The Fortress Group
Aquatic Turtles

5/16/99

1/2/2000 - This the hardest thing I've ever written. Thursday morning Smuggy died in her sleep. She was carrying eggs, having laid only one. She looked so peaceful, just as I left her the night before, resting on her platform. There has never been a more loving or loved turtle, always wanting a hug and attention. I can only pray she was happy.
Mike

Welcome to our site. It is devoted to our Red Eared Slider friends.
Smuggy was our first ward, brought home in my shirt pocket thru a 6 hour drive in a raging blizzard. She was 1-1/2" long at the time and really active. She always had a great appetite and friendly disposition. The stories I could tell bring back fond memories, but still tears at her loss. She was 13 and 8-3/4" when she passed away on 1/2/2000. One of the saddest days of my life.
Smug liked to climb anything she could sink a nail into. The climbing had gotten to the point that we couldn't leave her alone near the Box Elder trees. I got nervous she'd fall, so I stayed ready until she hit the 4-5 foot mark, when I'd take her down. If you stood still, she would climb from the floor to your shoulder for a better view and a hug. This startled company (who no longer stood still).
Smug would come when called from anywhere she had roamed to in the house. It didn't work when outdoors tho. She enjoyed climbing up my legs to sit in my lap, which wasn't appreciated while wearing shorts. I wished there was a safe way to dull those knives.

There had been three clutches of eggs, but none had hatched. We tried various methods and temperatures, but could use more information. Perhaps Bilbo wasn't mature enough yet.
Bilbo is a male that came here in 1995 when 4-1/4" long, and is now 6-1/2". He is not as sociable, due to his age when we adopted him at 3, but he tolerates us well enough. His appetite and activity remain good, though he mourned for Smuggy for quite awhile.

Bilbo came from the pet store with severe cases of shell rot and pneumonia. The lungs healed after a couple of antibiotic shots and a lot of care. The shell took over a year to heal, and is finally looking filled in. He would rather explore than sit with us, but this is slowly changing.

I'll start with a few warnings about care and feeding:

• Never put small algae eaters or other small catfish family in with anything that could swallow them. There are spines in the side and top fins that will puncture a throat and kill your pet.
• Do not ever use water that went thru a home water softener that uses salt. It will cause illness or death.
• Please do not let little children handle turtles or newts as they may accidently hurt them - the bones are so fragile.
• Never collect bugs or worms for food from a maintained garden or other area that may contain chemicals.
• Turtles and frogs will eat newts, and turtles will eat frogs.
• Do not go to a vet that is "should be able to cure him" smart. Find one with actual reptile training. Contact the NYTTS for a vet near you. Fargo has a great one, Grand Forks doesn't.
• If you collect water plants from a pond or creek for the aquarium, check well for parasites, like leeches, and rinse well before using.
• If the water level in an enclosure isn't deep enough, you'll see raw areas on the turtles front legs from rubbing on the shell edge as they paddle at the walls. This can lead to infections.
• Meal worms are good candy. They are of very low nutrition value.
• The more stuff in the aquarium, the more you get to clean.
• Expensive fancy plants taste the best.

Our turtles' diets have been against the book ever since Smug tried to swallow my arm piece by piece. She could be quite persuasive when she put her jaw to it. We have fed them every day, with extras on demand. They are very energetic, being up from 7am until 12pm, with a couple short naps around noon. They are not fat and would like to bite the book authors that say to keep them hungry. If they are fed late, or I try to skip a day, the resident minnows or goldfish pay the price. After watching them, and turtles in the wild, I think they can eat whenever they please, chasing down anything they want. I suppose if turtles are trapped in a little enclosure and do not get any exercise, the owners can feel okay feeding them every two days. Maybe those owners should re-evaluate their lack of care. If your turtles do not get the proper exercise, do not let them get fat. Several health problems can be caused due to the limited space in their shell, and other factors. They do not get fat in the wild. Please take care of your turtles' health. They are very dynamic gentle creatures that deserve a good home. If they are running around the house, be careful not to step on them - they get under-foot real quick. They may follow you around like a pup which means extra care.

Their diet consists of:

• 5-6 live minnows, to the fastest the most.
• 10-12 Purina Trout Chow_TM pellets in the morning and whenever they say so.
• Crickets and earth worms when we find them. No counting.
• In a desperate pinch when caught in a four day blizzard, they get alot of meal worms to fill 'em up. Normally, these are for snacks when teaching tricks as they do not contain much nutrition - but they like them.
• Lots of water plants - Limnophila aquatica, Hydrilla, Anacharous, duck weed, etc.- are always in the aquarium for grazing. Becareful to check toxicity of other plants with a vet.
• Raw steak is a treat, too. Cut from inside of steak away from possible germs.

