They're very lively and love to swim and move around, even when they're grown up. All turtles are lively when they're young, but Southern Painted Turtles stay lively all their lives, so they don't get boring. You might say that they're hyper, as turtles go. I also like Southern Painted turtles because they have very friendly, almost funny personalities. They recognize their keepers and seem happy to see them when they walk in the room.
They're also very attractive. I recommend them as an excellent choice for beginners or any turtle hobbyist.
The Common Musk Turtle is the smallest aquatic turtle in North America, rarely growing more than 5 13 cm inches in length. They spend a lot of time underwater and prefer a deep tank with plenty of things to explore, but they don't need nearly as big a tank as some other turtle species. An adult Common Musk Turtle would be very happy in a 50 to gallon to liter tank provided it has very good water filtration.
They only do this when they think their lives are in danger. They probably don't like the smell, either! But they're not always stinky at least, no more than any other turtles , so if nothing scares them, they won't stink up your house. Musk turtles are a very good choice if space is your number one concern because of their small size.
They're also very hardy, pretty, and easy to care for. But they're not as friendly or tame as Painted Turtles or Sliders. Most of them don't like to be handled, and they may bite you if you handle them roughly. There are four different kinds of slider turtles, two of which are commonly kept as pets: the Red-Eared Slider shown in the picture on the right , which is without a doubt the most popular pet turtle in the United States; and the Yellow-Bellied Slider.
Slider turtles are popular because they're hardy and easy to care for. They also have pleasant, tame, friendly personalities. They're really great turtles, but they do grow to be pretty big: Male Red-Eared Sliders commonly grow to between 7 and 9 inches 18 to 25 cm , and females to 11 to 13 inches 28 - 33 cm.
Sometimes they get even bigger. If you have a very big tank or a turtle pond , then Red-Eared Sliders are a great choice. But understand that for your turtles to be happy and stay healthy, you should have a minimum of 10 gallons of water for every inch of turtle or 15 liters of water for every centimeter of turtle ; so you would need at least a gallon liter tank to properly care for a large adult female Slider.
You would need to gallons to liters of water; and you would need some space at the top of the tank to prevent the turtle from climbing out unless you were to use an above-tank basking platform. Red-Eared Sliders are the turtles most often given away at fairs and carnivals, usually when they're tiny hatchlings, and usually to people who have no idea how big the turtles will grow or how much care they will require. Sadly, many of these turtles will live very unhappy lives in filthy enclosures that are much, much too small for them.
Many others will be released into ponds once they get too big for their owners to care for properly. How sad. On the bright side, red-eared sliders in particular are often available for adoption on sites like Craigslist.
Responsible people who either had no idea how big their baby turtles would get, or who have to move and can't take their turtles and habitats with them, re-home their turtles rather than irresponsibly releasing them to the wild.
Why am I telling you this? Because slider turtles make great pets -- but only if you're able to provide them with the care and space they need. So please don't choose a slider unless you have the room and the money for a big tank or a pond, along with all the filters and everything else needed to properly take care of a large turtle.
If you can do all that, then sliders are a great choice as your first turtle. The Diamondback Terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin terrapin, is the only turtle on this page that is not strictly a freshwater turtle. It actually prefers brackish water, which is in between fresh water and salt water in salinity amount of saltiness.
It's the water found near areas where water from the ocean which is salty mixes with water from rivers and other bodies of fresh water which are not. In a captive habitat, it's the keeper's job to maintain the right amount of salinity by measuring and managing something called specific gravity.
This usually occurs when the turtle has a bacterial or fungal infection, many of which can cause ulcers across the shell. This is particularly painful for the animal, as the shell protects its internal organs.
These types of infections usually occur after a turtle has been injured or has been under a great amount of stress. All of these health issues should receive treatment from a veterinarian who specializes in reptiles, ideally one with expertise in turtles. Aquatic Turtle Care. Avian and Exotic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Red Eared Slider Care. Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital , General Care Of Aquatic Turtles. Actively scan device characteristics for identification.
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Featured Video. Related Topics. Turtles for sale in pet stores are generally farm raised. Wild caught turtles may not adapt well to captivity, and keeping native wildlife as pets is usually illegal.
Pet turtles that are released into the wild may introduce disease into local waters, and compete with or displace native turtle species. Life span: years or more with proper care Sexual maturity: years for males; years for females Gestation: egg laying occurs about 60 days after breeding Incubation: hatching occurs about days after laying Clutch size: eggs Behavior Most active during the day Forage for water plants and small prey such as minnows, crayfish and worms Bask in the sun during the warmest part of the day to aid digestion, immunity, and promote normal growth.
Regulate internal body temperature by moving between warm and cool areas of enclosure Prefer to eat in the water Diet Omnivorous, with the majority of the diet coming from animal protein when they are young, and plant material as they grow older. Whole fish e. Young turtles can be fed once a day; older ones every other day Environment Large habitat that mimics the natural environment as closely as possible Pond or aquarium setup large enough to grow into. Provide enough room for your turtle to swim the length and width of his cage.
Water depth should allow for the turtle to dive, as well.
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