Reddit mentions: The best reptile & amphibian food

Unfortunately a 10g tank is far too small for any additional fish tankmates to be with a betta, but you can have some shrimp OR snails in the 10g as tankmates with the betta. If you really want to do a community tank, the minimum recommended tank size is 15g, but 20g or larger would be best for that.

Keep in mind, bettas DO NOT NEED to have tankmates, they are very territorial and aggressive fish. Most bettas will see tankmates as "intruders" to their territory; though a more docile betta will tolerate these "intruders" better than more aggressive bettas. Only rarely do you get lucky with a betta that has the personality of actually liking their tankmates, that is not the norm for most of our domestic betta splendens.

Tetras are nippy fish and although some people do keep them with bettas, they're not an ideal tankmate + they need a minimum of 15+ and must have at least a 20g for that many of them to be with a betta. https://www.fishkeepingworld.com/neon-tetra/ - Exerpt: "These fish should generally be kept in schools with at least 15 members. Smaller schools than this can feel threatened and this can cause stress... If you’re planning to keep a school of them, you should keep at least 15-20 of them. An aquarium that is at least 20 gallons is needed for this number of them."

Please see our community guidelines for compatible betta tankmates per tank size: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tankmates

Please do thorough research on the needs of each species of tankmate(s) before you consider if they are a good fit for your betta/tank-size. Cories need minimum 6 of their own kind for best results, and they like to roam around so do need the space to be able to do so (20g and up is best, 15g at the absolute minimum) + sand-type substrate is gentler on their barbels (whiskers) vs gravel types. Also don't cram in too many fish or different kinds of fish, research stocking limits for the size of tank. As I said before, the 10g can humanely house 1 betta + a few shrimp or snails, no other fish.

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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! FISHLESS CYCLE, before you get the betta or any tankmates: The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle - getting your aquarium ready for fish - INJAF

I'd recommend Seachem Stability over other brands of beneficial bacteria, you need to shake it well before each use and add 2 capfuls per day (for a week or more) while cycling your aquarium, especially if you did any water change.

I also highly recommend the API Freshwater Master Test Kit so you're able to accurately check your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate during the process of cyling + afterwards for routine maintenance purposes.

https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWATER-800-Test-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B000255NCI/ <--- ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE, VERY IMPORTANT, liquid water parameters test kit. Three main things to check every-other-day: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Not cycled will read 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate. Cycling in progress will read some ammonia and/or some nitrite, but little or no nitrate. Fully Cycled will read 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and 5-10 ppm of Nitrate, then when nitrate reaches 15-20 ppm in a cycled tank a water change is necessary to reduce said nitrates.

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As for Tank stuff:

I'd recommend a Sponge Filter setup over a HoB filter, because HoB tend to have a strong outflow which bettas don't like (and the one you got looks like it will be especially strong in the 10g tank since it's meant for a 20g).

Here's my favorite sponge filter setup which I use in my own 5.5g tanks (they're rated for up to 20g and are nice compact sponge filters, so do not take away much space from your tank).

https://www.amazon.com/Powkoo-Double-Biochemical-Aquarium-Gallons/dp/B01M3VALFU/ My bettas (and I) LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!

AND from Petsmart - I HIGHLY recommend the TopFin Quartz BioBalls ceramic filter media, the rounded pearl shape makes them fit a lot more into a small space such as the dual-media chambers in the sponge filter I highly recommended above. It looks like this in store: https://i.imgur.com/Xz50k5F.jpg (I think it's not yet listed on their website because the stuff is still a new release).

https://www.amazon.com/U-picks-Aquarium-Gallon-Quietest-Accessories/dp/B07RRNDMXJ/ Nice air pump with all accessories to set it up - quiet mini air pump, check valve, and airline tubing.

See it all in action: https://i.imgur.com/KAyjMaj.mp4 (not my tank but my friends when she was fishless cycling hers, and the sponge filter is nicely visible. Mine is hidden behind bunch of silk plants :< lol)

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The Aqueon Pro adjustable 100w heater would be a bit much for a 10g unless you live in a particularly cold climate or keep the room at a chilly temperature, otherwise you would be fine with the Aqueon Pro adjustable 50w heater for a 10g tank - per the rule of thumb "5 watts of heater power per gallon" which is sufficient in most cases, except if living in a cold climate and/or the room where the tank is being kept is especially chilly.