We tried to create a home that would keep any aquatic turtle healthy and happy. First Smug had a 20 gal. long, then a 35 gal., a 57 gal., and now a 125 gal. aquarium. Other wards have inherited the out-grown homes. The following description has been endorsed by the New York Turtle and Tortoise Society and is referenced in their Fall 1998 Vol. VIII No.1 publication. This is a very good organization to help turtles. Please join - your dollars go to saving turtles and tortoises.

Materials required:

• 1/8" acrylic sheet to cover your aquarium inside tightly.
• 1/8"x 1"x 24" acrylic strips for supports and stiffeners. The store can cut them easier than you. Figuere how many you may need.
• Aquarium Sealer from pet store only. Many sealers are toxic.
• Acrylic Glue - gap filler type.
• Plastic cement such as Testers for styrene. Must dry 3-4 days before entering water.
• Masking tape.
• Marking pen ,which gets washed off when done.
• Sharp knife or fine saw to cut acrylic. Check store for method.
• Large sheets of rough tree bark for falls.
• Stack of books the height of the platform. Mine is 7" down from the top.
• File or fine sand paper.
• Patience.
• And more patience.

Steps in platform construction: Pictures will be added as I make them. This can be modified for newts as well.
This will take 2-3 days to build due to curing times.

1. See the line Drawings for reference.
2. Make a couple line drawings to scale for your aquarium with dimensions to plan your platform. It will also help to add up strip lengths needed.
3. Clean and dry aquarium walls. Use alcohol sparingly. Vinegar may be used to remove lime deposits, then rinsed well.
4. Carefully measure aquarium inside to nearest 1/16".
5. Cut sheet for platform to fit inside with 1/16" clearance, then cut into thirds for a 125 gal., or at least 2 sections, cutting across the narrowest way.
6. Cut plenty of 2" long pieces from strips.
7. Cut out areas for ramp, hoses, falls, etc. - ramp is 8"x 8" with a 3-1/2" drop. Leave room (10") at end of ramp for turtle access and diving.
8. File all edges of all pieces to dull round, except at cementing areas.
9. Set books or such in center of aquarium at one end to support the first section.
10. Use Sealer to mount 2" long pieces of strip every few inches around under section, touching platform bottom. Use Sealer in very thin layer (thick will peel). Use tape to hold in place for 24 hours (not just 12). Do not seal to platform.
11. When dry, move books to next section and repeat.
12. Remove platform, tape, and books. Sections should just lift out without binding.
13. On second platform section, use acrylic glue to mount 1 strip flat half way under each edge that joins another section. This forms a joint support shelf.
14. Glue 1 strip to section top over shelf piece to form a sandwiched slot. This locks all sections together when installed.
15. Use gentle heatgun to shape strips where needed and hold until cooled.
16. Glue strips vertically under platform sections at exposed ends, cut-outs, and at each joint. This will keep acrylic from sagging. Low heat can be used to bend strips to fit curves. Acrylic and glues are very flammable.
17. A debarked 1" stick can be added as a pillar under platform to hold larger turtles.
18. Low heat should be used to form the ramp. Glueing a seperate piece on at an angle does not last - I tried a few methods that Smug defeated.
19. Thin scraps should be glued to the ramp for traction. Or thin bark can be sealed on. The acrylic is too slippery with out it.

The falls can be added: If you do not have a lid do not do this type.

1. Have a platform cut-out area where the falls will exit and turtles may jump.
2. Cut acrylic strips to support bark. Glue to platform 1" in from edge, and do not go to lid - leave 2" to lid.
3. When dry, lay bark on. Cover with Java Moss etc.
4. Water comes from branch off filter return hose. Moss acts as biological filter.
5. You may have to fashion barriers to keep turtles from destroying your moss garden.
6. Fill water only after all is cured fully. Keep 1/2" below support strips so turtles do not run in to them.

The filter: Extra materials required. Pics will come later.

