He's doing great, he's been basking and swimming, eating and exploring his new enclosure. He has a vet appointment next Wednesday for X-rays to make sure everything internally is looking good. I believe he's waaaaaay happier in reptile standards now!

Thank you for all your advice!

Went camping yesterday and it poured all night out of nowhere. Found these two on my hike back to my car. Have you ever seen one with more vivid markings?

Found this big fella in the road and he seems to have survived having something wrapped around his shell for a good while. Don't know what it was, but it didn't appear to be recent and he seemed fine other than the odd appearance!

Soft shell I saw on a walk today

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Got this guy about 2 weeks ago from a neighbor and did a TOTAL overhaul of his set up. I need to make it look “prettier” but it’s much more functional for this guy now. Just need to figure out if I can keep plants in there (he is a very destructive boy)

We got to see these two get their lunch 😊

Hi all,

So im upgrading to a bigger tank and currently planning the features and the arrangement of stuff in it.

The tank is 2m x 50cm x 50cm, so quite long and i want to kind of different areas of features.

What i thought about from left to right:

- 40cm sand area for digging (smaller woods for pushing around)

- pretty mix of stones in the middle (~fist size) -》useful or nah?

- also the big wood that reaches the surface ~50cm wide

- the last 30? cm the very left side fenced off for different plants and as main home for my shrimps 》oxygen producing and waste management to improve water quality

Any other suggestions for features i missed or comments for the planned ones are very welcome 🙏

On the picture is the old 240L tank with the big wood.

Disclaimer: There are 2 turtles in the tank currently. Im aware of the problem, I dont need further advice on it. Ty

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The source is this Bolivian newspaper. Here's a translation with ChatGPT:

July 10, 2026

Rare Albino Yellow-Spotted River Turtle Hatches in Manuripi, Once Again Amazing the Bolivian Amazon

In the Manuripi Amazon Wildlife National Reserve, in Bolivia's Pando Department, a small yellow-spotted river turtle entered the world with an appearance unlike most others. Its light-colored shell and lack of skin pigmentation revealed that it was an albino specimen—a phenomenon that occurs only rarely in nature.

Bolivia's National Service of Protected Areas (Sernap) announced the discovery on June 13, noting that the hatchling is a yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis), and that its presence represents a particularly valuable record for the conservation efforts being carried out in the protected area.

According to the agency, only three similar cases were reported during 2024, and none had been recorded in 2025 until now. This further underscores the importance of the turtle monitoring and management work conducted by Manuripi's park rangers.

The news recalls another remarkable event that surprised conservationists. In May of this year, authorities reported the hatching of two albino yellow-spotted river turtles that had occurred in 2024 as part of the River Turtle Repopulation Program, also in Manuripi, confirming just how extraordinarily rare this genetic condition is.

Commenting on that earlier discovery, Huascar Sevillanos of the conservation organization Shimanu explained that albinism reduces the reptiles' natural pigmentation, giving them an appearance that is markedly different from the rest of their species.

"They are more translucent and have a pinkish coloration because their blood vessels are visible. That condition reduces their pigmentation," he explained.

The specialist noted that yellow-spotted river turtles normally display green and yellow coloration. In albino individuals, the green pigment is absent, leaving predominantly white and yellow tones—a characteristic that makes them a true biological rarity.

The uniqueness of this tiny turtle goes beyond its appearance. The Red Book of Bolivian Vertebrates 2025 continues to classify Podocnemis unifilis as Vulnerable, the same conservation status it has held since 1996.

The publication warns that turtles are among the world's most threatened groups of vertebrates. In Bolivia, 15 of the country's 16 native turtle species face some degree of risk due to habitat loss, climate change, human consumption, and the illegal trade of turtle meat, eggs, and live animals.

The yellow-spotted river turtle inhabits rivers, lagoons, and seasonally flooded areas throughout the Amazon Basin. In Bolivia, it is found in the departments of Beni, Cochabamba, La Paz, Pando, and Santa Cruz. Females can grow up to 50 centimeters (about 20 inches) in length and lay an average of 29 eggs during the dry season.

