Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In the fall, the preschool I was working for recieved a turtle from a parent for the class. Since I was already caring for the fish, it was automatically assumed that I would care for the turtle. I had no knowledge of turtles what so ever and found this place through a friend. In the last two months I have become very frustrated with the people at the school. I have come in several times and found large amounts of food floating in the tank after I have already fed him. After careful questioning I have found that he has been fed anywhere from 2 to 4 times a day, about 1/8 cup of pellets each time. Simply because the turtle looked at the person and so they assumed he was hungry. Yesterday I came in and, on my day off, two of the teachers decided that the tank was too dirty and completely emptied it, scrubbed it out with cleaner(not sure what kind as bottle was not labeled), and filled the entire tank with tap water. There was nothing added to counter the clorine(sp?). Now our little friend has been rubbing his head over and over. He also is constantly shedding pieces of his shell(for the last month and a half) and the flesh next to his legs is very swollen and sticking out from his shell. He was in perfect health when they got him and did not appear this "bloated". Is this normal? The person who "cleaned" the tank also decided to put a plastic aquarium plant in because they felt the tank needed more decoration. I am soooo frustrated with these darn people! What should I do?

To begin with water turtles and preschoolers is troublesome mix.
The FDA recommends that children under 7 should not have contact with reptiles. An aquatic turtle probably poses the biggest health risk of any reptile as there is so much warm, fouled water.

I won't sell you on the salmonella issue but i have lots of turtles and i also have young siblings and i wouldn't keep the two in the same house. With that said, yes, many people do have herps and kids so i won't bash that but a school setting may present a more difficult situation as there may not be a responsible, knowledgeable adult present at all times.

Next, i do hope the turtle is geting something to eat besides pellets (though at this point i can see that over-eating is the main concern). A lock on the top of the cage might help deter extra feedings. All the extra food will decay rapidly and make the water toxic and this is not good for the turtle. Hiding the food in a locked drawer for which only you have the key is not a bad idea eiither. And adult turtle doesn't need to eat every day (3 - 5 times a week is plenty in a captive setting) so no worries about the weekneds or days you are not at work.

Is there a filtration system for the tank?
This wil go a long way in keeping up water quality.
A cheap hang on tank power filter will buy you a few days between water changes.

And of course, the larger the tank, the less often the water will need to be changed.

You can try to educate the other teachers/staff about the turtle's needs and hope they won't interfere with your plan. Perhaps post a 'feeding schedule" on or neaRoutine is good for kids, adults and turtles too.r the tank so everybody can see when its time to feed the little fella.

But i think the best option is to take this turtle away from the young children and the irresponsible adults who are over feeding it.

Is ther emore you can tell us?

From day one I have enforced the look but don't touch rule with everyone. I had once requested live food(minnows,etc.) but was told it would not be allowed because they felt it was too traumatic for the kids. I have been feeding turtle pellets,hikari algae wafers, lettuce, finely sliced carrots and other dark leafy vegetables. He is housed in a 45 gallon tank with a cover made from an old florecent light cover. Basically it's a sheet of plastic with holes all over about 1/4" square each, so even if I locked the lid down, the food could still fall through. I do not have a way to lock anything up. Since I am only a work study student through the college, it would not be allowed. I do have a feeding schedule posted, but it has been ignored. They got him a mercury vapor bulb at my request but could not afford any good filtration and so he has an airstone with an air pump. I have been doing water changes about every other day because of the lack of good filtration. He has both warm and cool basking spots and uses them regularly. I spoke to the teacher in charge today and she has assured me I will be the only one feeding from now on but I have heard that one before. I did also request live aquarium plants but they came back empty handed saying that the pet guy at walmart told them live aquarium plants were bad for turtles.

The school will not give him up to a better home "he belongs to the class" and the parent who gave him to the school doesn't want him back, I tried that route too. =(

If I were you, I would let them take over the responsibility and with it the realization that they can not provide for it properly, thus requiring a need for a new home. or you can pull your hair out trying to do what you can to prolong its miserable existence.
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But that never happens. if she gives up the turtle will live a terrible life and then die int he classroom and the care takers will just assume that that's how it goes. I don't forsee any better life for this anilam without her intervention.

I think its great that the mercury vapor bulb was put in place (a danger to the children?...most of thoise get very very hot) for the turtle. those are expensive a literally a hard sell to new turtle owners.
If no live fish are allowed, its okay, can you do live insects?
Fresh fruit (amny painteds will take strawberries, cataloupe, honeydew, mango and blackberries etc)
Frozen fish (thawed of course)?
How are water changes accomplied?
Are they done often?

Have the adminsitratios or teachers who prohibit chnages with the turtle's living situation read a caresheet?

and watch an animal suffer in someone elses care and hope they "learn their lesson". I am seriously considering sneaking in on friday afternoons after all the kids have left and dropping some feeder fish in. I bet they'd be gone by monday, when everyone comes back, and no one would be the wiser.......
I do water changes on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays with a bucket and a syphon hose(it's no water python but it works). I used to try feeding him in a bus tub while I cleaned the tank but he won't eat anywhere except in the tank. I had no idea they could eat melon and berries. I'll hit the cook up for some on monday. What about oranges or bananas? Can they eat those too? After about 10 minutes or so I always remove any uneaten food. As far as the crickets go they won't allow that either. ANY live creature is a no for them. I heard from a parent that a couple years ago they had a frog and fed it nothing but pellets because of the whole no live food thing. Poor thing didn't live long. A care sheet would be wonderful! Where can I find one?

the tank itself is just low enough that the kids can see in to watch him, but high enough that they cannot reach the top of the tank. The bulb, pump, and any electrical cords are completely out of reach. =)

I believe the danger with the light is that mercury vapor bulbs put off dangerous amounts of UV radiation for people. Its ok for turtles since they spend hours basking in the sun, but is harmful to humans. There really shouldve been warnings listed on the box.

