Thread: Pet Turtles

All I know is they get as big as there surroundings allow them too.

As far as I now they need water, but come out and need a heat source much like a lizard.

And you have to change the water like every 2 days or so... it gets really nasty and smelly fast!

Also they are a high Salmonella risk.

We had one for about 3 years,,, had it in a pool outside in the back yard in the summer... all was fine,, until a racoon got it.. eww..

All that was left was the shell.

Poor turtle

from what I understand some are land only and some species only get to a certain size.

We had a red eared slider.... it required water

I think you can get box turtles also that just need a water bowl??? Might want to google it

Originally Posted by katt

We had a red eared slider.... it required water

I think you can get box turtles also that just need a water bowl??? Might want to google it

Those are pretty. An ex gf had some. You can get a tank and filters and do partial water chages every week or two. You do need heat lamps. Little f'ers will bite your fingers when you feed them!
Here is a site you can check out....Happy Turtles Pub - Index

Originally Posted by katt

And you have to change the water like every 2 days or so... it gets really nasty and smelly fast!

Also they are a high Salmonella risk.

We had one for about 3 years,,, had it in a pool outside in the back yard in the summer... all was fine,, until a racoon got it.. eww..

All that was left was the shell.

Poor turtle

If you don't have the time to clean them than I wouldn't recommend them, like Katt said....they make a smelly mess.

I would prefer a fish tank with Crabs, lobsters along with fish.

I think I want "land turtles", does anyone know which type those are?

OddGirl and A Black Guy have a turtle they fucking love. Some little shit named "Clinton"

Originally Posted by Prince

I think I want "land turtles", does anyone know which type those are?

My friends and I used to raise Box Turtles we found around the woods by our houses, we would race them when we got bored.... They are mostly land turtles....

What are you doing here? Shouldnt you be getting blown away right now?

Originally Posted by AKIRA

What are you doing here? Shouldnt you be getting blown away right now?

No I'm at work trying to explain to these idiots that a 130watt solar panel will not run their lights, tv and fridge if the power goes out. It is a nominal 130 watts, but will more likely get 100 watts at best for a total of 5 hours a day, since the sun is at the right angle from about 10 to 2 or 3 for making the high voltage it takes to charge a battery, over 14Vdc. 500 watts may run some CFL lights and a small tv for a few hours, if they put a fridge on their a battery might last 10 - 15 minutes alone, then it'll take another full sunny day to recharge. It's just not registering with these people....even after I explain that a regular 60watt light bulb uses 60watts an hour and 2 hours running that light is 120 watts, whereas there fridge may use 1500 to 3000 watts.....it's frustrating....

Originally Posted by Prince

Does anyone here know anything about pet turtles?

i.e. the best type, how big they get, do they all need to live in water, etc?

check out www.reptileforums.com. I researched there before I bought my Iguana.

I have an African Spur Thigh named Clinton. I'll post pictures later.

He's a tortoise... Which means he stays on dry land. He is in a 55 gallon tank with sand and we scoop it once a week to keep it clean. He is a lot less work than my turtles that required water (red eared slider, yellow belly slider, map/sawback). He eats mostly any veggies. He does require a heat source and a light to bask under though. The aquatic turtles just need a light to bask under and no heat source. Once a week he goes in the bath tub with shallow water for a bath. My tortoise is awesome... He is very friendly and has a great personality.

Most turtles and tortoises will grow to fit their environment. When I moved Clinton from a 25 gallon to a 55 gallon tank he hit a growth spurt. If you have a small tank with small water turtles and a decent filter then you shouldn't have to dump it out THAT often. Like I said though... My tortoise is a lot less work.

ABlackGuy will probably jump in here soon and he'll have more info.

Hopefully between he and I we can help you find something that works for you.

thanks for the info, so it sounds like I want a tortoise, any particular type of tortoise? are any of them known to stay smaller than others or is it all based on their habitat?

