June 30, 2002
Something I noticed only today - Fish has only four toenails on each foot. I've checked photos of other turtles and it appears that it's normal to have four toenails only. He does have five foreclaws, though! :)
Today's photo is Fish breathing. Now he doesn't have to stand on tip-claw to breathe. I grabbed him around his shell today and measured - and he has grown. His shell is 4.6 cm long. It was 4.3 cm long when I first got him.
fish farming | 09:46 PM | ReptoMin? (8)June 29, 2002
Fish hid in his plants all day and came out to play only at night when I switched on the UV lamp. Bit funny, that turtle. Temperatures stayed between 23°C and 30ºC throughout the day (mainly around 27ºC) - good, because I was worried about him overheating (his tank is in a window).
He also tried the shrimps and will now actively seek out shrimps floating on the water instead of me holding them and trying to get him to open his mouth so I could drop one in. He spat out the first one he tried that way, but he seems to like them now.
silly turtle | 11:50 PM | ReptoMin? (3)June 28, 2002
This turtle is very lucky. I have just spent the better part of my life savings on supplies for him.
...well, maybe not, but close.
I went to Mong Kok today and bought:
anacharis (water plant)
sticker thermometer
vitamins
shrimps
uv lamp
heater
rock
net
All of which ended up costing me HK$700-something.
Here's a couple pictures:
new tank set up
close-up
He wouldn't touch the first can of shrimps I bought, but he's willing to eat the ones I got today (Tetra Gammarus). He pooed properly, too, so I'm beginning to wonder whether I'm just blowing things up...? Mom had a fit when she saw me coming back with all the new stuff (especially that lamp!) and almost bit my head off for buying all that and threatened to cut off my pocket money - and Dad hasn't come home yet, either, so I'm still in danger. However Fish looks so much happier with his plants and new rock and lamp, so who cares? :) I can't exactly take it back to the shop!
I'm actually beginning to see what Jomay means when she says Fish is a 'rich spoiled only child'...
lucky turtle | 07:22 PM | ReptoMin? (37)June 27, 2002
Fish's skin is still flaking - it's been flaking for about three weeks already. I'm a little worried that he has a skin infection and isn't just growing.
I tried to measure him today, but he wouldn't stay still and it was impossible. I think he's grown a couple milimetres but I can't really tell.
And, not to be disgusting - but he has also not been pooing properly these two days. I wonder if he's sick.
Should I take him to the vet?
skin | 04:41 PM | ReptoMin? (7)June 26, 2002
Fish loves Reptomin. He likes apple and sushi and vegetables, too, but he really, really loves Reptomin. I've hand-fed him for the past couple of weeks or so but lately he's starting to eat my fingers as well as the food, so I've decided that tweezers/forceps are a good thing. Grandma came in and scared him just now by talking loudly and tapping the glass, but I hadn't the heart to stop her - she thought he was adorable, and he tried to eat her finger through the glass (ha! he doesn't fall for my finger through the glass any more at least!)
So far on my shopping list for Fish I've got:
anacharis (water plant)
heater
25W desk lamp or similar for basking spot
more rocks
UV tube if I can find one
(All are very good information resources - and the forum is especially good, lots of knowledgable turtle nuts there! :D)
