I live in Hong Kong and there is a strict law on wild-caught animals. Also, the native wild populations are declining here, due to the release of non-native species. People won't go break a law just to get a red-eared slider or other species that are super common. They only try catching rare...
No problem! Actually box turtles would make good pets too. But make sure it is a captive-bred turtle, not a wild one, as it is illegal in pretty much everywhere to keep a wild-caught animal. Please send pictures when you get the turtle/tortoise! I'd really like to see it!
They somehow manage to wake up at every movement, unless they are particularly tired after a day of eating and sleeping. They also tried to eat a green seaglass which I placed outside their enclosure, and the hard brown ball things inside the filter. They have practically bottomless stomachs, so...
Though I am not a tortoise keeper, I would vote for a small species of tortoise or a box turtle. Actually water turtles are also very fun to keep so if you like, you can try an easy species, e.g. mud turtles, which don't require a lot of space and look like they are smiling all the time.
Hi, I am not 100% sure about tortoises, but I know water turtles' genders can be determined on whether the plastron is flat or concave. Sometimes females have a slight concave too, but males have big concave so they can mount on females during mating. If tortoises' genders can be told by the...
RES being abandoned are very common in Hong Kong, and animal welfare organisations are getting overwhelmed with the amount of sliders in the shelters and lack of adopters. A slider can stay at the shelter for months, until finally, someone can spot them. Personally, I cannot adopt them because I...
Yes, the tank is too small. The rule is 10 gallons per inch shell length. But the tank size is really a mistake probably every beginner makes. The shops don't tell you most of the correct info. And many sliders are defective from birth, so combined with wrong enclosures, my first turtles all...
I agree! There is a herpetology organisation and there were numerous sad cases of RES dying after being abandoned. There was a turtle with its face injured so badly you can't tell it's a turtle.
Hello, I know this thread was posted ages ago, but I only joined this forum a little over a month, and yes, the shelters here in Hong Kong are stuffed with red-eared sliders. It's outrageous that Hong Kong and Mainland China are the only places which sell newborn sliders. I kept like, 9 of them...
I keep some water turtles and all healthy turtles LOVE food. My turtles would try to chomp on pretty much anything that is green(like veggies) or brown(like pellets). They even tried to eat the thermometer once. But looking at you and begging is a sign that they are healthy. Just stick to a...
Yes, she can, but she closes her eyes tightly whenever I handle her. It takes a very long time for her to realise nothing was attacking her and she can come out. When I let her out of the tank and watch from the distance, though, she can move very fast and hide somewhere.
This is Mango. She hates coming out of her shell, unless it's for bloodworms. I tried to put several of my baby guppies into the tank hoping Mango would chase them, but it turned out the guppies keep poking around at Mango and not the other way round.
I'm not 100% sure about the brand of the lamp but it is a both UVB and heat lamp. Her eyes are fine, although she is sleeping a lot. I put her in shallow water with a few guppies yesterday, hoping she might be interested, but nope, none of the guppies disappeared. She eats bloodworms, though.