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Tetra brand betta pellets are CHOCK-FULL-O-CRAP-FILLERS - this is terrible quality betta food...

NorthFin Betta Bits, Fluval/Nutrafin Bug Bites, and New Life Spectrum Betta are HIGH quality betta pellets with good ingredients and little or none of the bad filler crap or nasty preservatives.

Hikari Bloodworms are great as a treat/diet variety as they add vitamins to their bloodworms, and ZooMed Betta Dial-A-Treat is nice for a 3-in-1 treat wheel container.

I'd recommend getting at least two different brands of the pellets I linked below + some variety of treats like bloodworms, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and daphnia. Alternate them day by day, meal by meal or otherwise mix them up such that the betta isn't always eating only the same thing day in and day out for every single meal.

- https://www.amazon.com/Northfin-Food-Betta-Pellet-Package/dp/B00M4Q5DQ4/ <-- my favorite go-to betta pellet

- https://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Betta-70g/dp/B077MG4JR2/

- https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-A6577-Tropical-Granules-Medium/dp/B07194GD1F/

- Bloodworms with vitamins added: https://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Bio-Pure-Freeze-Dried-0-42-Ounce/dp/B00025K1GQ/

- ZooMed Betta Dial-A-Treat is a decent 3-in-1 treat wheel container which has 3 different treats for betta diet variety. https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Laboratories-AZMBP5-0-12-Ounce/dp/B003ZWCTZO/

- You can also try adding a vitamin drops to the food AND tank water - VitaChem Freshwater - Vitamin drops for aquatic animals - REFRIGERATION needed after first use/opening, to keep the liquid vitamin drops fresh. https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Enterprises-ABE16708-Freshwater-Vitachem/dp/B00BS96V78

Beware of overfeeding, which is equally bad for bettas as underfeeding (they are gluttons and would eat till they burst if given the chance) https://i.imgur.com/4RR2LZ9.jpg. (save this pic for reference, feed betta as much as makes his belly match between 1st and 2nd photo, then let him digest back down to a normal belly before feed again.)

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Again, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... FISHLESS CYCLE before you get a betta or any tankmates, I cannot stress the importance of that enough. The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle - getting your aquarium ready for fish - INJAF

Fear cuts deeper than swords!

Grey Tribble!

Reminiscent of rain. If you turned a sound machine on and set it to "spring rain" and put this on you'd think your face was actually being caressed by gentle cooling drops of relaxing rain. :)

Weird food Haggis flavored chips. What? I love tasting new stuff. This intrigued me. :)

For my mom She loves horses. I once gave her an ornament with a horse on it that meant a lot to her. It's become sort of a tradition to get her an ornament as part of Christmas. This one is soo pretty. :)

Book! If you've watched the show I don't have to sell this too hard. :) I LOVE this show and really really want to read this book!

Less than $1. Technically... Digital delivery is a delivery method. It's not a food, polish, or anything to do with my hair. ;)

Cat related!

This key does nothing useful, but it looks awesome!

Across The Universe (movie). I had a friend who had the soundtrack. We listened to it pretty often. It's worth a watch just for the music alone, but it's a great watch. :)

Useful for zombies? Maybe?It's a knife that fits in your wallet like a credit card. It's at least a weapon that you could always have on you so you're ready at a moments notice. :) If only they made a credit card size folding flame thrower. ;)

Life changing. I need to be less fat... :/ This would definitely help.

Add on. My hedgehog loves these!

This is my second most expensive. My most expensive was the one for not being fat... lol. Before I used a wishlist I just added stuff to my cart and then saved it for later. This is the oldest item I've had stashed away. Every camping trip or competitive horse ride I went on with my mom/parents always involved sitting around the fire talking before heading off to bed. Whenever I get the chance to see them (we live in different states now) we still sit around a fire. This just reminds me of good times spent with family and essentially being home...

