I am thinking about getting a pet turtle are they hard to take care of?

Question

I am thinking about getting a pet turtle are they hard to take care of?

Answer 1

red eared sliders require alot and can get sick without proper care

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. In Comparison to females, males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home

The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet and small feeders guppies or goldfish. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again..Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want.

For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Vital Statistics

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max.

Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration

Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent defecation. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

Common Health Problems

If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

Fungal Infections

“Fungal infections are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

Shell Rot. First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light.

Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water.

Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond..clean water.

1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes.

Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.

** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. . MOST important !!! TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

Respiratory Infections

“Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their early stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold.

Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

Answer 2

Depends on the type of turtle, here is 1 of the most common in the pet trade, a red eared slider- http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilest...

I have 2 red eared sliders, they are fun to have, but they get big. If you want a small turtle, chack out must turtles (also knows as stinkpot turtles)- http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/od...

Both of these turtles can be purchased here- http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php...

n here- http://www.turtlesale.com/home/index.php...

Good luck, turtles are just so much fun to have!=)

Answer 3

no i had a pet turtle once a few years ago just have a tank somewater a rock maybe a lamp and feed it lettuce i lost my turtle though i was only 8 but still i had to get rid if it.

Answer 4

Turtles are very hard to take care of. It is also very expensive. I have a red eared slider and now I am trying to move her from a 10 gallon tank to a bigger one. When I got her she was the size of a quarter, now, after year and a half she is almost 4 inches. Read a lot before you take a turtle as a pet. They are very nice pets, but hard to maintain. The start equipment you can buy for about $50, but good luck when it grow larger. You have to make sure the tank is clean, the water should be clean, you have yo keep track on the right temperature, you need a floating stick, or you have to come up with an idea how to build it a ramp for a basking area. You need lamp, very, very good filtration. Don't forget turtles are very messy. You better buy a filter for 30 or 40 gallon tank even if you are using a smaller tank. Be ready, if you like your turtle to be happy and healthy you have to take a proper care of them. Some people don't now hoe hard is to take care of turtles and that's why they are dying.

Good luck!!!!

Answer 5

I guess it depends on what you consider hard.  They do have specific care requirements that you have to maintain, but I don't think the actual care of the turtle is hard.  Personally, I find box turtles and tortoises easier to care for than the water turtles and they are less smelly.  Be aware that no turtle is cheap and that they live for a long time.  You are committing yourself to at least 50+ years to ownership.  The ease of care also varies by breed.  For a beginner, from my research, I'd suggest:

Water Turtles:

-Paint (they'll need a pretty large tank when fully grown)

-Red Eared Slider (they'll need a large tank/pond when fully grown)

-possibly a mud or musk

Box Turtles:

-Eastern Box

-Three-toed Box

Tortoise:

-Russian

There may be a few others good for beginners, but these are the ones I remember from when I was researching them a few years ago.  Just read up on the care requirements and see if it is something you'd be willing to do.  If you get a water turtle, remember the bigger tanks means it's easier to keep clean and it's better for the turtle.  I'd suggest not starting with anything below a 30 gallon tank, and that should only last you a year or so depending on what breed you get (the general rule of thumb is suppose to be 10 gal. per in. of shell).  Also, don't buy anything from turtlesale.com, that seems to be a popular site suggested on here but it doesn't come close to being a good company.

Answer 6

I don't think they are but than I have aquatic and land and I would say the land ones are easier. I have ornate box turtles and they live in a tank in the house, they stay small and don't need alot. Here is a good site that has pictures and infor. on the different turtles, read about them and decide which is better for you. www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 7

yes because if u get a big tank its hard to clean trust me my cousin has 3 red eared sliders. also u have to feed them a lot because they always have a big appetite. lastly u have to have a heat lamp for them  or him/her to bask in.