Turtles

Photo by Richard Segal: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-and-white-turtle-1618606/

Turtles go into the water and spend a lot of time there (although some turtles spend a lot of time on land). Tortoises live on the land, they don't go into the water Tortoises might bathe in the water or walk through it, but they are not water animals. 

Actually, tortoises are in the turtle family, so all tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. The actual animal kingdom classification differences between tortoises and turtles have to do with what they eat and their anatomy. Tortoises are vegetarians, turtles are omnivores. Turtles have stumpy feet, like an elephant. Turtles have webbed feet and sometimes even flippers. Tortoises have a domes shell and turtles tend to have a flatter shell.

Turtles live in the water, so they need plenty of fresh, clean non-chlorinated water. Chlorine kills bacteria but is not very healthy for turtles. Tap water contains chlorine, and maybe fluoride and ammonia. Some people say it is unnecessary to use de-chlorinated water and that the chemicals you use to de-chlorinate the water aren’t that great either. You can always de-chlorinate water by boiling it for 20 minutes. Other people say to use bottled spring water.

Dangerous?

They won’t bite, but tortoises may carry bacteria and make you sick.

Like People?

Turtles can be friendly, but they don’t actually need tons of human interaction. They might look up when you enter the room and swim around to get your attention or show other playful behavior if they see you. 

Turtles have great hearing, so don’t make a lot of noise around them, or it will stress them out.  Also avoid turning them on their backs, poking their shells, or handling them too much.

Photo by Tom Fisk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/underwater-photography-of-brown-sea-turtle-668867/

Sleep

Turtles rest a lot and seem to sleep for short bursts throughout the day, with their heads sticking out of the water.  They may also sleep for short periods of time totally submerged. In the wild, most turtles are awake at night and do most of their activity then. Pet turtles tend to be diurnal and are awake during the day because there is a lot going on around them and they get food and attention from their humans.

Many turtles brumate or hibernate, in the winter. They will stop eating and moving around, especially if they notice the temperature is getting cooler.

Turtles are usually fine on their own and may have territory issues if they are kept together. If you have more than one turtle, be sure they both have plenty of room and they should be of the same species

Size

Photo by Maria Isabella Bernotti: https://www.pexels.com/photo/three-brown-turtles-2570699/

Tiny turtles are banned in many places because they frequently give salmonella to humans.  Possibly just because younger kids are more likely to pick up tiny turtles and not wash their hands afterward.  Here are some common species of pet turtles and the sizes they grow to.

Eastern Box Turtle

4-7 inches

Mississippi Map Turtle

6-10 inches

Musk Turtle

3-5 inches

Red-eared Slider

8-12 inches

Western Painted Turtle

7-8 inches

Wood Turtle

5-9 inches

Temperature

Most turtles like the water temperature to be 78-80 degrees F. The basking land area should be about 100 degrees. You will probably need a water heater.

Photo by Jolo Diaz: https://www.pexels.com/photo/blue-turtles-on-brown-sand-3661926/

Habitat

The habitat tof turtles should be 10 gallons per inch of shell. Turtles need sunlight to make vitamin D, so they will need UV lights to stay healthy.  The lights should not be to close to the turtles so the turtle doesn’t burn.

Change half of the water every week to keep if clean without stressing the turtle too much. Turtles need much more cleaning than fish so the filter you get for a turtle should be twice as effective as for a fish.  So a 50-gallon tank should have a filter that takes care of 100 gallons for fish. Water should be tested frequently to be sure that it is healthy for your turtle.

To make your turtle’s life more interesting you can change the water flow sometimes and make waterfalls.  Have floaties in the water, take them outside sometimes, or keep them with fish.  Maybe the fish will get eaten, but maybe they will be friends.

Diet

Turtles need both vegetables and snails or mollusks. Usually, older turtles like vegetables more, and younger ones like protein sources more.  You can feed them turtle pellets from the pet store and adults should be fed three times a week with leafy vegetables as a supplement to their diet. You can also give them calcium supplements.

The turtles that spend most of the time on land, like Box turtles, can eat worms, grasshoppers, and crickets.

Photo by Francesco Ungaro: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-turtle-96933/

Lifespan and Health

Turtles who live in the water tend to live for 20-30 years as pets.

Pet turtles may be prone to vitamin A deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, respiratory problems infections of the mouth or shell, parasites, and shell fractures.

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