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Posted by Lisa and Virgil on April 11, 2002 at 09:55:15:

In Reply to: I have RES . . . posted by Lisa and Virgil on April 11, 2002 at 09:53:38:

: : Okay, so I go to my friend Blair's house to pick up a few things for one of my classes... I notice she has an aquarium with Red Ear Sliders... I used to have 3 of them years ago.. I just bought a big plastic kiddy pool and had a big rock in the middle of it. I would buy little feeder minnows (spelling?) from the pet store and they ate those beautifully. When I moved off to college, I set them free in our neighborhood pond (that's where I caught them anyways, save for the one I found on the golf course). They thrive down here in Texas, so outside weather is perfect... anyways....I look in her aquarium and I see this little Stone turtle figurine. I asked how many turtles she had in there and she replied, "two". I only saw one, and it was about the size of a quarter (no lie, I didn't think they came that small). I was wondering where the other one was... I grabbed a hold of the little turtle statue thing and tried to pick it up. Well.. when I did, it made a sound like tape being peeled off of skin, it was HORRIBLE. The statue wasn't a statue afterall.. but a dead baby slider. I was so grossed out. There's no telling how long that poor little thing sat there. With closer inspection, you could see the completely dehydrated body. When I informed her of what it was,she played stupid and said that she "saw it moving a few weeks ago". I was pissed and demanded that she give me the other slider. She agreed, so I have to go pick it up today.. anyways... main concern is that I want to keep this little guy outside on my patio in another little pool thingy, but there are raccoons that live around here.... will the racoon try to eat him? Also.. this thing is about the size of a quarter, she's had it for a year and said that it hasn't ever grown... odd huh? I'd love to hear any suggestions, comments, or opinions that you have on this. Sorry this is so long, but I'm concerned.

: and there is no chance that a quarter size baby will last outside without being outrageously secure. Just a screen is NOT going to keep raccoons out. I had a raccoon for 15 years and know what I'm talking about. Also, water in a shallow pool will can get too hot. That baby should be kept inside in an aquarium for a while. Also, since he is that small, I would use a small filter, not something like a Magnum, because there are filter accidents with babies also. About his size . . . he should probably be a little bigger than a quarter in a years time, but you want slow growth with them also. I have found it much easier to keep Virgil moving forward slowly than it has my RES. They are jumbo in only 2 years and that is NOT how it should be. I'd keep him inside for awhile particularly since it has apparently been abused and may be ill from the dead turtle water it was in. They need UVB and UVA and a basking spot. There is a Kingsnake RES forum with several very knowledgeable people that answer posts promptly. I'd post there. Good luck. How wonderful of you to demand the baby. Thank goodness your friend had enough sense to let him go.

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: : : Okay, so I go to my friend Blair's house to pick up a few things for one of my classes... I notice she has an aquarium with Red Ear Sliders... I used to have 3 of them years ago.. I just bought a big plastic kiddy pool and had a big rock in the middle of it. I would buy little feeder minnows (spelling?) from the pet store and they ate those beautifully. When I moved off to college, I set them free in our neighborhood pond (that's where I caught them anyways, save for the one I found on the golf course). They thrive down here in Texas, so outside weather is perfect... anyways....I look in her aquarium and I see this little Stone turtle figurine. I asked how many turtles she had in there and she replied, "two". I only saw one, and it was about the size of a quarter (no lie, I didn't think they came that small). I was wondering where the other one was... I grabbed a hold of the little turtle statue thing and tried to pick it up. Well.. when I did, it made a sound like tape being peeled off of skin, it was HORRIBLE. The statue wasn't a statue afterall.. but a dead baby slider. I was so grossed out. There's no telling how long that poor little thing sat there. With closer inspection, you could see the completely dehydrated body. When I informed her of what it was,she played stupid and said that she "saw it moving a few weeks ago". I was pissed and demanded that she give me the other slider. She agreed, so I have to go pick it up today.. anyways... main concern is that I want to keep this little guy outside on my patio in another little pool thingy, but there are raccoons that live around here.... will the racoon try to eat him? Also.. this thing is about the size of a quarter, she's had it for a year and said that it hasn't ever grown... odd huh? I'd love to hear any suggestions, comments, or opinions that you have on this. Sorry this is so long, but I'm concerned. : : and there is no chance that a quarter size baby will last outside without being outrageously secure. Just a screen is NOT going to keep raccoons out. I had a raccoon for 15 years and know what I'm talking about. Also, water in a shallow pool will can get too hot. That baby should be kept inside in an aquarium for a while. Also, since he is that small, I would use a small filter, not something like a Magnum, because there are filter accidents with babies also. About his size . . . he should probably be a little bigger than a quarter in a years time, but you want slow growth with them also. I have found it much easier to keep Virgil moving forward slowly than it has my RES. They are jumbo in only 2 years and that is NOT how it should be. I'd keep him inside for awhile particularly since it has apparently been abused and may be ill from the dead turtle water it was in. They need UVB and UVA and a basking spot. There is a Kingsnake RES forum with several very knowledgeable people that answer posts promptly. I'd post there. Good luck. How wonderful of you to demand the baby. Thank goodness your friend had enough sense to let him go.

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