DonnaM

Can be used in bottom of tank but will need to be held down with a few flat, SMOOTH rocks or similar or it will float. Good to trap bits under, but a pain to clean and will over time go slimey in the water. Also frayed edges are an issue...so need to melt all around with a candle flame. I wouldnt suggest sand..... I used to use stones...till I realised how much easier it was to clean the tank and came across so many turtles with impaction and other issues from eating stones. You can use smooth stones (river stones) but they need to be bigger then the turtles whole head to prevent them eating them. :roll: Turtles experience their world by taste...so eating small stones is inevitable, so great you're not planning to use them. Believe me i quickly got used to the bare tank bottom...add drift wood to detract from the bareness...so long as it still leaves plenty of swimming space.

None...so far. One possibly coming, but 2 being rehomed and several people after advice. Oh and baby 'Alan' is off to live in Blenheim today

My understanding is its internal bleeding. Not something you'd visibly see. Years ago I had a puppy eat rat poison at a friends and it was a quick trip to vet to make it throw up. From memory.... the Vet said if we hadnt realised, puppy would have slowly bled to death internally and once it got too far, was irreversible. As others said, a shot of Vit K is an option if got quickly enough after the poisoning.

Ummmmmm... Stella? Mind blank? :-?

Really? Goodness... You know how things sometimes just sort of grow and grow beyond your wildest expectations :lol: .....mmmm I would NEVER have imagined anything like TV coverage!

Wow, thanks Skippy! Thats awesome

Awwww thanks guys, I just saw this! I had TVONE send me the link and I've just got home from work and posted it in the off topic area ...that was before I saw this thread :lol: http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/breakf ... id=3452845

http://tvnz.co.nz/breakfast-news/breakf ... id=3452845 This played on TVNZ breakfast this morning...and also a part version of it at lunch time. Only one new turtle coming since it aired.... so far

A turtle forum in the USA talks about something like this that they buy in pet shops. They use the moss balls as entertainment for the turtles...who like to rip them apart and munch on them...yum!

Hi everyone, I've had some-one ask me about using a "Reptile one 35W fan heat light" for their baby turtle. Sounds like turtle has a bit of white shell and they were sold this 'new' product which blows warm air onto the basking area. Not sure how the light bit works... Has anyone heard of it and know anything about it? Apparently the turtle has been basking much more since it went in as no doubt it likes the warmth. But I'm not sure about the 'fan' bit blowing air around so would be interested in anyones ideas, knowledge on these. Ta

mmm but very stressful for the turtle...and not easy with a snakeneck and probably not recommended without knowing if its actually vital for the turtles current health. I just think stop feeding prawn altogether for now and give him time to be hungry. Offer variety and wait and see. Also raising water temp a little may stimulate appetite too.

Sounds like you are on the right track. Personally I'd stop feeding the shrimps altogether for the meantime. He wont starve himself.... and you may find a few of those young fish start to disappear if he gets a bit hungry :lol: Little "Minnie" my rescued 1 yr old snakeneck discovered baby angel fish the other day.... only she grabbed the one that was too big for her and had fish out either side of her wee mouth for ages...till she spat it out and the bigger snakeneck ate it instead :roll: (They were feeder fish given to me, not top quality or anything)

From my experience, the snakenecks are easily hurt by the RES especially when they are both going for the same bit of food.... so not good to mix them. Also the RES needs veggies and aquatic plants as well, and the snakenecks need far more fish and meat. So just like kids who are offered veggies or a sausage....the RES will happily ignore their veggies and head for the snakenecks meat instead. Also you need to acclimatise the turtle to being outside. If you've only just put yours outside....and given the dramatic temperature drops we are getting at night, its not great for the health of the turtle. Watch out for resp issues or 'shock' which can lead to drowning.... oh to have a Nth Is climate down here :roll: When I first ventured into 'outdoor living' for the turtles I had both RES and Snakenecks go up and over a mtre high netting fence :roll: till I increased the overhang to prevent it. Or as suggested the smooth surface is good to. Great to have you looking at pond living for the health of your turtle So much nicer for them.

