Right now my turtles are living on tap water, and I put a little bit of this fish water-filter liquid in their tank. Is that okay, or do I need something else?
2006-07-04 11:47:17 · 18 answers · asked by Christine 2 in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Yes, turtles do very well in tap water. They don't "breathe" the water like fish do, so the chlorine does not bother them. It does not sting their eyes either. Pool water has so much chlorine in it and that stings a little only.
I have kept and bred over 75 turtles and kept them in large pools and tanks, all with regular H2O. There is no need wasting money on buying dechlorinators. Breeders or any turtle hobbyiest with experience will never recommend treating the tap water.
The only thing with tap water or any water, if you have hard water, containing a lot of minerals, over time, the minerals will build up under the turtle's scutes (outer keratin coverings which they shed), and it is unsightly, but harmless.
Please ignore thoe well intended folks with bottled, distilled, dechlorinated and pond water suggestions, it is impractical and of no use.
If you like a good source, try visiting http://www.turtleforum.com
2006-07-04 17:19:25 · answer #1 · answered by wu_gwei21 5 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Tap water is fine as long as you de-chlorinate it if you live in town. They have the stuff for fish. Make sure you have a good filter also to keep the water clean. I wouldn't go to the pond to get the water, there might be disease your captive turtles are not immune to that wild turtles are.
2006-07-05 05:13:58 · answer #2 · answered by mhpython 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, tap water is OK. However, turtle water needs to be changed constantly. More important than the water is if you have PROPER LIGHTING for them. You need a light fixture that simulates the UVB rays in sunlight. If you don't have this, they will develop soft shells and die.
Here are a couple links that you might find useful:
http://www.wnyherp.org/
http://www.petlibrary.com/
2006-07-04 12:09:50 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes turtles can live in tap water. my sister has one that lives in a tank full of tap water and she's fine (the turtle). Your turtle will be fine.
2006-07-04 11:52:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if the water filter liquid is something that removes the chlorine and hard metals then that is fine if not you need a product to do so I recommend stress coat or proquatics tap water conditioner .
Amy
2006-07-04 11:51:09 · answer #5 · answered by Amy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Turtles do not breath water, nor absorb it through their skin. If you can drink it, they can live in it.
It is NICE to let the water sit and age for 24 hours in an open container. This allows excess chlorine to gas out. But it really is not a big deal if it does not happen.
2006-07-05 06:24:27 · answer #6 · answered by Madkins007 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I have owned turtles for many, many years and have always used tap water and I have never bothered to use any chemicals in it to remove the chlorine.
2016-03-27 03:57:53 · answer #7 · answered by Loretta 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I intern at a zoo, and for all of our turtles we use tap water.Its proven that it does not bother them. Some people put dechlorinator in the tank because they feel it will benefit the turtle. It's really a personal choice.
2006-07-04 13:12:53 · answer #8 · answered by cc 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Theoretically you should neutralise the water - tap water has chemicals in it that harm the turtles after a while. Any hardware shop or pet shop should have neutralisers available for sale.
2006-07-04 11:52:21 · answer #9 · answered by devilspawn_666_au 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you use tap water you should let the water sit out overnight before putting your turtle into it or just use store bought distilled water. using the water drops can kill the turtle.they don't really work.
2006-07-04 11:54:26 · answer #10 · answered by jordan o 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