Four Turtles And Me!

Someone came up to me one day and said,
"Can you hold this box for me for just a second?"
Stupid me said,
"Sure, no problem."
Suddenly the person ran off.
Great! Now what is this, a bomb or what!

So I put the box up to my ear to listen for any ticking and, phew!, I did not hear any; however, I did hear some scratching and some movement.

Still a little nervous, I flagged down a police officer who just happened to be driving by at that time. I told him what had happened and informed him of the noises in the box. He said just to be sure he was going to call it in and he put the box on the ground ever so carefully and had me step back across the street.

I saw him make a call on his radio and shortly after he got out of his cruiser and began to rope off the area. Fifteen minutes went by when suddenly there was a roar of a massive van rolling in. It was all black and had "Police" on the sides. The van was really cool looking.

Men got out of the van, approached the Officer I had flagged down, chatted with him, then pointed at me. After a few more minutes I saw them with a small, what looked like a remote-controlled car with a metal tool attached to it. The men sent this remote controlled car on its way to the box. Finally, when the car was at the box, one of the tools moved into position and ever so gently popped the lid off the box. To everyone's surprise there was no explosion.

The men from the van look disappointed. They motioned another tool that had a small video camera on it and they looked inside the box. The men were stunned by what they saw. With their jaws agape, their eyes wide open, they suddenly burst out laughing.

Then the Police Officer motioned me to come over to see what was going on. The men in the van handed me the box; with four baby turtles in it. Then, the men packed up their stuff, and we all went our separate ways with a safe end to our day!

These turtles came to me by chance. I was working at a local pet store, which had not been able to sell them because they were too small. So, the owner gave them to me.

For my baby turtles I used a twenty gallon, wide breeder tank that had a screen mesh top on it. At the time the turtles were only the size of a quarter, so the size of the tank was perfect.

Inside the tank I put down aquarium rock. I used red, however, any color can be used. Now, when setting the rock you have to build a ramp-like structure so the turtles can get in and out of the water with ease. At one end of the tank the rocks will be piled high and the other side the rocks will be piled low.

Next thing to do is add a small submersible heater. The water temperature is very important. Set the thermostat between seventy to seventy five degrees.

Next thing you need to add to the tank is a water filter; water turtles need clean water. I used a fully submersible water filter so I would not hear the waterfall effect in the room.

In order for the turtles to digest their food properly they need to have UV light. So you can use a strip light from a fish tank and get a UV bulb from the local pet store.

One more thing you need for turtle health is a heat lamp. Water turtles like to bask in the sun, which helps with their health.

Decorations for the tank can be anything, however, my opinion is keep it simple. Just make sure you use items that are non-toxic and that have round sides so the turtles do not get injured.

Depending on the kind of water turtle you have there is a huge selection of food you can feed your fun pets. Most pet stores will have anything from pellet food to flake food, along with crickets and small fish. You can also feed them red meat and greens as well.

A good variety in diet is a good thing. As long as the turtles are eating, do not worry about them. When you see them not eating is when you have a problem. If they are not eating they may be sick call a vet right away

Water turtles are very dirty and with the help of a good submersible filter your cleaning job will be a lot easier. Do a water change once a month and clean the decorations with a non- toxic pet-safe cleaner that you can find at a pet store.

The turtles need to be placed some where safe so while you are cleaning the tank they do not get injured or eaten by the dog. I suggest buying a container large enough to hold the turtle comfortably. If you need to, poke holes in the top if using a plastic container with a lid, or a cardboard container, and place the container in the center of a table out of the way.

Baby water turtles can carry salmonella. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling them. Also clean the container they were held in with some antibacterial soap.

I am far from a turtle expert. What worked for me may not work for you. Many people may have different opinions ABOUT what I did for my turtles, which were Red Eared Sliders.

They get really big and a 20 gallon breeder tank was not going to be big enough for them.

When the turtles got to be about the size of a small plate, I took them to a friend who had a very large indoor/outdoor pond. I let the turtles go free. Since then the turtles have been thriving ever since.