Terrapins /turtles /tortoises?

Question

Hi.

My husband keeps going on about a terrapin he saw in our local pet store. He really wants one. I'd rather not have one personally. I reckon they'd be terrible pets and I hear they smell bad. Is this true? I know next to nothing about them.

Answer 1

Assuming your husband is willing to get all the fun little things he needs for it, and we're talking a good chunk of change to set up a turtle properly, things like full spectrum lighting, a good tank (keeping in mind how big your little pet can get and how long he'll live), a filtration system etc, turtles and terrapins make wonderful pets. The reason they "smell bad" and "carry salmonella" is because they are forced to live in their own toilet. A submersible filter and regular water changes are your aquatic pet's best friend. After getting settled and realizing that no one will hurt them, you even start to realize little personality traits, a happy turtle is one that follows you as you pass it's tank. Maybe not as fun as a cat or dog, but they have their own rewards.

Answer 2

Right, I fell in love with a baby terrapin at my local pet shop too.
It was only £11 and very tempting. But i knew what was ahead. These animals grow big. I got mine last August and if you cup your hands together, he is about that big now! I've purchused 3 different tanks since having him as he outgrew the others.
He is now in a 4ft tank with 2 filters, a heater, a strip bulb and a heat bulb. He has gravel for substrate and plenty of rocks and plastic plants. He also has a floating dock as a basking area.
I feed him on terrapin pellets,fresh fish, prawns, crickets and even waxworms! He's pretty spoilt.
Terrapins don't smell as long as thier tank is kept clean.
My filters do a great job and i usually just do a full tank change every few weeks.
Other than that he is no hard work and is a facinating pet to have.
Once you have all the equiptment then am sure you'll have no worries.
Good luck!
:]

Answer 3

Turtles are good, clean pets if properly cared for. The problem is that no one wants to provide the right habitat. To keep the turtle happy, you will need:

- Big tank or tub, at least 10 gallons of water per linear inch of turtle.
- Heaters to keep the water at 75-80F
- Heat lamps or lights to heat the basking site(s) to about 90F
- Filtration about 2-3 times more powerful than the same size fish tank needs
- Lighting that provides UV-B rays (they NEED uV-B and it does not penetrate most glass or plastic). Note that some reptile specialty bulbs offer UV-B, and most of the time the UV-B part fades after about 6 months.
- Good diet items supply- good pellets and a steady source of live or frozen/thawed bugs, small fish, shrimp, beef heart, worms, etc.

A great site to review for this is http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 4

you may actually be very nicely, bury the egg in a field of moist potting soil ( without pearllite) protecting it. shop the soil damp yet by no ability moist. A mist from a sprig bottle another day will do. shop the humidity up via putting a suitable on with some small holes in it. attempt to maintain it between 80 two and 86f. you have have been given an prolonged wait earlier than you. the incubation is everywhere from 60 to one hundred forty days someplace close to to a hundred is conventional.

Answer 5

they may be little now but they grow quite big if kept right ours grew to the size of tea plates

Answer 6

ive heard that they do smell terrible as well?dont know that much about them,but one reason for smelling bad is they carry salmonella?

Answer 7

terappins are a little harder to care for, they requrire bracksih water to survie for the best condtions.

Answer 8

http://www.fromepet.co.uk/terrapin.htm