Search Results for: blog red eared slider turtles

Painted Turtles

Posted on by

Painted turtles are a species of small turtles found across North America. They get their name from the colorful markings on their legs, tail, head and neck — the turtle’s skin is dark green or black with red and yellow stripes. If the colorful stripes aren’t enough to identify your painted turtle, look at the shell. The carapace is a smooth, flattened oval with red markings in some species. The plastron is usually yellow, sometimes tinged with red. Female painted turtles are generally larger than males — they can grow up to ten inches long. Males tend to have a … Continue reading →

Turtles in the ‘Hood Part 3

If it wasn’t too long, I would’ve entitled this blog, “What I Learned From Buying Two Turtles Off the Street from a Street Vendor.“ If you’ve been following the pet blog today, you’ve probably already seen my first two blogs on buying a turtle from a street vendor. It has definitely been a learning experience and while my first two articles covered why on earth I would buy a turtle, and how it is we came to own two turtles, this blog is all about the lessons I learned from buying our impulse pets. Unlike the examples in Aimee’s blog … Continue reading →

Turtles in the ‘Hood

Aimee has written about impulse pets before. She gave examples of how you might win a lizard or a gold fish at the carnival or fair and voila–you are a new pet owner. She pointed out pros and cons. Had I read her blog right before our fateful trip down the street I may have saved myself some money. Ahem. . .to be exact I may have saved myself $100. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The point is she clearly states in that blog under “The Bad Stuff” that an impulse pet will cost you in “food, toys and … Continue reading →

Turtles in the ‘Hood Part 2

If you haven’t read my first blog about what I learned from buying turtles on the street go read it. It answers important questions like: Why would I allow myself to get suckered into purchasing an impulse pet? And why were there turtles on the street for sale to begin with? Have you read it? Okay good. Now back to my story. . . So there we are, the 6 of us, standing in front of the tank with dozens of little turtles in it. My son, the ever thinking and always observant one says, “Mom–can these be our special … Continue reading →

Red Eared Slider Turtles

Several different types of slider turtles are kept as pets but the most common variety is the red eared slider turtle. If you’ve ever seen a tank of turtles at a pet store, you were probably looking at a pile of sliders. Red eared slider turtles are thought to be the same turtles behind the salmonella cases in the 1970s. If you will be handling any turtle, experts suggest you wash your hands with warm water and soap afterwards. In North America, the sale of slider turtles less than four inches long (carapace size) is prohibited — this is to … Continue reading →

What is Salmonellosis?

Salmonellosis is a type of food poisoning caused by a bacteria called salmonella. The current salmonellosis outbreak (related to raw tomatoes) is caused by a variant of the bacteria called salmonella saintpaul. There are approximately forty thousand cases of salmonellosis reported in the United States each year. Problems are more common in summer than in winter, but can happen at any time of year. Causes of salmonellosis can include: Food contaminated during processing or handling — always prepare food on a clean surface. Food contaminated by unwashed hands — always wash your hands when touching food! The bacteria can be … Continue reading →

Dealing with Death

My children had to deal with a new, difficult experience this week. We had all gone out together on a family trip, and when we returned home, my son made a discovery that was going to be very disturbing to our children. He came out from his room, and told my wife and I that one of his turtles looked funny. My wife and I exchanged concerned glances. He has been the proud owner of two red eared slider turtles, but ever since we had bought them, one turtle had never eaten very much, nor had it grown at all. … Continue reading →