Turtle......i dunno if i can post this here?

[Bartman]

Hey, i didnt know 100 percent if i was aloud to post this here but this is the closest forum to do with turtles...if anyone knows the answer to this question thanks.

I have a painted turtle and i bought it for 15 dollers, canadian, and i just realized yesterday that i think he has no back legs...they are just stubs but he can still walk, swim, etc. Is it supposed to be like this and is 15 dollers to much for him?

thanks

and can someone tell me where i should place these questions if im not suppossed to do it here..thanks :)

[reptiledude21]

hey man, u can catch painted turtles anywhere. u shoulda just gone to a lake and caught one.

[JeffT]

uhhh NO!!! first off that illeagle... Second, why wouldnt you just let them live their life in the wild?

[Linds]

Posting your turtle questions here is fine :) As for your new pet, where did you aquire him from? Most subspecies are indigenous to Canada, making them illegal to own as pets, hence there isn't a "market price" for these animals.

[Bartman]

for Linds

i got him from my friends dad...someone came into his store and said that he doesnt want the turtle anymore cause hes to lazy to take care of him so they took him and than i said ill take it for 10 bucks cause ive wanted a tortoise for a long time and it was pretty close :) so i took it but i doubt that its illigal to own...what do you think?

[Tim and Julie B]

Painted are deffinatly illegal! Are you sure it's a painted? If it is a amputee (sp). then make sure it has a spot it can easily drag itself out of the water and don't make the water to deep. No deeper then the turtles neck so it can easily get air. Hope you can help it out and provide a good home.

And never take a turtle out of the wild. Dam.......there are enough red ears around why screw up the local population of wild turtles.

[Bartman]

eeek!!

i had no idea...but i couldnt get in trouble really could i?

there is no way im gonna just let it go free so....???

thanks for the information and ill take ur advice on the shallow water...thanks a bunch :)

[Bartman]

could someone give me a good caresheet on painted turtles because i cant seem to find any specific ones on google....i usually get websites trying to sell me paintings of turtles but no care sheets to be found. i also only get ones on the general water turtle. if you could lead me to any caresheets i would be very happy :) thanks :)

[Turtle Matt]

Reptileman21. Painted turtles are HIGHLY illegal,so is any other turtle species (and most reptile species) in Ontario. Plus why would you want to take them out of the wild?? They're protected for a reason,obviously. Bartman, you can definately get in trouble for having that turtle...I believe something on the lines of up to a $25,000 fine and up to 2 years in prison. It is possible that the turtle is a red ear I would imagine..I've seen a billion people call my work saying they have painted turtles that end up being red ears. Most of the advice these people have given you is pretty good, as mentioned, keep the water low and have a very easily accessed basking site.
Matt

[alexandsnakes]

I have a turtle who is missing a forelimb, and a friend suggested an approach he's seen work well if the turtle has trouble with balance. You take a pingpong ball, cut it in half, dry the turtle's shell really well (as though you were going to apply a patch over healed shell rot) and then epoxy the halved pingpong ball to the plastron around where the limb should be attaching to the rest of the body. This provides some stability, and allows them to drag their plastron level with the remaining limbs.

I haven't tried it, as she hasn't had problems with balance yet, but it's something to consider if you feel your painted is having difficulties. And yes, I just keep mine in shallow water like everyone before has suggested. I found she has gotten really lazy, rarely stumping around except to bask and eat, so watch your turtle doesn't get fat.

And maybe quietly apply for a license to keep native wildlife...

[Bartman]

thanks a lot :)

he/she has not had any difficulty at all yet with balance. i think this is because the turtle is missing both back legs so it evens out i guess...what do you feed yours...im trying the commercial food but people have told me that this is not a good idea for some reason. and another thing how do you feed yours..with the pellets i just drop them in the water and he/she only eats like 1 and he swims right by most of them...could i feed him outside the tank?

thanks :)

[alexandsnakes]

I feed mine Reptomin, trout chow, pieces of fish or meat (supplimented with small chunks of human vitamins and calcium), occasional live fish as treats, and the odd earthworm or cricket and some veggies and fruit - my res I find are very competition-dependent on what they eat. My big communal pool eats anything and everything and wants more all the time, but tripod Red all on her lonesome doesn't eat much besides her favourites. Painteds are more carnivorous than other pond turtles, just beware what brand of commercial food you're using as some are not as good as others.
Your turtle may still be settling in, so that may be why it's not eating. Give it some time, keep it quiet, make sure your water and basking temps are correct, and see if it starts eating. Worst comes to worst, I've never met a turtle who refused small slices of lean steak (with the vitamins), and once it's eating SOMETHING and feeling a bit better they're easier to get to expand their diet.
Are the stumps well healed over? Do you have any idea from the former owner when/what happened? Mine was a racoon attack when the little b@stards got the lid off my outdoor pen.

[Bartman]

yea they are forsure over a year old because it looks like they dont bother the turtle at all...he swims fine the only problem he has is if the water is deep he/she cant get all the way down but now i keep the water shallow...i have no communication to the former owner because i dont know who it is :P yea everyone tells me that kind of stuff to feed it but what do you do, do you just throw it in the water or put it in a dish on a rock or somthing?

thanks for your replies though :)

[alexandsnakes]

I pretty much throw everything in the water. Really, most of mine will run up on land, grab food, and run back in the water, but that don't work too good for pellets, and it makes a mess with everything else. Eventually, I find all my turtles will eat from my fingers, which I actually like when I'm giving them supplimented foods so I know everyone's had a piece with vitamins. They have to be in water to swallow, and generally feel more secure in water, so I'd add food and then leave the room. They should eat, I've rarely had turtle rescues that wouldn't eat. They may have other problems if they haven't been kept well (some of mine have had stomach and intestinal infections) but they generally eat. If you're not sure the turtle's eating, feed larger pieces of food (like chunks of meat and veggies) that don't just dissolve after awhile and get taken up by the filter so you can get an idea of how much is actually being ingested, what he likes, etc. and work from that. They can be stubborn.

My male RES who was also attacked by the racoons lost his rear leg, and I found he had more trouble with deep water than Red does, since she can kind of walk on her back legs along the bottom, but Shelly couldn't and had balance trouble while floating. He eventually had to be euthanised from another injury (racoons also ripped his bowel out of his cloaca, and surgery didn't fix it), so I never got to see how well he took to having only one back leg. Red doesn't know her forelimb is gone. She keeps trying to paddle with it when I pick her up.

[Darlene]

go to : www.turtlecare.net
here you will find caresheets for both painteds & res ( as well as other types). Check out the pics to make sure yours is what you think & then get the appropriate caresheet. hope this helps.
Dar

[Bartman]

thanks everyone my turtle is now eating everyhing i throw in. i think it wasnt eating because i just got her so she had to get used to everything..thanks every1