My Newest Pets

[Jemma's Mom]

Recently, I've bought myself two baby 3-toed box turtles. They are SO adorable, I thought I'd share some pictures with you guys. They don't run around the house like a dog can but they do some pretty interesting things and I find myself just observing them sometimes for half an hour non-stop... not realizing that time has passed so quickly of course! I'm a slave for my animals haha. Here in Canada, turtles are very rare and if there are some on sale, they go for REALLY high prices so I consider myself lucky for being able to have gotten my hands on some for cheap.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Aphrodite/DSCN6409.jpg
This is Aphrodite.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Ares/PDRM1929.jpg
Here's Ares.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Aphrodite/PDRM1987.jpg
The two of them together. Aphrodite is the smaller one.. she has little tolerance for poor Ares, lol.

[Bentley's Mommy]

Hahahaha! :blob2: Those are funny little critters, good for you!!! And I thought my daughters 2 Hermit Crabs were cool.

[Amaze]

Those are TOO COOL!!! I have a question though-aren't they rated "high" in terms of Salmonella infections? Or is that just a "wives-tale?" I LOVE turtles and THANKS for sharing!!!
Lys

[Jemma's Mom]

Lys, in response to your question...

Yes, turtles (reptiles in general) are known to be carriers of Salmonella. Terrapins (water turtles) are very well known for this disease while Tortoises (land turtles) do not carry such a thing.. at least not that I've ever read about. Maybe you've heard something about the ban of selling turtles under the measurement of 4". This is because many children were known back then to fall ill from contracting Salmonella -- anyone would if they had a baby turtle in their mouth! (Yes, that's exactly what they did.. put turtles in their mouths.) So by enforcing that law, they were hoping that the turtles would be big enough to not fit in mouths.

My 3-toed box turtles are classified as water turtles because they are semi-aquatic. I have to be really good about washing hands after handling them or touching their habitat. I guess I'm very careful with this whole Salmonella thing.. Loppi is on a BARF diet so I'm always on the lookout.

[islandbabies]

Boy, you sure are getting good at posting the pics. ANd I'm lovin it! I like Aphrodite she's so cute. She looks like she's on a mission of some sort. LOL.
It's funny we almost named Abi, Aphrodite!

[Romans Mom]

They're so cute. :) I love your turtle's names. :wub: That's so funny she has no tolerance for Ares. haha :razz:

[Hercules Momma]

I missed these the first time.. what great close ups of your turtles.

[2Chiwawa]

Oh wow, this is the first time I am seeing your pics of your turtle babies. I am in love. They are so beautiful. Are they hard to take care of. I heard that turtles poop a lot and it is a chore to clean the tank. What sort of habitat do they live in? I can't do fish, maybe turtles...:-P Then I really will have a zoo! At least they don't bark and even if they did they would LOVE if you sprayed them to make them stop barking.:-)

[Jemma's Mom]

Oh wow, this is the first time I am seeing your pics of your turtle babies. I am in love. They are so beautiful. Are they hard to take care of. I heard that turtles poop a lot and it is a chore to clean the tank. What sort of habitat do they live in? I can't do fish, maybe turtles...:-P Then I really will have a zoo! At least they don't bark and even if they did they would LOVE if you sprayed them to make them stop barking.:-)

I don't find them hard to keep at all! Water turtles require a LOT more maintenance and time because of water changes. My turtles do not have the chance to poop in their own habitat because I take them out once a day and soak them in warm water to rehydrate for about 20 minutes. This is when they do their business. Water goes in at one end, comes out the other, haha. I keep them in a huge 50 gallon Rubbermaid container that you can buy at Target or Wal-Mart for about $15. The substrate I use is peat moss and top soil and these don't have to be changed regularly.

[2Chiwawa]

OOOOH, now I'm really interested. Regulated pooping is the bottom line for me in any consideration on adding any other species to my little home. We have a very good pet store where the guy is a real expert on turtles. Guess where I will be going. I just love the way they look so prehistoric and gentle at the same time.

Now some questions: is the rubbermaid thing covered. I would have to keep my cats out. Do they need a light or a heat source? Do they respond to you? What do they eat? Sorry, I can ask the store guy...

I'll let you know. Thanks so much.

[Jemma's Mom]

I keep my rubbermaid half covered with the lid to retain moisture inside and to provide a cooler area for them. Since you have cats, you can put a screen cover of some sort on top to keep them out. They need two types of light - one is a regular bulb..mine is 60W.. for heat and the other is a fluorescent UVB light.

Box turtles eat a varied diet of fruits, veggies, meats, and worms, insects, nightcrawlers, etc. You're talking to the person with the biggest fear of bugs!! As hatchlings, they eat around 90% meats (insects) and 10% fruits and veggies. As adults, they eat around 80-90% fruits and veggies and the rest insects. Many people will say crickets are best BUT mine do not get crickets simply because I don't need them escaping and terrorizing my house. I just make sure they have variety and the vitamin supplements they need. The thought of bugs around the house creeps me out. However, if you are interested in turtles but do not want to ever get involved with the insects, perhaps a Tortoise will be right for you. They do get bigger than boxies but they are vegetarians.

Personally, I do not touch the worms. I use tongs to pick them up.

Many box turtle owners have claimed that they are very friendly once they are socialized and know who you are. Some have said that when they call their names, they will come running to them for a treat. Since both of mine are still babies, it is in their nature still to go into their shell if they are surprised but they are getting used to me. The bigger one lets me pet his head lol.

I hope this has helped you..I know I'm missing a LOT of stuff..it's because I don't know where to begin and where to end! I do have a care sheet from the breeder so if you are interested, I can e-mail it to you :D

[Jemma's Mom]

Here are some more pics of them so that you can see how small they are right now compared to my mini wireless mouse.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Aphrodite/PDRM1775.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Aphrodite/PDRM1772.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v78/babee_cake/Aphrodite/PDRM1784.jpg

[Chloe's Mom]

Kathy,

They're adorable!!! My sister has one, and her kids love it...I think it does come when called.

These aren't the ones that get enormous, are they? I think my brother-in-law brought one of those home first, and my sister saw online that whatever kind that was, it was going to get so big they would eventually have to keep it in the backyard in its own doghouse! LOL

(I'm pretty sure that's when my sister went to the pet store and swapped it for the Box Turtle...lol!)

[momof1chi]

How cute they are! My children love turtles! We usualy catch several in the summer and keep them for a while but we always return them to the wild before winter! That is one less thing mommy has to keep up with! Your little ones shure are cute though!
Chassi and Chili

[Jemma's Mom]

Ri, these ones get to be around 6" average. The ones that grow up to be HUGE and need to live in doghouses and such are called Sulcatas, or African Spurred Tortoises. They can grow up to 200 lbs. I don't think I can handle one of those lol.

Chassi, they're interesting animals, aren't they? What kind do you have near where you live? Probably box turtles? It's a bad thing to take them from the wild though, it stresses them out and some wild caught ones are known for dying when being kept captive because they are so not used to being contained and therefore, refuse to eat or function properly. For that reason, people buy from breeders who sell CB (captive bred) turtles rather than WC (wild caught) ones. Pet stores in general sell WC.

[2Chiwawa]

OK could they be any cuter? That pic with the little mouse is so funny. I know I would be trying to move my cursor with the turtle. Yikes.

Thank you so much for all your info. If I need more I will let you know but as I said, we have this one pet store where the guy is a turtle expert and I know he only sells CB turtles.