1. I use a Magnum 350 with it's charcoal canister with a foam plastic sleeve over it, wrapped in a thin complete layer of filter floss. A super cleaner and easy to clean weekly.
2. I also highly recommend quick disconnects for the hoses 6" from the filter top. Trust me, you'll love 'em.
3. I have the return hose in the corner behind the falls where it pours thru a hole in the platform and has a branch to evenly flow a small stream over the bark causing a falls along the cut-out.
4. The pick-up hose also goes down behind the falls. Use the 'U' fittigs that come with the filter, a short piece of hose to connect to a 3/4" tube down to an adaptor to a home made 90 deg. elbow, which connects the full length 1" pick-up tube.
5. The pick-up tube is roughly the length of the aquarium, 1" clear plastic from the pet store.
6. Cover the far end with plastic mesh using plastic cement. Again I used sections to make assembly and cleaning easy. Make slip joints with the next size tube.
7. Cut a row of 1/8"x1" slots with a knife every 4" along 1/2 of the tube at the farthest from the return line. These will be toward the bottom.
8. Mount the tube to the floor with at least 4 suction cup brackets from the pet store made just for this.
9. I made the elbow by cutting two pieces of 1" tube at 45 deg., rotating and cementing them together to form a 90deg., and glueing extra scrap pieces over the joint for strength.
10. The aquarium lid is trimmed to fit around the hoses to prevent water splashing out.
11. A gravel floor may look nice, but it's too hard to keep clean and will end up in the filter.
12. A few larger very smooth decorative stones may be added, but remember the turtles may bowl with them which isn't too great for the glass. Large wood gnarls look even better and are safer.

A few tips:

• Any fish that escape being the morning meal will be adopted by the turtles if fed properly. They will clean up scraps which helps alot.
• Gold fish are great, but are harder to get adopted. Try buying 6 'feeder' size and include with minnows. Hopefully a couple will survive the frenzy.

• Make sure turtles get sun light in the summer - a single pane of glass can block 80% of the needed ultra-violet. So outdoors you go.
• Turtles are NOT slow. Watch them at all times outdoors, or build a good size pen. But remember that they can climb out or dig under.
• A full spectrum light bulb helps if not over glass. Place over clear plastic part of lid.

• Be sure the under water heater doesn't get broken by the turtles. Secure next to, but not touching, other stuff so they can't get ahold of it. Run wire behind hoses or cover with length of vinyl tube slit to pop over it.
• The filter system is mega important. It may also get frustrating. Keep at it.
• I do a 3/4 water change every week (mine has 75 gal. in it, so 50 get changed).
• Let water stand in buckets over-night to release chlorine. Add slow to keep temp up.
• Smug likes the under water scene taped to the back of the aquarium.
• Temp. stays above 78F.
• Check on water conditions where your turtle comes from - hardness, Ph, and temp.

• DO NOT use a sulfuric acid ph modifier - the high sulfer can cause imbalances in the turtles' chemistry and harm them.

• Include toys. They like to shove and flip large pieces of sunken wood that the pet store supplies, and the fish like it for safety. If you use found pieces, clean well and chlorine soak to kill parasites and worse. Clean the store bought, too.

• I used Elm bark for the mossy falls, but other rough bark will work. The woods have some already with various mosses. What you see in the woods will not be what you'll have in 3 months - it's fun to watch the changes.
• Java Moss is the best wet-ground cover I've found. It grows fast and really helps clean the water. Pieces that fall in the water will spread even faster unless sucked up in the filter. Try tying a piece to the wood Gnarls with thread until it either takes root or gets eaten.
• Raise various LITTLE bugs in the moss for fun. A couple Lady Bugs will keep them in check.
• Measure your turtles' length, width, and thickness a few times a year and keep a log. It's fun to see their growth patterns in graphs.
• Your turtle will eventually shed some thin shell sections (scutes) as they grow. Save them for posterity. They make a beautiful tiffany type lamp shade when glued in a domed wire frame.

• Keep all sharp edges away from turtles - cuts can become dangerously infected quickly.
• Treat them like good friends and they will be.

• Find a real, experienced reptile vet in your area for future reference or help. Ours is two hours away in Fargo. The NYTTS may be able to help you find one in your area.

• If you have more tips, send them to be listed with your name.

I can make some of the parts for you if you can't, but be patient.

• 90 deg. elbow with adaptor- $7.00 + postage (send sizes)
• pick-up tube -- $6.00 + postage (how long?)

I'll accept money orders, or checks as long as they clear. Send orders to:
Michael Anson
Box 74
Arvilla, ND 58214

New York Turtle and Tortoise Society
P.O. Box 878
Orange, NJ 07051-0878
(212)459-4803
Their Home Page

For another great turtle site try The Turtle Shell

And another: Caresheets.com A really full spectrum site.