Post by rns91294 on Oct 30, 2003 14:17:16 GMT -5
Hi. This is going to be long, but I would really appreciate if you could please read and help me out. I need to start from the beginning. A year and a half ago my husband found a baby water turtle (a redbelly we named Sunny) in the lake we fish at. He knew my dream was to have a tank with water turtles, so knowing nothing about turtles, he took him for me. The following day, a friend at his work, gave him a red eared slider (Dopey) to take because eh wanted his turtle to have a friend. It was then that I learned you shouldn't take turtles from the wild, but if you introducde them to another turtle you should just care for them the best you can. I bought all the poper lighting and everything else to care for my turtles. Now, 1 1/2 years later, Sunny has died. Yesterday morning, I went to turn their light on (The UV one) and remembered we just put a timer on it so I walked away. After work, I met my husband somewhere and we didn't get home until 10 pm. He then turned on the heat lamp as we don't like it on when we aren't home because our cats like to try and knock it over. A half hour later, I actually looked in the tank and thought I saw my two turtles fighting, but that was not it. First, let me say that Dopey is about 4-5 inches long and sunny was still only about 2 as he had not grown much over the past year as Dope had. What I saw in the tank last night really upset me. Dope was eating Sunny. Sunny's back legs and tail were gone. The shell was missing in the back and his insides were gone as well. His front legs were tucked in to his shell and his head was peaking out. I have been a wreck ever since. Now I have loads of questions that will never be answered but I was hoping some of you could maybe help me with your opinions. Sunny seemed as if he may have been getting sick. I started feedign him dandelion leaves from teh supermarke and he loved them. I took him in another tank to feed him and the past tw times I put in different types of pellets, dried shrimp and things like that. I noticed the past two times he didn't really eat much. And the last time, I took him out of his take while he was sleeping and it took him a long time to wake up in my hands so I fear (even though at the time I thought it was cute) he may have been sick. He was also sleeping a lot more lately on his cool side of the tank, not under the heat lamp. So....
Do you think it is possible that Dopey killed Sunny or is it more likely that Sunny died and then Dopey decided to have a snack? Is this normal for one turtle to eat the other?
His shell seemed to still be hard, but how soft does soft shell get as Dopey seemed to eat some of his shell and I don't understand how he could have broken through it. Maybe that is why he seemed much more tired lately, but I felt his shell was still hard (of course I didn't squeeze him hard).
Is it possible Dopey will now get sick after eating him if he did have some sort of desease?
Does Dopey miss him and need a new friend?
I don't know how long he was dead, but we buried him last night and put a dandelion leaf on top of his grave. I miss him so much and feel like it is all my fault. I keep saying what if, what if......
Thanks for all your help. I am sure I will think of more I need to ask as the day goes on.
Do you think it is possible that Dopey killed Sunny or is it more likely that Sunny died and then Dopey decided to have a snack? Is this normal for one turtle to eat the other?
His shell seemed to still be hard, but how soft does soft shell get as Dopey seemed to eat some of his shell and I don't understand how he could have broken through it. Maybe that is why he seemed much more tired lately, but I felt his shell was still hard (of course I didn't squeeze him hard).
Is it possible Dopey will now get sick after eating him if he did have some sort of desease?
Does Dopey miss him and need a new friend?
I don't know how long he was dead, but we buried him last night and put a dandelion leaf on top of his grave. I miss him so much and feel like it is all my fault. I keep saying what if, what if......
Thanks for all your help. I am sure I will think of more I need to ask as the day goes on.