return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research  
click here for Rodent Pro
Mice, Rats, Rabbits, Chicks, Quail
Available Now at RodentPro.com!
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Happy Rattlesnake Friday! . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Milk Snake . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Dec 04, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Dec 05, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Dec 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Kentucky Reptile Expo - Dec. 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Dec 08, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Dec 15, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Dec 17, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Dec 21, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - Dec 27, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Dec 28, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
Join USARK - Fight for your rights!
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
click here for Healthy Herp
pool banner - $50 year

first time softie owner in need of guidance

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Softshell Turtles ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: brynneth at Sat Jun 4 21:22:22 2005  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by brynneth ]  
   

hi, ive never had a turtle before although ive had just about everything else under the sun, and im bit unsure as to what do with this guy. see i was wandering around near my dads office and i ended up by a nearby creek where low and behold i find a softshell turtle sitting in the mud. i recognised what he was and figured that i should get him out of there if i could because the water was not even close to clean. he let me pick him up which suprised me and i got him home in bucket of water. when i got him home i set him up in a large tub of water and put a layer of sand on the bottum for him to hide in, with some feeder fish to eat. i then set about trying to find out what type of softie he was so i could take care of him, but i cant find any specific info and very few pictures. ive narrowed it down to a spiny softshell but he doesnt look exactly like any of the pictures ive found, plus he has no spots on his shell at all. im fairly sure hes a male, my mom has a pair of turtles so i know that much, but id like to know more specifics. i added a filter and a heater and ive got the temperature around 80 degrees. he didnt eat for the first few weeks and i was geting worried so i bought some small fish and some gost shrimp and a crayfish, which he immidiatly tore apart and left legs strewn about the tank. since then hes been eating fine although he has a lovely habit of biting the fishes heads of and leaving them lying around the tank. he seems to be doing ok but what realy concerns me is that he seems to have a fungal infection of some sort. there are small spots on his shell that look eaten away. i read that lack of uv could cause problems so every day he goes into a different tub in the backyard. sorry for rambeling on for so long but i realy dont want to screw up with this guy, ive gotten attached to him hes a sweety and hasnt bitten me once. please reply or give me a link, thanks very much.


   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]


>> Next Message:  RE: first time softie owner in need of guidance - brynneth, Sun Jun 5 23:20:33 2005
>> Next Message:  RE: first time softie owner in need of guidance - PHLaure, Wed Jun 8 22:28:40 2005
>> Next Message:  RE: first time softie owner in need of guidance - Daysi, Wed Jul 6 12:14:11 2005