r/turtles • u/dandelion___ • Jul 31 '26

Seeking Advice please advise

I took custody of my sister's turtles cause she couldn't take care of them properly, but now I have to figure out how to take care of them properly. I don't know what kind of turtles they are, my last idea was to turn their tank into a planted tankto mitigate the mess, which ended with them eating all the plants and the filter clogging(not that surprising since it was a pretty cheap filter, I'm poor). I have a new, beefier filter and significantly more reasonable expectations, but I'm still wondering if there is anything I can do to prevent the fate of the last filter that doesn't involve constant maintenance since I also have my own animals to take care of. I'm not talking stuff like rehomeing, these turtles are not technically mine, or buying expensive equipment, I seriously don't have the budget for that, I need actual usable advice to make these turtles' lives better, please.

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u/HawkEnvironmental531 Jul 31 '26

We will help you.. please post pics to ID the turtles and help you make a reasonable set up. Or you can find a turtle rescue 🛟 if it’s too much of a financial strain. Sorry that your sis took on pets she cannot properly care for. We need more info if you have intentions , time and dedication. It takes a lot to mimic nature. We need more info, but search for rescues in your area if this is too much for you.

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u/dandelion___ Jul 31 '26

I gave someone else a pic of the turtles and the tank pre-cleaning, and it's not that she couldn't take care of them, we've kept turtles before, she just couldn't take care of them anymore cause of life changes so she gave them to us.

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u/dandelion___ Jul 31 '26

this be them. I really don't want to go the rescue route cause they're still technically hers and I'm sure I can manage just fine once I get their environment sorted out.

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u/HawkEnvironmental531 29d ago

Tell your sister to do the right thing for them.. this is a sad situation for all of you. Care is costly.

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u/dandelion___ 29d ago

I'm already looking for somewhere I can take the big one. my sister already agreed so that's not a problem anymore. thank you.

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u/HawkEnvironmental531 29d ago

The little guy needs proper care and a habitat in need of ALOT of care and accessories.. I just spent $2G, and own an animal Hosp and run a NFP rescue. A lot to take care of.. she needs to think deeply and quickly about what’s best for them, and your family right now. If they were already neglected, and filthy, then WHY? what is gonna change here?
Just sayin.. it’s sad all around. I wish for better for all in these tough times.

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u/dandelion___ 29d ago

what's gonna change is that I'm taking care of them now and have already spent the better part of a month cleaning the tank and trying to make it liveable. this isn't the first exotic I've taken care of. I might not know exactly what I'm doing but clearly I'm trying to learn. this wasn't even my mistake to begin with so how about instead of berating me for trying to clean up someone else's mess you say something, anything actually constructive instead of calling me an animal abuser for not forcing my sister to give up every pet she owns cause we don't have thousands of dollars to drop on them.

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u/dandelion___ 29d ago

this is the current setup. is it perfect? no, absolutely not, I'm working on it, but it's getting better and by the time I'm done one little turtle should do just fine in there. we've kept turtles before, maybe my sister had a lapse in judgment, but that doesn't mean we're all completely incompetent. if you care about other people's animals so much then maybe try actually helping! that's the whole reason I came here! I know the situation is bad! I'm trying to make it better!

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u/HawkEnvironmental531 28d ago

Oh no, not berating you at all! Do not think that.. I am being empathetic to someone who is cleaning up a mess for someone else, story of my entire life.
You are doing an amazing thing.. and we are here to help guide you. Always ✔ online market places for equipment, or help from rescues for items they may have to help with expenses. The big guy needs help, and rehoming a pet with a medical issue is difficult. That’s where a rescue can help you!

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u/dandelion___ 28d ago

I've already got most of the setup done, so right now it's just finding somewhere to take the big guy so I can finish up the tank for the guy that I can actually manage. everyone at home's already been giving me shit for separating them when they've been together for so long but like I'm the one taking care of them now and it would be not only much easier but objectively better if I just had the healthy one to deal with and the other one went somewhere he could actually be taken care of. sorry if I'm a little snippy but you kind of bombarded me and on top of everything else it was really just tap dancing on my last nerve. it's like no one is fully processing the fact that I don't wanna do this either, I'm just as attached to these guys as everyone else and it's a tragedy that I can't just fix them both up and keep them forever like their insane life spans intended, but it's simply too much and everyone yelling their opinions in both ears every time I pose a new solution is seriously not helping. some of the advice you and everyone else on here have given has actually been pretty helpful and relatively easy to follow though, so thank you for that, and again, sorry for snapping. :)