irnbru@erols.com
Vickie, Well, I always fed them in a separate feeding tank. Even so, when I put them back in their original feeding tank they still won’t eat. 🙁 I started mine out when they were hatchlings with brine shrimp. I then switched over to Reptomin. After about 10 months I gave them smelt and they wouldn’t eat the Reptomin any more. They don’t like squid very much. I don’t know where to get trout chow so never tried it. I cut up the soft part of cuttle bone twice a week and put it in their tank and they devour it. Their shells are beautiful. Mine don’t seem to be interested in basking. I have two stacks of bricks with a 12×18 rock on top. This gives them a tunnel to swim under. I built a ramp for them from wire mesh to make it easier for them to get up top but they don’t show any interest in doing the sun bathing. I tried a piece of driftwood in the tank but they ignored it. I have a pic of them when they were just 3 months old. If I can figure out how to post it here I will. I am not sure what king of db they are. My guess is Northern. As to whether or not they are ornate or not, I don’t know. All three are from the same mother. One was in the August clutch and the other two were in the September clutch. One of the September clutch db’s is growing at a slower rate than the rest. But, all three have short tails so far. It’s too early to tell for sure but, so far my guess is that all three are females. If so, in a year or so I will be looking for a male to make their lives more interesting. All this is supposing that they begin to eat again!!! I enjoyed seeing the pic of the three ornates that you posted…they are beautiful. Bob