Bigger than a breadbox. For side table fishy times! :D

Smaller than a golfball. I'm obsessed with stars. I really love this ring. :)

Good smell! I bought the lotion and body spray on a whim when I was at the mall a while back. This stuff smells sooo good. It's like summer time!

Safe for work toy. These things look really neat. I saw them mentioned somewhere else and googled to see what they were. The video makes them look pretty cool. :)

I'm always late for class, but if I had a watch that I couldn't stop looking at I might just make it on time. ;)

Speaking of "can't stop looking at"... I'm obsessed with Doctor Who and David Tennant. :D

I added this to show someone else... I think it's crazy that they even make these. There's an appliance for everything! What beats fresh donuts anytime you want them? NOTHING! That's what... This is why I need that elliptical.. :P


Pm'd what I think is your name! :D

Oregon Cherries!

The rounded edges and the lumps on her carapace are definitely abnormal for a RES. A healthy adult's shell should be smooth and slightly domed like this. Unfortunately most shell malformations are irreversible once they form, but improving her habitat/diet can help keep the problem from getting worse and give her a more comfortable life. I'll address the three concerns you outlined, as they could all be contributing to this issue.

A) A good rule of thumb for appropriate tank size is 10 gallons per shell inch (measured in a straight line from the front to the back of the carapace) of turtle. At the very least, she needs a tank wide enough for her to turn around comfortably and long enough to swim back and forth a bit. A 30yo slider should be much larger than 4", so 40gal likely wasn't enough space for her. If she was constantly pressed against the sides of the tank because it was too small, it could cause the edges of the shell to curl up like that. Depending on the actual size of your turtle, you are probably going to need a much larger tank, along with a good filter to keep it clean.

B) Poor diet can cause shell malformations as well, but I don't think they usually look like this. Having too much protein can cause pyramiding (when each scute becomes tall and pointed, rather than smooth), but your turtle's carapace has more of a lumpy-pancake shape. My (inexpert) guess would be that she has a calcium or vitamin D deficiency that prevented normal shell growth. You can improve her diet by providing her mostly with lettuce and other leafy greens (which have a good amount of calcium in them) and just supplementing with pellets or other treats. You can also buy sepia bones as a direct calcium supplement. The possible vitamin D deficiency can be addressed with an improvement in lighting.

C) Your turtle will need two kinds of lighting (which may mean buying two sets of lamps and bulbs): a heat lamp and a UVB source. Having a heated basking area is important for them to digest their food properly and maintain other bodily functions, and UVB is essential for vitamin D production and calcium absorption. Any heat bulb that warms the basking area to about 90 degrees F (or 10 degrees warmer than the water) should be okay. For UVB, my vet recommended using a bulb with a "spiral" shape instead of a "U" shape because he thinks it helps transmit more light downward toward the basking area instead of out to the sides.

Aside from those three things, I would strongly recommend visiting an exotic pet vet (or herpetologist, if there's one close enough to you). Since your turtle is new to you and her previous living conditions weren't exactly ideal, it's possible that she's suffering from other conditions as well. A vet should also be able to give you more specific advice for habitat and diet improvement. Good luck with your new turtle!

You need:

• a plastic container to house them in. You can cut and mount some mesh screen in to the lid for air, mine are fine without though, they like humidity but you need to keep an eye on mold.
  
• Substrate (traditionally paper egg cartons, but anything cardboard can work, like paper towel tubes, even burlap. They love the crevasses in egg cartons though!).
  
• An under tank heating pad. They will live at room temp but they are most productive around 32C (90F) Simply place underneath your container.
  
• Food and water dish. I like to use ceramic saucers meant to go under plant pots (these things) because they're low and the thick edge means they can easily climb in to the food.
  
  
• Water crystals as a source of hydration (they will drown in liquid water). Don't bother getting the pre-watered "cricket quencher" in the pet area, get the bulk bags in the garden section (Link)
  *You can also rely on produce as a source of hydration, aka carrots or celery or whatever. Just don't let them dry out!
  
