So, we rescued a miserable little turtle from our neighbor, who wasn't taking care of it at all. It was in 2" of filthy water and being fed a diet of freeze dried worms. I brought it home, cleaned the tank, added some more rock, a water filter and a couple fun climbing rocks for "Mr. T". While cleaning out the tank, I noticed there was a fish in the tank...as I'm dumping this nasty muddy water out. I managed to save the little guy from being flushed down the drain. Kai was SO excited about the little guppy. When the tank was clean, I gave the trutle about 4 gallons of water to swim in, and he just came alive!! He got real fiesty and darted around his new habitat...he's king of his castle now.....unfortunately his new found confidence cost the life of little guppy...he ate him. Kai was/is devistated. He started yelling at the turtle telling him he's a bad turtle and that he can't eat the fish. He keeps telling us he wants to see fishy, and I keep trying to explain to him that Mr. T is an omnivore, and that fishy was eaten by Mr. T...and tht it's OK. He just doesn't get it.....he's 3. How can I effectively explain to him that some animals eat meat, and it's OK?
Needless to say, we won't be feeding the turtle live fish while he's home. The people at the pet store said it's good for the turtle to be fed a live fish every once in a while.....I'm going to look into that a little further before I decide to drop an unsuspecting little fish into the tank again.

OH! poor little guy!

man, kids and pets. I remember once my little brother put my kitten in the toilet because it "wanted to go for a swim!"

I don't really have any help for you...maybe watch animal planet together? :D

What sort of turtle have you got?

I have a Red Eared Slider at my parents' house called Beetle Bailey(aka Bay). My brother's friend bought him out of someone's bookbag in a liquor store when Bay was a hatchling. He was in a little "tank" that could maybe hold 2 cups of water, but only had enough on the bottom to keep the turtle damp.

So, fast forward 7 yrs with adequate swim room (they have to be able to ACTIVELY swim to develop proper muscle tone), a basking area (they also have to dry off totally or they get shell rot), a heater for the tank (they won't eat if they get too cold), a filter (cause boy can they poo) and a UV light (yep, need those too)... Bay is really quite large and is doing very well. My dad has pretty much adopted him at this point (not soo practical to move around with a giant aquarium) as he likes him an awful lot. He feeds him Reptomin turtle food, and occasionally buys him guppies and goldfish. He also LOVE slugs and snails which I never feel bad about feeding him because they eat my garden. He'll eat pretty much any bug you toss into his tank. As they get older, Red Eared Sliders are said to prefer a vegetarian diet. Bay loves peeled grapes. Still never really got him to eat greens though.

Good luck with your turtle. Maybe feeding him some bugs would be less offensive to Kai!

I had a red-eared turtle many years ago for about 7 years. He used to LOVE eating earthworms. Now I think I would feel too bad for the worms to feed them to the turtle :shy:

http://www.anapsid.org/mainchelonians.html is a good place to start for turtle care, though I don't know the species. Please please don't listen to the people at the pet store w/o doing your own research, they have zero training in the care of exotics and they will really truely give you advice that will kill your pet (though it sounds like anywhere is better than where he was, you're an angel for taking him in).

As for explaining it to your son, could you explain that some animals HAVE to eat other animals or they will die, but that people can choose if they want to eat animals or not, maybe explain simply the difference between omni, herbi, and carnivores?

What sort of turtle have you got?

I have a Red Eared Slider at my parents' house called Beetle Bailey(aka Bay). My brother's friend bought him out of someone's bookbag in a liquor store when Bay was a hatchling. He was in a little "tank" that could maybe hold 2 cups of water, but only had enough on the bottom to keep the turtle damp.

So, fast forward 7 yrs with adequate swim room (they have to be able to ACTIVELY swim to develop proper muscle tone), a basking area (they also have to dry off totally or they get shell rot), a heater for the tank (they won't eat if they get too cold), a filter (cause boy can they poo) and a UV light (yep, need those too)... Bay is really quite large and is doing very well. My dad has pretty much adopted him at this point (not soo practical to move around with a giant aquarium) as he likes him an awful lot. He feeds him Reptomin turtle food, and occasionally buys him guppies and goldfish. He also LOVE slugs and snails which I never feel bad about feeding him because they eat my garden. He'll eat pretty much any bug you toss into his tank. As they get older, Red Eared Sliders are said to prefer a vegetarian diet. Bay loves peeled grapes. Still never really got him to eat greens though.

Good luck with your turtle. Maybe feeding him some bugs would be less offensive to Kai!

Thank you for the info!! Mr T is a red eared slider. He has one totally dry area, and one area that is wet, but not submerged. I bought a waterfall filter and DH went today to get him proper food. We got him krill, baby shrimp and some these little meal pellets. I *think* the light that is on there is a UV light, but I'm not certain.how do I find out? His water seems to be a nice temperature (around 65-70 degrees)...I'll look into a heater as well (for the cold months).
I appreciate the link that TBT posted as well.....and I suppose it's time to start explaining a bit more to my son, the difference between omni., herb. and carn. .......and on a whole other note, my MIL has been telling my son how yummy cheeseburgers are:grr: So, I suppose this would be the most appropriate time to start really talking to Kai about why we don't eat animals. I need a good book resource for veg. related stories....anybody?

