Connecticut Cooter Turtle Turtle Turtle Baltimore, MD

Please read the description completely before contacting MATTS. Many of your questions will be answered below.

I'm a lady aquatic peninsula cooter turtle (Pseudemys peninsularis) species near Waterbury, Connecticut. I eat Mazuri, Reptomin, and Zoo Med turtle pellets and other brands of pellets and lots of dark leafy greens. I ONLY eat in the water. I'm at least 7 years old, but probably I'm closer to 10, which is young for a turtle.

I am a BIG girl; my shell is about 11", so I'll need at least a 100 gallon aquarium or 100 stock tank or indoor pond, but larger is better, with a strong external canister filter or really good home-made filter (such as a Skippy filter). A Rubbermaid stock tank would make a good home, and those are cheaper than aquariums. A 100 gallon plastic Rubbermaid or Tuff Stuff stock tank from True Value or Tractor Supply Company is usually about $100, and they also come in 150 gallon sizes (like the one in the pictures). In the summer, it would be great if I could live in a fenced-in, backyard pond, but I've lived indoors all my life, so I'm used to being inside. (dug below the frost line so that the top won't freeze solid, if I'm spending the winter there, too). I can also live outside all year if I go into the pond this summer.

I'm for adoption because my first owners (I've had at least two homes already) didn't do their research before buying me when I was little. They didn't realize how big I would get.

Cooters can live for 20-60 yrs. They need large indoor aquariums or ponds, a basking spot, and water filtration. Indoor ponds and aquariums require a haul-out spot, a.k.a. basking spot, a heat light over a basking spot, a UVB light over the basking spot, a high-powered filter, and usually a water heater. Outdoor ponds must be in an escape-proof yard or the pond itself must be escape-proof. If you have a backyard pond, the turtle can't go outside for the first time until May, but can live year-round outside after that.

For ideas on how to prepare an aquarium or pond, visit www.turtleforum.com to chat with other keepers. Review the slider care sheet to learn more about caring for aan aquatic turtle http://nebula.wsimg.com/ae4cb36565545a257b1ff6f17a885dc2?AccessKeyId=A3E784782F81D21389AD&disposition=0&alloworigin=1
You can also get the book Red-Eared Sliders (Animal Planet Pet Care Library) (on Amazon or in some stores).

REQUEST AN ADOPTION APPLICATION from matts_adoptions@hotmail.com. Please INCLUDE YOUR CITY AND STATE when contacting MATTS. An application will be e-mailed to you. Once completed, the application can be returned, and if approved, you'll then have to submit pictures of your set-up before picking up a turtle. Adopters must meet in the CT area to pick up.

PLEASE HELP OTHER TURTLES by spreading the word - baby turtles grow into big turtles! They do not stay small - they do not grow to the size of their enclosure! Please don't buy hatchling turtles at vacation tourist spots. It's illegal in ALL 50 states to sell a turtle this small. Like turtles but can't have one? Want to help? MATTS accepts tax-deductible donations at MATTS, P.O. Box 341, Highland, MD 20777. We help over 100 displaced pet turtles a year!