• Food. The food you use determines how nutritious they are. Table produce scraps are good but high moisture levels will mold so remove quickly. Finely ground dog, cat, or bird pellets work (I have birds too so I feed my roaches bird food XD). Companies also sell roach chow mixes. Remember that what you feed determines how nutritious the bugs are!
  
• Oranges seem to inspire breeding!
  
• Place the food and water on top of or next to but not underneath the substrate to keep the food free of mold.
  
• Poop will accumulate on the bottom. It's a good fertilizer so dump it on some plants :). I just used a spare tank screen lid to sift babies out of the poop when I last cleaned the tank, worked like a charm.
  
  Here's a place selling roaches that's in the UK! Google "dubia roaches UK" or something and check out what comes up :) If a place sells by weight and not number that is a better deal!
  
  Unlike crickets dubias are very slow growing, and they take months to reach adulthood. Figure out what size you want to feed to your critters immediately and buy those. Or, If you don't mind waiting, you can buy mature males and females but you won't have babies to feed off for a while, one to several months depending on the size you need. You can also set up 2 containers, one with ready-to-feed roaches and one where adults make babies and you leave them alone for a while for the babies to mature.
  
  Roaches are super duper IMO!!

Leopard geckos are absolutely adorable, but keep in mind they eat live food. This means multiple trips a week to the local pet store for crickets, mealworms, etc. Over time this can get expensive and tiring. You could raise your own feeder colony of dubia roaches as they’re easy to care for and are more nutritious than crickets, but many people don’t care for the idea of having live roaches in their house. If you are looking for good reptiles for beginners that are also extremely easy to feed, look into crested and gargoyle geckos. The main staple of their diets is fruit with the occasional live supplement. Commercial powdered diets such as Pangea and Repashy have made feeding these beauties as simple as mixing water and powder. They come in all sorts of beautiful morphs as well. Try to visit a local reptile show or two to get an idea of what catches your eye and read up on housing and care. I would suggest purchasing from a hobbyist or breeder rather than chain pet stores as their animals tend to be healthier and better cared for. Oh - and welcome to the obsession!

Hmm. Any specific terrariums you want an estimate on or the entire thing?

Edit: Nevermind. I'll just give you a rundown of what I bought. Don't be scared off by the price, just start small. I recommend the Super Mix Moss from Appalachian Emporium to start you off, some cheap pot soil at home depot, mesh for the filter, pebbles/driftwood from outside and glassware at a thriftshop or wherever. Though I think getting springtails might be a must to keep the habitat clean from mold and such. Overall, it should cost you no more than $30-40 depending on what you get. I just happened to go overboard these past two months :)

Price|Amazon Link|

--|:--|
$16.86|Appalachian Emporium's Super Mix Live Fresh Moss for Terrariums, Vivariums, Bath Mats, Garden, Flower Pots|
$2.99|Marineland Black Diamond Media Premium Activated Carbon|
$23.09|Terrarium & Fairy Garden Plants - 8 Plants in 2.5 (Is Approximately 4 to 6 Inches Height of the Plant)|
$17.98|Temperate Springtail (Collembola) Culture (32 oz)|
$8.95|Luffy Coco Mini Moss - Builds a Beautiful and Natural Aquascape: Easy Care, Hardy and Long Lasting Plant: Filters and Provides Aquariums with Oxygen|
$12.54|Green Creeping Fig 2 Plants - Ficus -2" Pot - Houseplant/Terrarium/Fairy Garden|
$13.68|Anubias Nana Petite On Driftwood - Freshwater Live Aquarium Plants by Aquarium Plants Factory|
~$4 (use coupons!)|Glass bulbs (2) @ Michaels|
~$5|Glass Jar @ TJ-Maxx|
~$3|Glass Cork @ Michaels|
~$5|Other glass bottle w/ cap|
~$7| Big Mason Jar|
Free|Driftwood, rocks, etc|
$1.99|Pack of Tweezers|
~$10 w coupons|4 Pebbles & Fine "grain" rocks @ Michaels|
~$9.99|Exo-Terra Plantation Soil @ Petco|
~$5| Nature-Care Organic and Natural Pot Soil @ Home Depot|
$7.25| Screen-door Mesh for filter|
$3.99 w coupons|Twine @ Michaels|
Overall Price| ~ $158.31|

