Our Turtles: Red-eared sliders

 

The pond is 8 feet by 3 feet deep.

Note the red plastron. This turtle has been fed shrimp for 14 years.
You are what you eat.

We rescue turtles. The turtles are not endangered, there is little threat of extinction . However, the green little turtles with yellow lines and distinctive red patches have outgrown their environment and in many cases their welcome. The owners had intentions of raising these turtles without knowledge of their eventual growth . Some turtles were neglected or abused

.
There are four choices for the owner:
A - provide a larger enclosure (good)
B- return to the retailer, animal control (?)
C -turn the turtle loose (bad)
D - find a turtle rescue (good)

This is the turtles' new one thousand gallon enclosure. They also have a basking area that can hold up to fifteen turtles at a time. The island is hollow giving the turtles a space where they can hide. We are filtering 7000 gallons of water per hour. We provide them with heat, light for basking and food /vitamins. The room is kept at 24 degrees, the water is also heated. Turtles need UVA/UVB lighting 12 hours per day. Basking is very important it helps digestion and hardens their carapace (shell) and helps ward off fungi. (It is very important for turtles to be able to dry off.)
Large turtles can grow up to 30 cm (11.8 inches) but the norm is 20 cm (8 inches) and require 200 gallons of water. The sliders drink, sleep and defecate in the water. We are filtering 86,000 gallons of water every 24 hours.
In captivity, sliders can live from 15 to 50 years. We have a grandma turtle, thirty-eight years of age, her original owner bequeath her to her daughter. Grandma is now with us.

Baby Turtles feeding and basking

 

Grandma

Grandma enjoys floating and gliding through the water.

Turtles Benny & Bowser

Benny and Bowser turned out to be Miss Benny and Miss. Bowser. They are two loving juvenile red-eared sliders.. They have been mixed with many other turtles but are always true to each other. If you find one You find the other. We refer to them as the Twins! They had good teachers.Their owners are a loving couple who drove a couple hundred miles just to give their turtles a home. Benny and Bowser were our first turtles. We were so impressed by the owners commitment it encouraged us to rescue turtles. Like Torty this was not a rescue, these turtles were in the best of condition and had great dispositions.

Here is a letter from Benny & Bowser's owners

Benny & Bowser

Benny & Bowser have been best friends since September 2001. Benny was bought in September 2001, and Bowser was bought in September 2000. Bowser originally had another best friend with another turtle named Franky. But sadly, Franky developed a breathing problem from birth and needed to be hand fed through a syringe. Franky passed away and ended his suffering in September 2001. Bowser was left alone with sadness from losing Franky, so that's when Benny came in. Benny was very hyper from the day she met Bowser, and immediately helped Bowser through her time of sadness.

During the entire time we had Benny and Bowser, it was such a joy. They helped us through a lot of hard times. The only problem was they were very expensive to look after because we were having water problems and had to buy all of the water for Benny and Bowser to play in. That added up to be gallons and gallons of water that we could no longer afford. On top of that, the hydro bill was going up. So, we realized that it was time to look for someone who could look after the turtles.

That was when we met Jim & Colette. As soon as we met Jim & Colette we knew that they would be the best people that we could possibly find to look after our babies. I've learned that you can always find help during the times that you need it the most, and that was definitely one of those
times. We are so thankful for what Jim and Colette have done to help us. It really made us sad to think that we were losing our pets but we knew, and still know they are in good hands. Hopefully, someday we can get enough money and water to accomodate the turtles again.

If I can give any advice to anyone who is planning to get a turtle, I would suggest to: First, buy a book about turtles and see what things that you will need for them. Second, be able to provide a long term commitment to them, and have enough money and water for them. And third, be able to
provide lots of love for them because they are just like having a dog or cat and they need affection too.
 

 

 

Torty


A twelve year old red- eared slider who’s owner was a single woman with commitments who needed a home for her beloved turtle. This was not a rescue Torty was loved by her owner to the point that she became obese.. When Torty exercises she follows us like a slow puppy. Torty thinks she is a tortoise, she spends the same amount of time out of water as in water. Torty was fed hamburger. . Needless to say, she is on a diet of vegetables, trout food, beef heart and gold fish. To date, Torty has lost 11 ounces. She still weighs 18 ounces heavier than turtles her size. Torty is a very special turtle. We love her dearly.
Please take the time to read a letter the Torty's former owner mailed to us.