Who's the turtle freak?

How much work are they? How often do they need a tank cleaning? Do they need temperature control? Do you feed him prepackaged turtle food or do you make your own?
 
Temperature control is easy with a little heater. I tried using undergravel filters at first but the tank was always dirty. I splurged on this $100 canister filter that just makes everything is easy now.

Not only does it keep the tank clean but it makes the now seldom water changes easy since you can use it to pump the water out instead siphoning.

Oh, and he eats about half prepacked food and half fresh veggies. I just give him a little of whatever veggies I'm eating. He likes carrots the best though.
 
Not especially, I can hand feed him but he hisses a little and sucks into his shell when I pick him up. Not that I'm especially anxious to handle him since he's usually soaking wet.

We take him out back and let him run around which he likes. Gotta keep an eye on him because he's actually pretty fast. Nothing like a slow creeping tortoise.
 
I have a cat who followed around the turtle about 10 feet behind for a few minutes when I first got the turtle. Other than that they have shown no interest in each other for a couple years now.

With the turtle in the tank most of the time they don't have much chance to interact. The tank has little dry rock area where he can sun himself but if the cat tried to climb up there he'd be in the water hiding in his shell in no time. I don't think the cat is inclined to go near all that water in the first place.
 
nalani said:
Ooohhh ... I should post pics of my 'home improvement' projects too ... I fixed the wax ring on the toilet all by myself (doesn't sound like much to you men but believe me, it's a big deal to me :D)
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How'd ya do that? Ours is kinda fubar'd as well, so tips would be good.
 
All three of ours are Red Eared sliders. They're really not all that much maintenance. We have a great filter (Fluval 404 i believe) which does a great job. We only need to change the water I'd say every month to month in a half. Killer and Tiny don't like being handled much, but George loves it. He sticks his head out so we can pet it and all. Now that winter is coming, they are hiding more often in their alcove. The only thing ours eat is trout chow. We've tried veggies and such with no go. The cats just stare at them and the dog couldn't care less about them.
 
What you have to do is shut off the water to the toilet and then flush it to get all that water weight out of the tank. Then you unhook the water line to it, then undo the two bolts that hold it to the floor, then move the toilet. Fun times.
 
BeardofPants said:
How'd ya do that? Ours is kinda fubar'd as well, so tips would be good.
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Inky pretty much gives the directions :D .. but, I would add that it makes it so much easier to clean off the wax if you remove the tank from the bowl. Make sure you have gloves, a putty knife is useful for scrapping the old wax, and use that opportunity to clean the floor really well (since there's a hole in the ground LOL) ... then put the wax ring on and replace the toilet. It's time consuming and just a bit smelly (it wasn't nearly as smelly as some people told me it'd be) but it's not rocket science either. Just make sure to tighten your bolts carefully so you don't crack the bowl or the tank.

oh yeah - when you remove the bowl from the floor, it's best to lift it straight up. That way, the water that is still in the bowl will go straight down into the hole instead of .. umm.. everywhere LOL
 
Thanks for all the turtle info, Spike and Nat. Our hermit crabs have finally all taken the dirt nap and it might be nice to have another - more interactive- pet.
 
I'm down to one fish (Pleco) and 1 crawdad in the tank. We've got to repopulate the tank again... the last one to go (Comet) was the one that had killed off the rest...I never knew how aggressive a gold-fish could get until it was too late.
 
nalani said:
Inky pretty much gives the directions :D .. but, I would add that it makes it so much easier to clean off the wax if you remove the tank from the bowl. Make sure you have gloves, a putty knife is useful for scrapping the old wax, and use that opportunity to clean the floor really well (since there's a hole in the ground LOL) ... then put the wax ring on and replace the toilet. It's time consuming and just a bit smelly (it wasn't nearly as smelly as some people told me it'd be) but it's not rocket science either. Just make sure to tighten your bolts carefully so you don't crack the bowl or the tank.

oh yeah - when you remove the bowl from the floor, it's best to lift it straight up. That way, the water that is still in the bowl will go straight down into the hole instead of .. umm.. everywhere LOL
Click to expand...

If the toilet's going to be away from the hole for a while, it's a good idea to put a paper plate over the hole to keep the smell contained.
 
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