Not sure if you have other reptiles but be very careful about cross contamination.

http://www.netvet.co.uk/lizards/cryptosporidium.htm

Beyond that he does look in really rough shape. If he isn't eating on his own you can try offering him something to spur his appetite. I've had luck with decapitated meal/wax worms - sometimes the nuget filling can get their attention when whole insects wont. Another good option is repta-boost. It is a carnivore/insectivore supplement that I've certainly seen bring an animal back from the brink. Spurs their appetite pretty well, and you can water it down a bit to get some additional hydration at the same time. Petsmart usually has it in stock.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-Insectivore-Carnivore-Supplement/dp/B000634CL4

Good luck - Hope he pulls through.

I liked this the best:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Aquatic-Tadpole-2-Ounce/dp/B002DZI1K6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520212021&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+frog+food

But I also had success with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77012-ReptoMin-1-06-Ounce-85-ml/dp/B0040HFTIC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520212021&sr=8-2&keywords=aquarium+frog+food

Edit: I say I liked the first one best because it was cleaner. The reptomin got mushy and cloudy

Edit 2: I'd like to add that the most cited ADF food is the HBH pellets. The reviews for these are great, specifically for ADF's, and if I had ADF's again I'd definitely get these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFS8J6I/ref=psdc_2975505011_t3_B002DZI1K6

Sounds like you've done your research :)

I also don't recommend the kit, as the lamp and water conditioner is unnecessary, and repti sand is way more dangerous than regular sand. I would definitely just stick to paper towel or repti carpet as a beginner!

Make sure to gut load the mealworms before feeding them to the gecko, I recommend this one: https://www.amazon.com/R-Zilla-SRZ100011598-Cricket-Insect-4-Ounce/dp/B004LO7MO8/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1474434387&sr=1-1&keywords=insect+gut+load. As far as supplements go, it's best to dust feeder insects with calcium + d3 powder twice weekly, and to leave a dish of plain calcium powder (no d3) in the cage.

If you have any reptile expos happening nearby you soon, those are my preference for buying animals! I'm hitting the Sacramento Reptile Expo next weekend, thinking about getting a blue tongued skink. In general, just make sure your animal is active and bright-eyed with a fat tail. And older is better, brand new babies can ail and die very quickly!

Good luck and let us know if you have more questions!

>what do I feed her.

Lettuce like Romaine and Kale. These pellets.

>when should I feed her

Leafy greens should be available at all times for grazing, pellets should be given twice a week (no more than the size of the turtle's head).

>Should I create a place for her so she can go both on land and on water whenever she wants?

Yes. If you can get your hands on something like this stock tank it would be a much better and happier home for the turtle.

>any tips on turtles help

Read this, it will help you have a better understanding of turtles

>what is something I should not feed her

Just stick to leafy greens like kale and romaine lettuce, the pellets twice a week really. There are crickets and mealworms and such that you can buy and substitute those for the pellets once a week (as in pellets on Monday, insects on Thursday) for variety. But try to stick to the store bought to avoid pesticide ingestion or parasites from any wild insects if you go this route.

>what type is she

Some kind of fresh water slider species. Markings on the Head are really needed for 100% ID but as others have said: probably a Red Eared Slider.

>should I mix her with other tortoises I have? Like(mix as in make them live in the same yard).

You can, but the turtle is an aquatic species and needs around 100g/380L of water. So you will have to either create a large pond (like with the stocktank) and make sure that you have the area contained so the turtle does not run away or have an inside set-up with an aquarium.

>how many rimes should I change her water?

The bigger issue right now is that the turtle needs WAAAY more water than it has. Once you are able to put the turtle in more water if you cannot get a filtration system change out maybe 50% of the water as needed. Probably weekly if outside.

>We thought about putting her in a lake or ocean or river or anything but we don't have any of that, we live in Jordan and we have no water source.

Ocean would kill the turtle, do not release. This turtle will likely die in the wild.

