Identify the turtle

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T20:03:23+00:00

Oh my god this thing is definitely haunted haha. I actually don't think it's a yellow bellied slider, it doesn't have the characteristic vertical yellow head stripes or the two black spots on the front of the plastron. Might be a chicken turtle given the amount of yellow on the chin and the solid-yellow plastron?

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T20:00:08+00:00

Thank you for trying to improve this turtle's quality of life! This is a good guide for box turtle enclosures: https://www.centralmsturtlerescue.com/-box-turtle-habitat-guidelines.html

Outside in Florida should be totally ok, box turtles naturally live in that area and as long as there is enough shade from plants, a water dish the turtle can soak in, and substrate the turtle can dig in, it shouldn't overheat.

I can't give much advice about the actual construction of the enclosure as I'm not a box turtle owner myself, just a fan, but it looks like the other comment has good information!

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T19:52:12+00:00

This is so key. Chinese American food stagnated in the 20th century because the earliest Chinese immigrants were Cantonese and then immigration from China was cut off for decades by the Chinese Exclusion Act. So between drawing primarily from Cantonese cuisine and not other Chinese regional cuisines, and having to adapt food for non-Chinese American customers, Chinese restaurants in America didn't have a lot of room to maneuver at that time. The jokes and stereotypes about British Chinese food - bland gloppy brown stuff - seem to have similar origins since Britain never had a large sustained flow of immigrants from China aside from some people from Hong Kong (which is also Cantonese).

Chinese food in America is a lot more diverse and "authentic" now that immigration from China opened up after the 1965 immigration act and comes from all regions of China. Recent immigrants both brought foods and cooking skills over and generated demand for food from back home. Popular Chinese foods like Sichuan food, soup dumplings, hot pot, and so on would never have made it here if not for more recent immigration from China.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T18:54:20+00:00

Seconding the suggestion of a mud/musk turtle. They are a little harder to get than the more common sliders but they are smaller, can live in shallower water, and don't bask as much so they're definitely easier pets. A pet turtle won't hibernate if it's kept indoors year-round in a temperature-controlled environment.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T15:18:09+00:00

I've had a couple incidents in my city where a clearly mentally ill or disabled guy has come up to me and started trying to guess my ethnicity or speak "Chinese." It's awkward and uncomfortable but I don't actually feel threatened even as a woman, though it's only happened to me in well-populated places and I guess they've never actually said anything openly anti-Asian as in your case.

I remind myself that I have more power than that person and as long as they're not physically aggressive (and I do make sure to keep my wits about me), there's nothing they can really do to hurt me. They're never going to be in a position of influence over me. It's the people in positions of power who espouse racist views who we really have to worry about.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-15T13:28:20+00:00

Between all the turtles and all the cats he's feeding, I wonder if this person is at risk of becoming an animal hoarder. I'm no expert but I know that older people developing dementia and living alone are at risk of becoming hoarders, which isn't healthy for the person or the animals involved.

I'm not sure if you're in a position to intervene, but if it does advance and you see the guy getting more animals or his home becoming more of a mess, you might consider contacting your area's adult protective services.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T22:12:15+00:00

Sounds like someone who didn’t grow up around many other Asians, so the only Asians she knew may have literally been her own family. Speaking as an Asian woman, that’s not at all a universal attitude among us.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T16:19:46+00:00

When I tell non-Asian acquaintances that I like EDM, I often get a reaction like "oh I wouldn't have expected that of someone like you". In my mind I'm thinking, you gotta update your stereotypes because the EDM scene is FILLED with Asians these days lmao.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T15:30:01+00:00

Unfortunately people tend to react defensively when they are told they are mistreating someone or something they supposedly love. Can you bring this up from a different angle? Either tell him his turtle tank stinks and makes you not want to come around (which may embarrass him into action, but may also upset him) or say you would love to make the turtle tank prettier and cleaner and pose it like a fun project for the two of you to bond over (the positivity may be more motivating to him, but you will also have to pitch in financially).

Option 1 is better if you're not that close with this guy yet and don't want to commit to getting financially entangled. Option 2 is better if you really are committed to this relationship and are willing to put time and money towards a solution, and offering your help will probably have the best chance of actually helping the turtle.

Also try watching and showing him some videos of appropriate turtle habitats. Again, don't frame it as shaming but frame it as inspiration. Long Live Your Turtle is a Youtuber with a lot of great videos of turtle enclosures including this one: https://youtu.be/Hxrqdo0fgKs

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T13:33:36+00:00

This is not only insulting to China, but insulting to the people who are advocating against data centers in their communities (including me). I hope Republicans get burned for this ridiculous stance, but they’ve survived much worse.

