Does anyone have a pet turtle or two?

Question

I am thinking of getting baby turtle, and my a sperate tank for them what do they eat and like taking care of them i know will be a bit more than a fish tank how much more?
and can they just leave in the water for the entire time?
or i need to keep one side of the tank above water level and other side just water? for them to sit on the rocks or what ever?
thanks

Answer 1

Don't do it. Your house will smell like a butt. The water will cloud up, and turtles aren't very good company. Get a fish if you want something pretty, and a cat if you want something to love.

Unless you have your own private outdoor pond, it's a really bad idea. Almost everyone ends up dumping their red eared sliders into a pond somewhere when they get big, ugly, and snappish, which only upsets the natural ecosystem. Like I said, terrible idea.

Answer 2

Are you wanting a water turtle or a box turtle. Both are worlds apart in their care. The water turtles are pretty easy to care for but labor intensive. They need to be cleaned daily(turtle crap STINKS!!) and yes give them some dry areas to be as constant wet will make the shell rot.

Answer 3

well the first thing isyou have to decide what kinda turtle you want and how big it will get that will help you decide how big a tank you will need and yes they need to have a spot to come up out of the water via a tree branch or a floating platform and asfar as food goes you can feed them a variety of food from prepared foods to lettice carrotts bits of fruit to feeder fish minnows goldfish worms and once it big enough you can even feed it small crawdads and leachs i used to go fishing and bring home baby sunnies and bass for my turtles to eat and as tank mates and as far as deceration is concerned dont use any kind of small gravle nothing that they can fit into there mouth cause they might eat it and die and you do need some kinda filtration preferably something ment for a tank 3-4 times the size of the tank I am asuming you have a Red Ear Slider, you didn't say and they are the most popular so we ill go with that. Turtles need a varied diet. Just pellets is not a healthy diet. Aquatic turtles must be fed in the water or else they can not swallow the food. It doesn't matter what time you feed them. If it will make you feel better just put some Romaine Lettuce in the tank before school.

Hatchlings
Hatchlings should be fed everyday for the first year of their lives. They should be given as much as they can eat in 10 to 15 mins time or as much as you could fit into their head if hollow. You can feed them all of it at once or you can slit it up into 2 feedings.

Hatchlings tend to be more Carnivorous than adults, so make sure to check out the suggestions of live and protein-rich foods below for how to supplement accordingly. (Make sure you still give fruits and veggies at this stage!)

Juveniles/Adults
Once your turtle reaches the 4" mark, we recommend that you change their feeding schedule to every other day. Giving them greens or live plants in between.

Adults tend to become more Omnivorous, so make sure to check out the suggestions of fruits and vegetables below.

Vitamins and Calcium
You should supplement your turtle's diet with both vitamins and calcium, every third feeding or once a week. To give them vitamins many people will give them a Vitamin Bath once a week. You can also either soak the pellets in a liquid vitamin or dampen them and roll them in a powder vitamin before feeding.

It is recommended you have a light that supplies UVA and at the very least a 5.0 UVB output. The UVB is necessary for the absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. Turtles need both calcium and Vitamin D3 for strong bones and shells.

**Feeding Tip Feedings should be done in a separate container so that you do not have to frequently change the water nor the filter media.


Common Diet Errors

Feeding Cat or Dog Food
Despite what some pet store employees may tell you, turtles should not be fed dog or cat food (Sounds insane, but we've heard it!)

Pellet Only Diets
Pellets provide many benefits, but variety is key!
Supplement their diet with veggies, live foods and some fruits. Check out our safe list below.

Giving in to Beggars
Turtles will always beg whether you give in or not- they know you are the supplier of food!
Supplement between feedings with greens or live foods they have to chase to eat. ( Iceberg lettuce is a common filler that doesn't contain much nutritional value, but will keep them content.)


Safe Feeding List

Commercial Foods (This is just a few of them on the market)
* Tetra Reptomin
* ZooMed's Aquatic Turtle Food
* Exo Terra
* Wardley's Reptile Premium Sticks
* HBH Turtle Bites

Frozen/Canned (For treats)
* Spirulina-enriched Brine Shrimp
* Bloodworms
* Plankton
* Krill
* ZooMed's Can O'Crickets, Grasshoppers, or Meal Worms

Live Foods (Carnivorous)
* Guppies or Rosies Reds (no goldfish they are too fatty and have very little nutritional value)
* Crickets (Gut-Loaded)
* Pinhead Crickets (for smaller turtles)
* Earthworms, Night Crawlers
* Ghost Shrimp
* Aquatic Snails/Apple Snails
* Slugs
* Wax Worms, Super Worms

**Be careful about Wild-Caught foods, they can carry parasites that can be transferred to your turtle. Freezing Wild-Caught foods for a month will help to kill off some parasites.

Fruits (small amounts for treats only)
* Apples
* Bananas
* Grapes
* Melon
* Tomato
* Strawberries

**Should be cut up in small, bite-size or match-like sticks that will be easy for the turtle to bite into and not choke on.

Veggies
* Squash
* Zucchini
* Carrots
* Greens- Red Leaf, Romaine, Collards, Kale, Dandelion Greens

**Stay away from Spinach. Make sure to cut the veggies in bite-size or match-like sticks so your turtle can eat them easily. Iceberg lettuce is a good filler, but contains little/no nutritional value!

Aquatic Plants
* Anacharis
* Duckweed
* Water Hyacinth
* Water Lettuce
* Water Lily

Answer 4

no and dont get them they stink the whole house up.