You can also do an indoor set up with the recommended tank size, filtration, proper light bulbs, etc... It's your call though.

Please let me know if you have any more questions! Good luck and you're awesome for what you're trying to do for this turtle!

Just a tip, if you're trying to turn him around while he's lethargic, I'd recommend stopping the crickets, veggies, and pelleted food. Crickets might be too fast for him to catch, depending on how his mobility is, and some greens like kale and spinach contain a high amount of oxalates which can bind to any calcium he's getting, and prevent him from absorbing it.

Instead, I'd feed some slower insects you can put in a shallow dish and will typically stay there (esp. if it's slick, like glass).

Black soldier fly larvae are a good option; they're reasonably priced and naturally very high in calcium. I order mine from Fluker's.

https://flukerfarms.com/black-soldier-fly-larvae-soldier-worms/

I'd also get some small or x-small dubia roaches; every bearded I've known, even the sick ones, love them. They're more expensive, but worth a try. Here's one option from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Blaptica-dubia-Dubia-Roaches-Small/dp/B008D6N44C/ref=sr_1_27?keywords=dubia+roaches&qid=1572062594&sr=8-27

You can also try dubiaroaches.com, which will let you order them in smaller amounts, but can be pricier than the Amazon vendor.

Lastly, I would make sure to dust everything with Calcium+D3 every day (make sure your calcium has D3). You can add liquid calcium to the water you soak him in as well.

https://www.amazon.com/Mojetto-FLUKER-Repta-Liquid-1-7oz/dp/B006HX00X6/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=liquid+calcium+for+reptiles&qid=1572062789&sr=8-3

Make sure he has a basking spot at 105F+, and that your compact lamp is situated over the basking spot (if he spends most of his time there). You may want an ornament or something to elevate the basking spot; for the compact UVB lamps, I'd say try to make sure he basks no more than about 8-10 inches away from the UV light source.

Last, and as always, take him to the vet if you can afford it. They'll probably be able to give you calcium supplements, and check his stool for parasites (coccidia and pinworms are very common, and can drag down a young beardie that's already having problems).

If you can grab a 5 gallon bucket from the store (a clean one, to dedicate to the aquarium; can be used for water changes!) you can rinse the gravel in it; stir the gravel some to try to get any debris out and I usually dump the water (carefully so gravel doesn't get all in the sink) and rinse again a couple of times; the last time you add water you can add some Seachem Prime to dechlorinate it, and then add by the handful to the tank. I do think it was the right call to go ahead and add him.

For the swim bladder--I'm not an expert but I do know daphnia is supposed to be a good way to try to get his digestive system cleaned out. A lot of sites recommend peas but apparently they are not the best choice for bettas since bettas have difficulty digesting them. You can find daphnia either frozen, or in something called "Dial a treat". It can help to soak it in tank water before giving it to him. I think a lot of pet stores carry it. If you find that and try it and it doesn't help, make a post specifically about the situation (people will want to know parameters, which is temperature, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates). Hopefully being in clean water (you'll need to change probably almost daily while the nitrogen cycle establishes, aka "cycling") will help him heal. I'll keep my fingers crossed for him!

Buy commercial turtle food. You can get is specifically for hatchlings.

I fed my hatchlings this, which I just got at Walmart: http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Repto-Sticks-0-92-Ounce-100-Ml/dp/B00025670U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367425469&sr=8-1&keywords=reptomin+baby

This is also pretty popular and easy to find: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Natural-Hatchling-15-Ounce/dp/B000ENIS02/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1367425487&sr=1-4&keywords=baby+turtle+food

One thing to remember: once your turtle gets settled, it will eat as much as you give them, and it will beg you for food constantly. That does not mean it's hungry. It's instinctual for the turtle to eat as much as it can when it gets the opportunity. You need to know what's best as its owner, and not overfeed it. Only the amount of pellets that would fit inside its head (probably not more than 4 or 5, if you're guy is quarter-sized).

If you overfeed it, it WILL have health problems down the line. Remember that the hatchling stage, just like with human babies, is one of the most important stages of its life in terms of nutritional development.