I think a big question in your situation is, a few years down the road, when the turtle is large enough to need an outdoors pen, how the Colorado climate will effect him. Tortoises like ours come from year-round arid zones, so they don't hibernate.

I'm certain that there are species of turtle/tortoise that do hibernate and are naturally adapted to an area that actually has full seasons. Something we in Florida know nothing about, so I haven't done any legwork on researching.

Overall, I really like having a tortoise, it's one of those pets that you can be as interactive as you want with them, but also be able to leave alone (still providing proper care, of course) that you don't really get with a dog or even in some respects a cat. For me, I want a pet, but I don't want another full time job, yet.

If that was the case, I'd just have a kid, and at least then I could teach him how to do the dishes.

The big thing to remember about a tortoise is that it will most likely outlive you. So you have to take on that responsibility that it's something you will have to pass on to someone else.

i LOVE these pics

l_1e3308e8e249910f25e1d8130b736769.jpg

l_270b9ab0abf06c185e5745417b0eb185.jpg

prince, did you want an aquatic turtle or a land turtle? we have both.

the land turtle is just a southeastern box turtle. had him for 8 years.

aquatic is a red ear slider (about 15 bucks at a pet store). had him for about 6 years. they won't get big, big.

ours are probably 6" in diamater each.

Originally Posted by SheLifts

prince, did you want an aquatic turtle or a land turtle? we have both.

the land turtle is just a southeastern box turtle. had him for 8 years.

aquatic is a red ear slider (about 15 bucks at a pet store). had him for about 6 years. they won't get big, big.

ours are probably 6" in diamater each.

I want a land only turtle, I hate dealing with aquariums, water changes, etc. I had tropical fish for years and got rid of my tank because of all the maintenance.

they know how to dirty up an aquarium. i saw you were concerned about space, you know you're going to have a turtle for decades before it gets sizey. our box turtle is in a 4" kids pool that's decorated to look like a bark filled area with shade and a small water hole. we let him walk the floor all the time for more space, just put up something for a small fence (like a 1x4 board at a door way, etc)

tortoises are around $100 at somewhere like petsmart or petco. they have dry food you can buy there and even feed them fresh veggies. ours likes bananas and once every few weeks, we'll drive to the bait store by the river and get him some worms.

they're not hard to keep. you know scientists have proven that turtles actually remember faces and know who their owners are.

great pets if you ask me. very low maintenance and can even pass it down to your kids one day.

Originally Posted by OddGirl

i LOVE these pics

l_1e3308e8e249910f25e1d8130b736769.jpg

l_270b9ab0abf06c185e5745417b0eb185.jpg

Wow! He's looking at the camera in those

Now I want to get one aswell, that thing is cute as hell.

Originally Posted by SheLifts

they know how to dirty up an aquarium. i saw you were concerned about space, you know you're going to have a turtle for decades before it gets sizey. our box turtle is in a 4" kids pool that's decorated to look like a bark filled area with shade and a small water hole. we let him walk the floor all the time for more space, just put up something for a small fence (like a 1x4 board at a door way, etc)

tortoises are around $100 at somewhere like petsmart or petco. they have dry food you can buy there and even feed them fresh veggies. ours likes bananas and once every few weeks, we'll drive to the bait store by the river and get him some worms.

they're not hard to keep. you know scientists have proven that turtles actually remember faces and know who their owners are.

great pets if you ask me. very low maintenance and can even pass it down to your kids one day.

is it ok to have just one, or are they better off with a friend?

they are fine as singles. the only reason i'd get more is to breed later or when you're confident that your single one is healthy in his/her surroundings.

really, they don't get lonely?

human interaction does mean more than you think. they're not going to bundle up to sleep like dogs would. they'll crash where ever they fall asleep in their enclosure.

oh, and make sure to get a heat rock and a heat lamp.

if you decide against a turtle, i also have 2 leopard geckos and they rock!!

Heat rocks are bad for turtles IMO.

They don't understand a rock emitting constant heat and can hurt themselves by staying on it too long.

really? my exotics vet said it was ok.