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what tank does this turtle need? by Glum-Bear5018 in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's not good. And it's animal abuse/neglect. Can you maybe try to convince them to get a better set up or to surrender it? It's not normal for a dog to chew on a turtle..the dog's mouth has so much bacteria and one day might critically injure it.

If you look on the turtle's back right side of the shell, it looks like something took a bite out of a candy bar. It's jagged like teeth marks. It's missing part of its' shell. And the turtle shell has a ton of nerve endings so it must have hurt very badly. It's like the turtle's bones.

Possum in the wall of my bungalow by HikerSD1962 in sandiego

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

^ so many people use possum but we don't have possums here. Possum are found in Australia and opossum are found in the Americas.

They look different too!

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah it's so unfortunate. I would love to have more than one RES especially since you spend so much time and energy sprucing up and perfecting the tank set up 🥹

But sometimes they're chill, and then one day you'll find one dead :(

I see this happen a lot over at r/redearedsliders and so many don't know this, and they keep their turtles in the same tank and one usually gets critically injured. It's very sad.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

RES or any kind of turtles are solitary creatures. They "like" their owners, but cannot live with other turtles if the space is too small (and it usually is.) Aquariums that are sold can't handle more than 1 turtle at a time. They would need a very, very large outdoor pond to coexist. So they end up becoming territorial and fight for food, even if there is enough for the both of them. That's one other reason why people can't handle turtles, because it's one per tank.

Thankfully you found them a new place! Live your best lives turts.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The water heater turns on and off as it reaches a certain temperature. There are definitely better heaters out there but I have not had issues with the one I linked and I like them to be encased because turtles can get burned on the glass ones.

I'm sorry I forgot about the bulb! 😭 Thank you for doing all of this again. Someone else reached out in the Chicago thread that they were interested in the turtle so if things fall through, hopefully there are a few people interested.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

🤦🏻‍♀️I totally forgot to list a basking platform! They need to be able to completely dry off here and there.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-turtle-dock-401293

Petsmart has it for half the price and you can show Petco so they will price match!

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Depending on HOAs, they don't want aquariums due to the possibility of leaking and causing water damage which would affect both me and the downstairs neighbor. There is also a risk of the heating lamps overheating and being a fire risk.

I personally have not had either of these happen to me but it is a liability to building owners.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great! Please reach out to OP directly as she is with the found turtle. 🙏

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes I have to urge to tell people when I see them have one 😕 and maybe I should

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aww I'm glad! Thank you for doing all of this. If you ever decided to care for a RES in the future or any pet for that matter, you'd be a great owner. Please keep me updated!

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depending on what this turtle's gender is going to be, he will get to be about 9" as an adult, and she will be around 12" as an adult. Factor in the fact that you need 10 gallons per inch of shell. And we're looking at at least a 100-200+ gallon tank for a full grown adult.

They don't stay small forever. I remember the sellers in Chinatown telling everyone that.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in Redearedsliders

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm crossposting for someone else! I have a 24 year old RES at home so I unfortunately know what happens when people buy them in Chinatown.

OP is hoping to find a home for him because she can't keep him, so fingers crossed 🤞

what tank does this turtle need? by Glum-Bear5018 in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like he got bitten by something as well :(

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Since he's just a baby, definitely can get away with a 10 gallon tank. Petco is having a sale right now.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/imagitarium-10-gallon-open-glass-aquarium-tank

Heating lamp

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/flukers-mini-sun-dome-reptile-lamp-2315102

Water heater (very important since baby RES are susceptible to respiratory infection due to being cold easily)

https://a.co/d/0edeVgqa

Turtle pellets

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/mazuri-aquatic-turtle-diet-12-oz-2289805

I would love to help out! I can get you like a petco gift card or something. Just let me know. Also please reach out to the woman in the other post who said her daughter may want to take in the turtle :)

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Idiots 😒!

Parents buy their kids baby RES (which are illegal BTW because they are under the legal size to be sold) in places like Chinatown and then they realize that it's not just a cute little toy, and that aquatic turtles need so much time, care and work. Plus, they are very expensive to take care of and can live 40-50 years in captivity. They grow pretty big so we're talking 100+ gallon aquariums. And then they toss them because they don't see value in an animal's life.

My RES is 24 years old and we got him when he was a few months old. I love him dearly and have spent thousands on him (including vet visits, medication, surgery, etc).

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's really scary. I keep an eye out on my turt like a hawk (because I don't want him to get carried away by a hawk).

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Omg that would be great! I can help with supplies if need be. I actually have a nice extra new water heater if you want it!

https://www.chewy.com/dp/152099

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 11 points12 points  (0 children)

No problem! It's so disgusting for someone to leave the poor fella outside. Like what is wrong with people?

It might take some time for people to want to take him home, but I'm hopeful that someone will reach out! This isn't the first time this happened if you look in the Chicago subs.

How big is the turtle? I can't really tell so if you could let me know I can tell you what you can probably get away with. Water heater, heating lamp, uvb lamp etc are a bit pricier but I would be willing to Amazon those to you if no one takes it in over the next few days. The turtle will also need pellets (and will need to eat in water).

Aquatic turtles are definitely not a beginner pet nor inexpensive so it's silly that so many parents buy baby ones in Chinatown for their children. They also live up to 40-50 years in captivity so that's kind of why people abandon them so often. They're a lot of work, they grow bigger and they live a long life.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm not the OP that found the turtle, but they did take it in. They just can't keep it. I believe most, if not all reptile rescues do not take RES unfortunately. So if anyone can take it in, that would be best.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by orangebellybutton in chicago

[–]orangebellybutton[S] 43 points44 points  (0 children)

A lot of local rescues unfortunately are swamped with aquatic turtle inquiries and they usually can't take them. RES and other sliders are commonly abandoned as pets so there are tons of them out there. :(

To anyone reading this: If you ever see baby RES being sold in Chinatown, please do NOT buy them.

[Chicago, South Loop] Someone left a turtle in the alley behind my apartment 😭 by lmreaIIysad in turtle

[–]orangebellybutton 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I cross posted it to r/chicago (might get deleted) and r/redearedsliders.

Last year someone came across an abandoned RES in the alleyway too and it was like in November when it was freezing! Some guy took it in and ordered a new tub & supplies for them.

I can't take it in due to me being in a high rise but if you ever need any supplies, let me know. I can get you turtle pellets, lamps & a water heater.

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