more expensive the larger they get.

halfwaynowhere · #7 02-08-2008, 08:27 PM

well, her mom decided to let the turtle out of his bowl to walk around for a little while, and then sort of lost track of him, so he's lost in the house. Apparantly this is the second time this has happened (my friend's mom means well, but it seems her mental health is slipping away). They have two dogs and three cats, so I have little faith that the little one is alive and well.
Anyways, I just thought I'd give a little update.

christine · #8 02-08-2008, 09:28 PM

Poor little guy! I feel so sorry for the animals adopt but don't take care of. I have a future brother in law that has/had turtles and he almost never changed their water! IT STANK Hope the turtle is okay

kathydip · #9 02-10-2008, 06:02 PM

Tell her to check any warm spots she can think of. I let Oscar walk around once when I was cleaning his tank ( he was much, much bigger than that little one when I did this). I couldn't find him in the room at first and then I found him in front of the fridge where the warm air blows out.
Poor little guy. They are so adorable when they are little but they are a lot of work and very expensive to keep as they get big. I know.
Oh and they are the most filthy animal ever!

Kelli · #10 02-10-2008, 06:51 PM

I wouldn't give her the tank but state that you have a tank your not using and would love to have the little guy, and see what she says.

christine · #11 02-11-2008, 09:55 AM

I agree with Kelli