-taken from an MSDS for a Philips Mercury Vapor Bulb:
Danger: These lamps emit ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION mainly between 320nm and 440nm. Avoid exposure. Ultraviolet radiation is harmful to the skin and the eyes and can cause serious skin burns and eye injury either from direct or reflected radiation. HOK lamps emit short-wave radiation and produce ozone. Therefore, they must be screened by means of suitable filters to protect eyes and skin. To reduce the risk of personal injury, install only in a fixture which provides adequate protection to area occupants. Should not be used for illumination purposes.

Of course this bulb is talking about danger to humans. If the filters were in place, it would be of no benefit to the turtle. If I had a tank for preschoolers(which I never would), I would use fluorescent bulbs like Reptisun 5.0 which gives off much less dangerous radiation.

But from what youve said so far, it sounds like the safety of the children isnt the top priority at this school, so I wouldnt expect anyone to care.
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Please excuse me if I seem rude but quite frankly, your comments have upset me....the people in the school DO CARE about the kids. They simply have no clue when it comes to pets. If I didn't CARE about both the kids and the turtle's well being I never would have come here for answers in the first place. Excuse me for trying.......that being said, I never saw the box the bulb came in. It was already set up when I came in to school. If I had read that I never would have set it up at all. I was TOLD I would be caring for the turtle since I was already caring for the fish. I was never asked if I even knew about them. The original owner didn't even know that much. This whole thing started in October and I'm trying to do the best that I can, would you give me a break already? Someone here told me I needed a mercury vapor bulb for the turtle. So they got one for him at my request. I have been working really hard trying to do right by this little guy and would appreciate a little respect.

Well there is some worry about the high output of the those mercury vapor bulbs but i think its over-emphasized.
They do get very hot though and pose a serious fire hazard if not held down properly. (not sure if even having one would pass a school fire safety inspecetion).

I'm sure they do care for the kids but the idea that an aquatic turtle lives in a class with preschoolers is pretty alarming for many herp folks.

As far as caresheets go try these (all similar but all worth reading):

basic water turtle care, you probably know mot of it but worth reading anyway

painted turtles at ATP

P Morris very old but still usefl basic aatic turtle caresheet

Painted Turtles at the WCT

Now what kind of light exactly are you using (brand name and series)? Not all are created equal.

If I need anything for the turtle or the fish, I have to request it from the head teacher. Each quarter they are given a budget to spend on the class room and that's when they pick up the things I need. I was not there when they purchased the bulb and did not see the box. (it was gone and the lamp was set up when I arrived in the class the next day) I do know that what ever kind it is, they bought it at Petco, does that help? I really wish I knew more about it.

when the bulb is very cool (has been off for along time) tsake it ourt of the socket and read the label.
mercury vapor bulbs are very expensive at pet stores 40 - 90 dollars. I think you want to make sure the turtle has what it needs and not some crappy pet store bulb.

do you have a thermometer? (digital one or floating one is preferable to those stick on glass kinds which are nototiously innacurate)

Thankyou, I will check on monday and let you know what I find about the light. I have had a thermometer on the shopping list for the last two trips and they still haven't got it. They said they would get it this week. I have always used floating ones in my fishtanks at home and that's what I had told them to get. I agree that they are far more accurate than anything else.

Some light possibilities.
these provide UVB which is needed by most reptiles to help meetabolism of vitamin D3 and calcium.

Turtles kept indoors should have one of these and a calcium with D3 supplement in their diet.

UVB at ATP

Im sorry to have upset you. I am sure you are trying to do the right thing. I am mostly upset with the administration of that school from what you have said. The fact that the turtle stays no matter what upsets me. The fact that you cant put a lock on the tank upsets me. The fact that the administration chooses to remain uneducated and potentially dissuade the children from learning the proper needs of the turtle upsets me. Just imagine how many of these kinds are going to beg mom and dad for a turtle at home and then treat it improperly.

I keep both fish and turtles in the same tank, but they have very different needs which are provided for.

Once again, im not upset with you or the turtle, I feel sorry for both of you for being put in this difficult situation.

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I'm just so frustrated with these people. I feel just as you do about it. If I had control of the situation he wouldn't even be there. I'm trying to use what little control I do have to do what's best. Thankyou for the picture! =) Your tanks look wonderful. In fact, on your smaller one I noticed a silver colored lamp(the kind with a clamp on one end,yes?) is the same I have for our turtles bulb. All I really know about the bulb is they told me they got what I asked for and that they got it at Petco. I am printing out the care sheets bloomindaedalus provided me with and going in armed to the teeth on Monday....

The little tank doesnt contain any turtles, its a prefilter for the large DIY filter it sits on. Sometimes minnows escape thru the siphon and they get caught in the 20 gal. Theres also some aquatic plants (healing), a crayfish, a mussel, and lots of ramshorn snails.
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