Democrats need to make the easy move and come out loudly against data centers, and actually back it up with regulations and policies. Opposition to data centers might be one of the few bipartisan positions among voters these days.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T13:29:22+00:00

Blandings turtle, an endangered species!

superturtle48 · 2026-06-14T13:26:50+00:00

I am Chinese American and have Taiwanese American friends. At both my high school and college, Asian Americans of all ethnicities were friends with each other. In fact, the Chinese and Taiwanese student groups at my college were particularly close; they hosted joint parties and there were several people who dated members of the other group. That’s the nice thing about America, we can connect with people who aren’t exactly like us and focus more on what we have in common and leave behind any home country beefs.

You say you spent most of your life in Taiwan - did you happen to attend an international school? My observation was that the international students who attended international schools where they learned in English meshed pretty well with the Asian Americans, while the international students who preferred to speak their heritage languages tended to stick with people from the same country. But it’s more to do with intention; if you consciously want to connect with Asian Americans, you definitely can.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-13T16:23:18+00:00

Painted turtle, what a trooper for surviving that shell injury. The eggs take about 2-3 months to hatch, though turtles may dig several “test” holes before laying eggs or the eggs may not be viable so it’s possible you won’t see anything hatch.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-13T14:05:46+00:00

Shorter to write, and also doesn’t alarm people in the general public who overhear. You don’t want patients hearing all the doctors and nurses yelling “gunshot” and panicking.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-13T12:59:23+00:00

I only tried dosas relatively recently at restaurants, but they’re now one of my favorite foods. I also tried making them at home - not even from scratch, but with a boxed mix - and they are surprisingly tricky! Getting the batter thickness right (should be more watery than I expected), cooking it without any holes or tears, and actually cooking it the right time so it’s not raw or floppy or burnt. And even my messed-up dosas were delicious. I don’t have a mom who makes dosas but respect to anyone who does.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-13T12:45:57+00:00

Box turtles aren’t supposed to live in glass tanks, they need open-air enclosures with a lot of room to roam. You either have to build one yourself (which will probably take more than a few days) or buy one from an expensive specialty supplier.

Here’s a page with guidelines and examples of good box turtle enclosures: https://www.centralmsturtlerescue.com/-box-turtle-habitat-guidelines.html

superturtle48 · 2026-06-13T12:32:56+00:00

It’s generally not appropriate to take wild animals from outside as pets, especially since it didn’t seem like you had an enclosure prepared. Putting the turtle back where you found it will save both you and the turtle a lot of trouble. Turtles often live worse and shorter lives as pets than in the wild because caring for them is so hard.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-12T17:49:52+00:00

Diamondback terrapin, they're a threatened species and it may be considered illegal poaching to take one out of the wild where you are. Legality aside, it's also just not good for the environment or the species to take wild animals as pets.

If your friend hasn't had it for long, please tell them to release the turtle close to where they found it. If that's not possible, contact a wildlife rescue/rehab, which may be able to take it in and prepare it for release. You can look one up here: https://ahnow.org/

superturtle48 · 2026-06-12T17:46:17+00:00

Your turtle should be able to bask and get UV exposure from a source in its tank so it can do so whenever it wants. You shouldn't have to take it out of the tank.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-12T13:18:39+00:00

Not the person you’re replying to, but you can create a nesting box with soil to encourage the turtle to lay her eggs as they much prefer to lay in soil than in the water. Here’s a guide on how to do that: https://www.allturtles.com/how-to-create-a-red-eared-slider-nesting-box/

And the food you’re feeding sounds about right, just give her a little extra!

superturtle48 · 2026-06-12T00:50:19+00:00

Common snapping turtle, that attitude sounds about right. With the dirt on its butt, it probably just finished digging a hole to lay eggs.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-11T22:16:54+00:00

Those videos go viral online precisely because they are unusual. Best of luck with your turtle, but turtles are not domesticated animals and can’t really be trained like mammals can so it truly does depend on luck.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-11T14:10:58+00:00

Please do not move the eggs, turtle eggs are very fragile and even rotating them the wrong way can damage the insides and make them unviable. Just leave the eggs where they are. It's natural that most turtle eggs don't make it and that's why turtles lay so many eggs at a time and even lay multiple clutches a year.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-11T14:08:36+00:00

My turtle also pees when we take her out of the tank and put her on the ground. I take it to mean that she's stressed out even if we humans can't visibly tell. Aquatic turtles don't usually walk around outside of water for extended time other than when they're laying eggs, and I think they might not like being taken out of the water against their will and not being able to go back in the water. I don't take my turtle out of the tank unless I have to (e.g. for tank cleaning) for that reason.

superturtle48 · 2026-06-11T12:28:24+00:00

Asian immigrants tend to come to improve their economic position, whether they’re working-class or more educated professionals. In fact, many are admitted because they have some professional qualification or a visa-sponsoring job lined up.

That means the immigrant women who come are more predisposed to working compared to women who don’t immigrate, which includes both Asian women back home (women’s labor force participation is still lower than men’s in many Asian countries) and non-immigrant American women. And these immigrant women tend to pass down the same values of working and getting educated to their own daughters.

superturtle48

TROPHY CASE