ETA: He'd be upset if I fed the turtle bugs too.....Kai likes bugs.

Aww, poor kid. My nephew's three years old too, and my mom foster puppies and he goes on for months anytime after one gets adopted "Where Chloe?" "Where Dora?" Though I guess explaining they got adopted and went home is much easier to explain than they got eaten by your other pet. :(

Maybe you could try to explain the "circle of life" in simple terms that Kai would understand. There's a nice tutorial for kids on the "web of life" here: http://kidsplanet.org/wol/. I'm guessing that it is made for children older than three, but you might still be able to use it (maybe you could just simplify the ideas).

Thank you for the info!! Mr T is a red eared slider. He has one totally dry area, and one area that is wet, but not submerged. I bought a waterfall filter and DH went today to get him proper food. We got him krill, baby shrimp and some these little meal pellets. I *think* the light that is on there is a UV light, but I'm not certain.how do I find out? His water seems to be a nice temperature (around 65-70 degrees)...I'll look into a heater as well (for the cold months).
I highly suggest you do some reading on Red Eared Sliders, they NEED to have an area of water that they can be completely submerged! It also needs a heat lamp over the dry area(or you can put it half way on the dry and halfway on the water, warming both). I would recommend just buying a new UV light since the one he has probably isn't one. If you go to thatpetplace.com they're much cheaper then the ones in pet stores. Please get these things ASAP, especially the heat lamp since the turtle will not be able to properly digest food without it!

I highly suggest you do some reading on Red Eared Sliders, they NEED to have an area of water that they can be completely submerged! It also needs a heat lamp over the dry area(or you can put it half way on the dry and halfway on the water, warming both). I would recommend just buying a new UV light since the one he has probably isn't one. If you go to thatpetplace.com they're much cheaper then the ones in pet stores. Please get these things ASAP, especially the heat lamp since the turtle will not be able to properly digest food without it!


He has about 4 gallons of water to swim in!! He's just slightly bigger than a silver dollar...just a little guy. He is definately digesting his food, I've seen his poop in the tank (prior to getting the filter) I'm going to bring the lights into the pet store to make sure they are proper (they mentioned UV lights to us when we went to get the filter, he has a light, and I just figured it was a UV light) There are two lights...maybe one should be for heat, and the other for UV. I just assumed because the neighbor has had the turtle for about 9 months...he's definately a healthy little guy...and much happier now that he has room to swim. Thank you for all the advice y'all!

If the uv light is already 9 months old it most likely needs to be replaced anyway, unless you want to buy testing equipment to test the output (expensive) most need to be replaced every 6 months. He may still be digesting food, but not as well as he needs to be, or as quickly as he needs to, several thermometers are a must (you can get aquarium thermometers for as little as $2)

Since my turtle moved down to the greenhouse, he no longer has a specific basking light as he gets TONS of natural sunlight (as per the purpose of the greenhouse!!), so I have no specific UV light recommendations. Make sure you remember to turn off the turtle's lights at night too!

If he is that big after 9 mos, he probably wasn't getting the stuff he needed, because mine started out the size of a quarter and outgrew a 5 gallon tank in under a year. RES aren't too difficult to care for in comparison with other reptiles. Once yours gets bigger and starts pooping more, I recommend getting a submersable Fluval filter. They are the best for turtle poop which can be quite hefty once they get bigger!!

One more warning if you haven't heard it yet... Turtles can carry salmonella and you should be careful with the turtle around Kai. Make sure he washes his hands well with antibacterial soap after handling the turtle or any of the turtle paraphanalia.

Anyone notice the turtle ad on this thread?

Anyone notice the turtle add on this thread?

And the fact that it's selling illegal turtles? Sick.
(It isn't legal in the US to buy/sell a RES at least that is under 6")

Kaplan's site says under 4", but I can't see the ad so I don't know.

"He just doesn't get it.....he's 3. How can I effectively explain to him that some animals eat meat, and it's OK?"

You can't. He doesn't get it because there is nothing to get. He is obviously smarter than you are. If you also want to explain to him that the you and he don't eat meat, then there is no reason to give the turtle special priveleges. Either allow your child to eat meat, or diapprove of the turtle eating meat. There is no alternative. You can't have it both ways, and your child knows that.

It is not that a turtle "can" carry salmonella. Most likely the turtle does carry salmonella. 90% of domestic reptiles carry it. Most show no symptoms.

Make sure you remember to turn off the turtle's lights at night too!

If he is that big after 9 mos, he probably wasn't getting the stuff he needed, because mine started out the size of a quarter and outgrew a 5 gallon tank in under a year. RES aren't too difficult to care for in comparison with other reptiles. Once yours gets bigger and starts pooping more, I recommend getting a submersable Fluval filter. They are the best for turtle poop which can be quite hefty once they get bigger!!