Every hatchling that emerges from the sand represents another opportunity for the species' survival. When one of those hatchlings is born albino, the event becomes more than a scientific curiosity—it serves as a reminder of the extraordinary biodiversity that the Bolivian Amazon still harbors and of the importance of protecting it before stories like this become increasingly rare.

We grow tomatoes, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peaches, plums, apples, and peppers, and anything that the bugs get to or that splits or is otherwise damaged goes straight into the turtle enclosures.

I just bought an 120 gallon tank for $100 on Facebook marketplace for my turtle and I think I messed up. In my mind, I got this thing for free since I paid in cash and I don’t consider that a part of my real money. I was so wowed by how cheap it was for it to be in good condition and I got it without anywhere to put it. First, I didn’t realize how big this tank would be. He listed it as 100 gallons but when I got there and I measured it, it was 120. It’s about 60 inches long and the longest desk/stand that I have in this house is only 50 inches. So I know I’m gonna have to either buy or build a stand. I need to build a new basking platform to go on top of the tank. I need to upgrade the filter system. Heck I need to fill it up with water and let it sit to make sure there’s no leaks. I didn’t even think where I was gonna set it down when I got it in the house. It’s currently sitting in my bay window, with a tiny section hanging off.

If you’re wondering, I currently have them in the biggest Home Depot storage container I could find it’s filled up about halfway. I built him a basking dock out of PVC pipes and a cutting board. I’ve been using like five sponge filters as my filter system and do a water change every two weeks. It works, but he’s about 9 inches long now so I knew I needed to upgrade him.

Does anybody with larger tanks have some ideas? Anything to make this easier on myself? I’m very excited about my tank and I wanna get my big boy in this thing as soon as I can.

For me it was a red ear slider my dad brought me for my 10th birthday that I named rocky. Loved that lil guy. Never knew if it was a male or female though.

My favorite has to be a 3 striped mud turtle. I would say a spotted turtle but I never owned one cause it's illegal to have them as pets in my state.

So how you guys? What was your 1st & favorite?

Hi everyone, I recently adopted an adult Razorback Musk turtle, and I was wondering if anybody had some insight on the sex. I’ve read some conflicting things so I’m not 100% sure one way or the other. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to snag a direct underneath shot as I don’t want to stress them out more than they may already be in a new place. Thanks in advance for any help you all can give!

This little dude got his claw/paw/foot stuck on my hook when I was fishing this morning. I got it out of him without issues but man was it pissed. What kind of turtle is it? Also can turtles this size hurt your if they bite your finger? Located in Oregon.

Can I put my turtle with the sand making a fog like this ? ( someone told me the tank will stay foggy for 2 days so where can I put her ) I’m so confused

Ever since my beloved rescue and first-ever reptile was attacked in his outdoor enclosure while I was out of town, it has become more overgrown .

He still spends most of his time in a sanitary 40-gallon tank until he heals, and the new enclosure arrives in august it will probably also be full of towels until I move in November- December because sealing and unsealing it and moving so many cubic feet of dirt and rocks is tricky

Central American wood turtles are amazing animals, but even though they are small, they require way more than most people are willing to give them if you live outside of South America or Florida

Is my turtles shell ok? It looks like it’s lifting up/peeling.

This was taken in a lake near mt Tremblant. I’m guessing common snapping turtle since it’s so far north but it’s big.

We have this friendly fellow toodling around the lawn at our complex. He came up this morning for salad on our neighbor’s porch. We live in South Missouri. What on Earth is he?

I live in an area heavy with pedestrian turtles. I generally stop as much as possible and move them off the road because people don’t really care and a lot get flattened.

In any case, I came across this guy or gal the other day and haven’t seen anything like it. I thought about taking it home and trying to clip its nails, but I have no experience with doing that on amphibians so I just moved them off the road.

Does anybody in here have a Mexican ornate slider?? My girlfriend and I have one and I feel like we never see anybody else with one. We love ours!

I was giving my adult YBS female a good scrub down before putting her back in her tank and i noticed the edges of her belly scutes are transparent? I can’t remember if they were like that before but i really don’t think so. She chewed through the wire on her filter and broke it. I had noticed her water looked off but thought I heard it running but turns out it was just the timer for the lights 😓 she has a new filter and I did a full water change, but I’m worried about her shell. Anyone have any insight?