What are some good reasons to get a turtle?

Question

My mom doesn't want me to have a turtle, but I think I can convince her with some good reasoning.

Any good reasons?

Answer 1

Eh turtles are a nasty pet they stink and p**p alot and you have to clean their water alot. The best pets are snakes, very low maintenance.

Answer 2

If you can't think of any good reasons to get a turtle, then how do you know you really want one?

Answer 3

I want a pet turtle to keep me company so I can take care of it and take good responsibility of it.

If you have other pets then just say I want a turtle because I want to feel what its like to take responsibility for a baby child.

Answer 4

for the record, turtles require TONS of maintence, and are very expensive to set up a proper habitat...not low maintnence.

Answer 5

Turtles teach you responsibility. Sure you dont have to pick up poo and what not, but you have to make sure the water stays clean, the tank and habitat are adequite, the temperature must be right. Every once in a while you have to clean the tank, which bugs me :P. although, we have 4 so its a big tank.

Answer 6

You can tell her that this will show that you have responsibility. And isn't having pets kind of therapeutic? Having a turtle will be a great precursor for a puppy or any other pets that require more responsibility. Will also have to tell her that you'll clean up and take care of your turtle 100% and will never ask your mom to take care of it. This will be a great burden lifted off of your mother's shoulders, but it will be better if you actually follow through with your promises. Good luck!

Answer 7

you should read this : http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?...

They are cute and I used to want one, before I found out all the facts!

Don't get it because "it's cute", all pets need the required attention and love, or they will be unhappy!

If you decide to get one, please please please take care of it the right way. I've seen and heard so much horror stories

Answer 8

Because i like them.

And they're better than Horses.

And Terrapins.

And maybe even tortoises.

Maybe not.

Answer 9

they're kinda cute :)

Answer 10

Turtles are easy to take care of.

Just clean the area, feed it and give it water.

Answer 11

you can tell her the turtle indicates a long live.it can live hundreds of years.you can give a 'gift turtle' . and you wish your mom a long live,so she must be happy  ,and then.........

Answer 12

omg i wanted to ask the same thing

Answer 13

They make good soup when they get bigger!

Answer 14

You don't have to pick up their poo. They don't need to be cared to very much.

Answer 15

they are cute, don't need lots of maintenence, and they give company

Answer 16

Well for starters, how about trying the following:

#1 Cleaning your room and making sure that it STAYS clean and tidy.

#2 Making sure that your homework is done and handed in on time.

#3 Sweep the floors in the living room and kitchen without your parents asking you to.

#4 Wash and/or dry the dishes.

#5 Do not fight and argue with your sisters & brothers.

#6 Eat what you are given and don't whine or make "yuck" faces when given it.

#7 Don't talk rudly to adults

#8 Always share with other kids.

#9 Go to bed when you are told to.

#10 Research the pet and breed you want to be 100% certain that it is the right one for you.

# 11 Ask them about getting this new pet in a nice way and don't beg and whine about it.

I'm 100% sure that if you give those a try, they will see that you are serious about wanting to add a this pet to your life and family. :)

Answer 17

well tell her that you will take care of it and when your older you want to tell your kids "oh yeah when i was little i had a turtle named ... " and say it can die if someone doesn't buy it... and they dont eat anything gross plus they dont need to much work, you just rly need to play with them and clean them like once a week or every two weeks

good luck!

Answer 18

I have 4 turtles and let me tell u they require ALOT of work and maintenance. Turtles are also pretty expensive to care for... If u really want a turtle and u will have to consider whether or not you're willing to put in the time and effort to care for them.

* Turtles are NOT cheap, if u want one u should be willing to spend between 75 to 100 dollars on a big enough tank, about 20 to 100 gallons.

* U must take the time it requires to care for them and change the water in the tank atleast twice a week

* Turtles require a variety of foods to give them the right nutrition and vitamins to keep them healthy

* U will need a basking light; that is their heat source, and a UVA/UVB light; that is how they dry their shell to keep it strong and is also where they get their source of vitamin D

*** If u really want a turtle and believe u can take care of it, then show ur mom how mature u are... and tell her all of the facts i just explained... that will prove that u not only want it because its cute but that u actually have knowledge about them as well.

Turtles have been among some of the most abused animals, because people dont know how to care for them properly and they suffer long and hard because of it. If u dont think u can give this turtle the care that it needs then please just dont get one. Turtles can live anywhere between 20 to 90 years if they're taken care of properly, but they can also endure lots and lots of pain and suffering; they are very strong creatures and people take that for granted.

Hope i helped.

Answer 19

Just keep whining, she'll stop being an unreasonable meanie-head eventually and give you your pony.

Turtle.

...what are we talking about again?

Answer 20

easy to take care of

easy to handle

easy to feed

cheap to take of, once you have the tank, and pump

fairly clean

Answer 21

turtles ....they smell like sewer and ur house wil too,,,

Answer 22

can you take care of them for 36 yrs?

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 8 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. 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 pellets and small feeders guppies or goldfish or minows. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of  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 their 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 , 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 real 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 ..

*** 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.

Fungus 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“.

Ps..I have arthritis in my hands, so I have  pasted my answer for you. I just try to help you the pet  owner as much as I can. I wish you  Luck.