One more warning if you haven't heard it yet... Turtles can carry salmonella and you should be careful with the turtle around Kai. Make sure he washes his hands well with antibacterial soap after handling the turtle or any of the turtle paraphanalia.

I turn his light off every night, and I am totally aware of the salmonella issue (I used to have an iguana, and they too can carry salmonella) I only let Kai touch the turtle's shell with 2 fingers and I immediately have him wash his hands after.

Right now Mr T is in a 10 gallon tank.....he has ample room to swim, and good food...hopefully he'll grow better now. I bought him a Duetto Submerible Power Filter. Would a reptile shop be the best place to purchase what Mr T needs? A new UV light, some edible plants, a water siphon for weekly water changes and....anything else? They should know of a local reptile vet too...you think? The turtle care seems much more involved than iguana care.:sweat: I think I might do a greenhouse for him when he gets bigger...that sounds much nicer than a big ol' tank. I bet your turtle is one happy little guy!

And the fact that it's selling illegal turtles? Sick.
(It isn't legal in the US to buy/sell a RES at least that is under 6")

I read that it's 4" from tail to head....on the link that TBT prvided

"He just doesn't get it.....he's 3. How can I effectively explain to him that some animals eat meat, and it's OK?"

You can't. He doesn't get it because there is nothing to get. He is obviously smarter than you are. If you also want to explain to him that the you and he don't eat meat, then there is no reason to give the turtle special priveleges. Either allow your child to eat meat, or diapprove of the turtle eating meat. There is no alternative. You can't have it both ways, and your child knows that.

I'm sorry, but your post is incredibly rude! Learn some tact.

I think I might do a greenhouse for him when he gets bigger...that sounds much nicer than a big ol' tank. I bet your turtle is one happy little guy!

The Greenhouse is my dad's thing. He's big into gardening. When he designed the house my parents live in, he stuck a greenhouse in the back of it. It's quite toasty and sunny in there :)

I had two iguanas in the past, and neither of them fared well. They both died fairly quickly. The turtle seems a lot hardier!! Or maybe I just got a good turtle. :)

The Greenhouse is my dad's thing. He's big into gardening. When he designed the house my parents live in, he stuck a greenhouse in the back of it. It's quite toasty and sunny in there :)

I had two iguanas in the past, and neither of them fared well. They both died fairly quickly. The turtle seems a lot hardier!! Or maybe I just got a good turtle. :)

Wow..really? My Iggy was a little guy, about the size of my forearm. When I gave him to my parents, he was 6 feet long, and about 20" around the midsection. He was very docile...and *beautiful* I took very good care of him, and he was never confined to his tank. He went there to eat and poop....otherwise he had free roam in the house. Eventually my parents gave him away...I was *devistated* because I didn't get to meet the person who would become his caretaker. I hope he is well taken care of. I was told that the person who took him in is an avid admirer and collector of reptiles. Anyow...I really appreciate your input!! Thanks again!

you should have informed the turtle ahead of time that you're a vegetarian household and you expect everyone to abide!!!!!

yeah. LOL poor fishy, poor Kai, and thank goodness for the turtle.

You can't. He doesn't get it because there is nothing to get. He is obviously smarter than you are. If you also want to explain to him that the you and he don't eat meat, then there is no reason to give the turtle special priveleges. Either allow your child to eat meat, or diapprove of the turtle eating meat. There is no alternative. You can't have it both ways, and your child knows that.
The difference is that meat is part of the natural diet of most turtles. Meat is not inherently part of our diet. Eating meat, just as not eating meat for humans is learned behavior, where as for non-human animals it is instinctual. It's not giving the turtle "special priveleges" to allow the turtle to be a turtle and eat turtle things. We don't need meat to survive and turtles do. For us it is a choice, not so for turtles. Frenchie obviously wants her family to make the compassionate choice, but maybe she's just "smarter than you are":naughty: . So yes, it is possible for both ways to coexist. :bow:

Frenchie, just some mental notes I made through this thread...make sure the light you get has both UVA & UVB rays which is very important for proper care & growth. I get the T-Rex Active UV Heat (100 watt) from PetCo. It's not cheap about $80. And it needs to hang over the dry basking area, but make sure it shines at the right distance...you don't want to cook your turtle. Also, if you're going to feed him krill, I suggest you do it outside of the tank, like maybe in the sink. It gets very messy and will lead to more frequent water changes which will get tedious real fast. Good luck with Mr. T.

The Greenhouse is my dad's thing. He's big into gardening. When he designed the house my parents live in, he stuck a greenhouse in the back of it. It's quite toasty and sunny in there :)

Toasty indeed! Perhaps too toasty for a turtle. I can't imagine a turtle surviving in such a hot environment. He may get great sunlight, but how can he breathe? And how do you prevent his water temp from elevating? Hopefully I missed something and your dad only keeps him in there for an hour at a time. :sweat: