Post by turtlegirl on Aug 2, 2012 22:48:26 GMT
I guess owning a baby turtle is like having kids - you don't notice how quickly they grow and still think of them as tiny babies. Then one day you realise that they are no longer so little.
Baby Musk was half the size of a walnut shell whenI adopted her, along with her tankmate a young slider. She is now 2/3 the size of an adult male musk and I realised it was time for her to leave the nursery tank (which was getting crowded as my babies grew) and join the adult musks in their species tank.
At first I was worried -would the bigger musks bully her, could she cope with deep water and a powerful filter, would she be able to get to the surface to breathe?
Like any anxious Mum, I watched her constantly for the first 2 hours, ready to rescue her and get her out at the first sign of trouble.
I needn't have worried. Within a few minutes she was exploring her new bigger tank and searching the bottom for food. After eating a pellet she found, she swam to the surface a few times without any problems, stopping to rest on a plant at first. Within an hour she had discovered the hollow floating log which all my musks love to play in and bask on. Larger female musks ignored her and she grabbed a food pellet from right under the male's nose! This morning I found her asleep on the basking log.
No doubt about it.. my little Baby Musk has grown up and is now ready to fend for herself and enjoy adult life in the grown ups tank. Sad to see her leave the nursery tank but I am also pleased at having successfully reared her to almost adult size. Guess I will have to think of a new name for her..can't call her Baby any more.
Baby Musk was half the size of a walnut shell whenI adopted her, along with her tankmate a young slider. She is now 2/3 the size of an adult male musk and I realised it was time for her to leave the nursery tank (which was getting crowded as my babies grew) and join the adult musks in their species tank.
At first I was worried -would the bigger musks bully her, could she cope with deep water and a powerful filter, would she be able to get to the surface to breathe?
Like any anxious Mum, I watched her constantly for the first 2 hours, ready to rescue her and get her out at the first sign of trouble.I needn't have worried. Within a few minutes she was exploring her new bigger tank and searching the bottom for food. After eating a pellet she found, she swam to the surface a few times without any problems, stopping to rest on a plant at first. Within an hour she had discovered the hollow floating log which all my musks love to play in and bask on. Larger female musks ignored her and she grabbed a food pellet from right under the male's nose! This morning I found her asleep on the basking log.
No doubt about it.. my little Baby Musk has grown up and is now ready to fend for herself and enjoy adult life in the grown ups tank. Sad to see her leave the nursery tank but I am also pleased at having successfully reared her to almost adult size. Guess I will have to think of a new name for her..can't call her Baby any more.