Snails need harder water with enough mineral content to build their shells. Soft water will leach minerals away from their shells, eventually creating holes.

I use Salty Shrimp, but it's kind of expensive and not really necessary. There are other ways to harden your water. A cheaper product is Seachem Equilibrium, but I've never used it myself.

My tap water is really soft like yours, it has about 2 degrees of hardness while the ideal hardness is more like 5-8 degrees.

I also feed my shrimp an invertebrate food that contains calcium for shell formation. The snails go for it too, which probably helps them out.

True haha, or good as a prank. However best surprise gift goes to these.

I used to like the sound of crickets. I've kept reptiles for 15 years. I no longer like the sound of crickets. There have been some nights I've gone on a hunt, finding the one in whatever tank that's hiding, and it gets put in another tank for immediate consumption.

Even my tarantula loves worms! It's been one of the few times I've seen her excited about anything.

This stuff. My pet store has a $3 trial size one, so you don't have to commit to the entire jar. But he loves it, and it's great for the days that you run out of fresh veggies.

I totally understand the concern with not wanting live bugs in your house. I was / am the same. For all my beardies bug needs, I give him this; https://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-SFK72021-Bearded-1-8-Ounce/dp/B004HSQRI0/ref=pd_sim_199_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51A8zKCJovL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR130%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=7S3D8TFJC50XT3XR9Y7Y

My beardy loves it. The only downside I could think of is that it's lacking any moisture, so a bit more water might be needed.

Also, a pretty safe / not too gross option for live stuff is the occasional mealworms / superworms that you can buy from Petco /Petsmart or wherever, and can be kept in the fridge.

Hope that helps!

Sure no problem! I feed her 2-3 of these pellets a day in rotation with 2 of these (as much as I don't like their company now, this is what got me into aquariums and the frog still loves the food). I have not done frozen/live food ever, but I feel like I would in a species tank though. One thing I think is very important is to reduce stress, what gives them their color rather than being pale, is plenty of hiding spots. My girl has three she frequents and it's good to have many options so they feel safe. Any other questions I'd be glad to answer!

It's a red eared slider or maybe a map turtle. Either way it's a water turtle. If you are going to keep it it needs a pretty big aquarium full of water with a place to bask and a heat light.

They make great pets, I had two for years, and you can buy aquatic turtle food for them at nearly any pet food store. Be careful, even tame they will bite, and they will remove as much of your finger as they can! I lost 1/4 inch of my fingertip that way once, to a turtle I raised from a baby. RES are pretty popular as pets, so any pet store will give you all the information you need and probably has some books on hand.

I've heard that wild caught turtles will often never adjust to captive life and refuse to eat turtle food. If your turtle does not eat in 2 days or so, you'd better let him loose.

If you do let him loose, you need to know that these turtles are territorial, and will try to find their way home if you let them loose in a strange place. This is basically a death sentence near any roads. Your best bet is to let him out near where you found him and near a pond. If you do think that where you found him is too dangerous for a turtle to live, take him DEEP into the woods, and let him out near water (like within a couple feet of a lake or pond).

/u/cam3113 is right, this guy probably had nothing to fear from a snake. Turtles are well protected against snakes and the snakes know it.

If you think he's injured in any way, contact wildcare oklahoma. They think like you (and me) and not like /u/billythepilgrim .

Edit: I've been calling it a him because of those long front nails. The giveaway is the tail. If the tail is nearly as long as the back leg, it's a male. If it's about half the length of the back leg, it's a female.

I suggest you to fuck up with her life in a not-too-harmful way.
I'd give you some examples if I'd known more about you guys, so you'll have to be creative and come up with your own mind games.

Some very general and innocent examples like putting salt n' pepper in her coffee, filling the shampoo bottles at her house with yogurt, or even just hiding her cellphone away from her and make her panic.

Ofc you could join the dark side and use stuff like spilling coyote urine on her bed(the smell is SUPER GROSS and lasts for days), sending her a pack of living insects as a gift, or just renting a couple of goats and letting them loose in her house.

Since you can't get rid of the problem(your MIL), you might as well just enjoy trolling her.