No, dont put him outside as the change in temp at this time of year can lead to all sorts of respiratory issues. Its a great idea in the summer tho Also make sure your lights are not too close to him. About a foot... 30cm away.

Yes one of my snake-necks was dreadful for 2 yrs at not eating much.... 'till he discovered live fish! Now I can hardly keep up with him for live food :lol: Prawns alone are not a good diet. Also watch if you feed cat biscuits and only do so sparingly. The purine content can lead to possible gout and death. Try making him hungry before introducing a new food. He wont starve himself and could easily be left for 3 or 4 days with no food and then try the hot-house food etc. Also you could check out the australian fresh water turtle site which naturally has all the info you need on Aussie turtles www.australianfreshwaterturtles.com ....or something like that......

Hope you all had a great night. Sorry I missed it.... just TOOOOO busy at work to get a break

Yes you're right...not 'warmth' as such. Then again, I had to pop an aquarium heater in my pond last winter to keep the temp at around 4-6 C as when it was getting colder then that I had 3 go into 'shock'. Head and limbs limp and fully extended, eyes half open and unblinking and totally unable to move ...and that was before it really even got into late April.... I've had that before down here if I've done a large water change and then suddenly air temp drops.... It can get very cold very quick and some have just not coped. I'm thinking they were probably not strong enough to start with as so many I have no idea of history before they get to me. And its not good to have large fluctuations in water temp. On the other hand the others are swimming around fine :roll: They do need to be able to get into 'something'. In the wild its probably a pile of mud in the bottom of a deep pond. The barley straw can be got from farm merchant type places.... I dont know what the stuff is thats sold as rabbit food?

You can get a bale of barley straw for hibernation. It breaks down and keeps algae at bay and they can burrow into and under it for warmth. I'm thinking the type of leaves you have may take awhile to break down and not really give much warmth for hibernation? My maple leaves were good last year, but I'm going with the barley straw this year.

Photo of turtle tank set-up. Tank positioned near (not in) window for ease of access for cleaning but also doesnt allow sunlight to cause algae growth. No shingle which makes cleaning so much easier and prevents intestinal blockage, prolapse and possible death. Turtles WILL eat shingle, and you should not have any in your tank. River stones which are larger then an adult turtles head can be used in your tank if you want a substrate. No rocks which can cause minor injuries to turtle shell and then over time progress to ulcerative shell disease and possible slow death. Driftwood for turtles to scratch on, hide behind and provide interest to the tank. Other smooth, plastic ornaments can also be used. Plastic plants will get eaten and can cause blockages. No lids on tank which cause condensation/ excessive humidity. This can lead to shell or respiratory issues. Large basking area. Reptile UVB light with no perspex cover and no glass lids to block UV light getting to turtles. (If it doesn't say 'Reptile' on the bulb, it's no use) Ordinary light bulb to provide warmth which encourages turtles to bask and dry out. A ceramic lamp fitting is best due to the amount of time the lights need to stay on every day. Basking area completely dry to prevent issues with the plastron or skin. Large external filter...this tank has 1 fluval 405 ad an Eheim. No carbon, ammonia remover added to filters which will leach toxins back into the water after about 2 weeks of use. Maximum water depth possible. Heater WITH heater-guard as turtles will break a glass heater. I have had turtles which have EATEN the chunks of glass and plastic from a broken heater. Prefilter sponge to stop greens etc clogging up filter. A piece of sponge from Para rubber held on with a twist tie is good. Cuttlebone floating in water at all times to provide source of calcium. Some form of 'greens' in tank at all times for turtles to nibble on. (Water lily, fancy lettuce, O2 weed and kumara skin were in tank in this photo.) Turtles....to add interest to the tank!

Yes it was great to meet new people and invade pet shops together :lol: Milo is missing all the pats and Yertle is still holding her own. We'll have to do it again sometime And cant wait to see the photos!

BBQ 6pm at my house is fine

Sorry to hear that Alan. I hope things go well for your Mother.

No worry... mmmm I better mow the lawn! :lol:

Thanks Charlie... yes shes a she

You're welcome to visit for a BBQ. I'm near town if that suits. And I do have fish now too :lol: Not just the 50 turtles :lol: