Thinking about getting a turtle,

[Tortoisekatie]

my fiancé is would love a turtle however having never had one im doing some research before i let him go ahead lol

Basically I need to know everything, from different species, how to care for them and any other info that someone may have. I know he is going to do his own research and will have something in mind but I thought this would be a good place to start

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, in my opinion, you need to change your mind set. Grown people don't have to be 'allowed' to do something. It should be talked over and all the pros and cons weighed and considered.

Go to Austen's turtle page and read about turtles and what it takes to keep them healthy, and have your finance read it too. Another good one is Mary at the turtle Puddle.

 

[bouaboua]

Great links Yvonne.....Very interesting site! ! !

 

[dmmj]

There are lots of benefits to owning a turtle ( water or box?) and lots of downsides. If you are willing to aaccept them then go for it. red ear sliders are the easiest avaiable, and take care of. They do require work though. Good luck in your search.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It's very nice to have your life partner also interested. That would be a big plus.

 

[AmRoKo]

I think you two should definitely go for it, turtles are wonderful, they are work, but it totally pays off. I love watching my turtles swim around so gracefully, and then go totally bonkers for their different foods I feed them.

 

[TortsNTurtles]

I enjoy turtles too. I love watching them swim.Just make sure you research first some turtles get big. Also a good filter is a worthwhile investment. Turtles are dirty so purchase a filter that at least doubled the recommended tank size.

 

[Anthony P]

There are lots of benefits to owning a turtle ( water or box?) and lots of downsides. If you are willing to aaccept them then go for it. red ear sliders are the easiest avaiable, and take care of. They do require work though. Good luck in your search.

RES are not the easiest to care for. Sorry to be a nag, but you really should refrain from sharing this information as fact.

 

[Tortoisekatie]

My fiancé can do what he wants, however discussing it with him we have both agreed that however much we would like one the correct research needs to be done to make sure we can commit to it for the duration of its life and whether it would suit the type of home we have. Thank you for the link and I will certainly have a look!! Xx

 

[dmmj]

Fine, my personal opinion after 30 + years of keeping various water turtle species including but not limited to red ears, mud,musk,false map,reeves,soft shell, various cooters species among others is as follows. Red ear sliders in my personal opinion eat good, and are a very hardy species, easiest out of all the various species I have kep, again in my personal opinion/

( the above statement has not been verified by any goverment agency, all due diilegence should be done when choosing a new pet)

Did I mention it was my personal opinion?

 

[mike taylor]

Dmmj I would have to agree with you . My red ear sliders are in a outdoor pond all year . All I do is feed and water cleaning . It gets cold at night high 20 to low 30 I don't heat the water at all . They come out and bask in 40º weather . Eat plants fish and turtle food . Nothing special . Now my snappers will have to be found and put in the shed when temps drop . Sliders are very hardy . I can see if your keeping them indoors where a lot of work comes into play . But a well designed outdoor pond that is deep with substrate at the bottom and a good filter is all you need .

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Dmmj I would have to agree with you . My red ear sliders are in a outdoor pond all year . All I do is feed and water cleaning . It gets cold at night high 20 to low 30 I don't heat the water at all . They come out and bask in 40º weather . Eat plants fish and turtle food . Nothing special . Now my snappers will have to be found and put in the shed when temps drop . Sliders are very hardy . I can see if your keeping them indoors where a lot of work comes into play . But a well designed outdoor pond that is deep with substrate at the bottom and a good filter is all you need .

@miketaylor How deep is your substrate and what do you use in your outdoor pond? Also how many gallons. You shared pictures of your pond before I really liked it but I couldn't remember how many gallons.

 

[mike taylor]

Its a big horse tank . I think its 1000/1200 gallon tank . Its three feet deep . Sand and dirt and crushed granite . The dirt is from back filling around the pond .

 

[Donna/Turbo]

Here is a picture of the turtles we care for at work. We built a beautiful enclosure and have goldfish, Koi, and turtles. The turtles are always showing off for the customers!!

 

[TortsNTurtles]

Its a big horse tank . I think its 1000/1200 gallon tank . Its three feet deep . Sand and dirt and crushed granite . The dirt is from back filling around the pond .

@mike taylor or Is the tank 3 feet deep or the substrate? Thanks

 

[mike taylor]

The tank is three feet deep . Substrate about six inches . I have a biological filter . I have problems with algae so I'm going to get a uv filter also . I have big rocks in the bottom to . They help hold down under water plans . I don't remember the names but I got them from a fish store .

 

[TortsNTurtles]

The tank is three feet deep . Substrate about six inches . I have a biological filter . I have problems with algae so I'm going to get a uv filter also . I have big rocks in the bottom to . They help hold down under water plans . I don't remember the names but I got them from a fish store .

Thanks that is a big help!!!

 

[Anthony P]

My only point was, just telling someone as a blanket statement, that RES are easiest to take care of, is not helping anyone. Cheapest, yes. Pretty hardy, yes.

But requiring a pond or large stock tank is not exactly easy.

We need to do everything we can to try to reverse the trends started by the Louisianna turtle farms, even if just here and there. It's like the starfish on the beach thing. If we can avoid having one more newbie buying RES, maybe it will be one less turtle getting euthanized or suffering with shell rot or MBD in a ten gallon tank.

That's all I was saying.

Ant

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I had an algae problem with one of my ponds also.
I planted some sun blocking Hibiscus plants around the side getting the sun and now almost no algae and nice flowers for my torts.
(I only keep fish in the ponds.)

 

[Turtlepete]

Agree with Ant….I've had a lot easier turtles to take care of then the massive RES. Musks, for starters….

@Tortoisekatie, what kind of turtle are you looking for? Small, big, personable, afraid of you, bottom-walker, constant swimmer, pond turtle, aquarium turtle…? If you want to set up a nice big outdoor pond and your climate allows, then there are a number of rather large cooters and other pond turtles that would suit you well. They get big however. If you want a pretty little interesting aquarium turtle, musks and muds are quite easy and can do fine with small aquariums, say 45-75 gallons. What kind of climate are you in, and what kind of space are you willing to provide? Are you looking for something indoors or an outdoor pond inhabitant?