If you want to not have to worry about mold you can put springtails in there. They eat mold and fungus and help break down the crab feces. I got my springtails off Amazon. It was pretty cold out when the ones I got were delivered (30-40 F) and they did fine in transit, plenty in there and I didn't see any dead ones. I poured most of them into my substrate and mixed it in, kept a few in the original container and now there's TONS more. Like you can't even see the bottom of the container in some spots they're so thick, and there's eggs everywhere. Just poke a few holes (they thrive with a bit of fresh air) and put a dead leaf or leftover food in there.

I haven't had a mold problem since I put them in my tank and I rarely if ever see any crab feces anymore. If you have mostly sand and springtails then you really don't ever have to change out the substrate (I'll probly do so anyway in about a year though). They do like to jump into my pools but it doesn't hurt anything (I'm gonna get some rice and put a few grains in there away from the pools to try to reroute them a bit).

This is what I feed her
https://www.amazon.com/Flukers-1-2-Ounce-Freeze-Dried-Crickets/dp/B0002DRJDG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=OEX3N98TKKR&keywords=freeze+dried+crickets+for+leopard+geckos&qid=1568307646&sprefix=freeze+dried+cri%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-3
and it claims that they have been gut loaded and the reviews seem pretty positive overall

Crickets seem to be super easy to cultivate a regular supply of; you can find cases hopping with them at any pet supply store. You can even buy boxes of 1,000 live crickets on Amazon.

Appreciate the response, this is some good info. I also use Pangea for the CGD, the fruit mixed with insects to be exact. Link below

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C9JBTI2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's a question I've been trying to answer for myself, as I mentioned in the video it's pretty cold up here so they're few and far between at the moment.

​

There are a few options on amazon, but they're a little pricey. There's a reptile show that is taking place next weekend not far from me that I'm going to visit in hopes of getting some there. If I don't find any I guess I'll have to settle on Amazon shipping :/

I got mine on amazon. Josh's Frogs Temperate Springtail (Collembola) Culture (8 oz) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SZ9N32W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iF.ADb7H65DQR

This.

Tipsy Gifting!

Thanks for the contest!

Find out where she lives and mail her a box of crickets lol! http://www.amazon.com/1000-Live-Crickets-Large-1/dp/B007RH8E8Y

http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-78001-Gourmet-Canned-Mealworms/dp/B000YFLLQI/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2I5Z5X7QSKMEW&coliid=I1P8PLHG6YXVB4

my favorite dinosaur is T-rex aka SHAPTOOTH

For a good prank you can do crickets instead of bees: http://www.amazon.com/1000-Live-Crickets-Large-1/dp/B007RH8E8Y

Read the first review

My shrimps like Hikari crab cuisine, both my amanos and my galaxy pintos devour that stuff. I also feed them snowflakes :

https://www.amazon.com/HIKARI-BC808468-Hikari-Crab-Cuisine/dp/B0002DID8G

https://www.amazon.com/GlasGarten-Shrimp-Snacks-Snow-Flakes/dp/B00U7Q9HKG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=E8PFU3AC4PJ7&keywords=snow+flakes+shrimp+food&qid=1572059607&s=pet-supplies&sprefix=Snow+flakes+shrim%2Cpets%2C189&sr=1-1

Our dragons seem to like Dragon Bites.

https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Zone-SNZ54622-Bearded-24-Ounce/dp/B0006L12CI

I feed Hikari Crab Cuisine, as recommended by Aquarium Co-Op.

Amazon

Aquarium Co-Op

The most unique thing I could find are the freeze dried crickets for my hamsters. It is $2.46.

Fluker's 72025 Freeze Dried Crickets, 1.2oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DRJDG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XOu3Db4VAC8SJ

From my short experience: really not enough algae to feed them, but if you have tadpole food coming within a few days, they will survive.

The containers will need to be either ventilated or wider (bigger surface of exchange water-air). And you'll need a source of new water in a close future.

Once tadpoles get out of the water they will change their diet. You'll need to either find tones of bugs/worms, or release them somewhere wet. If that's the food you bought, it's really only for tadpoles.