Which turtle is a better idea for me?

Question

i want either a red eared slider or a musk turtle

the only thing with the red eared slider is the long nail

the musk turtle more than likely smells because of it's name

can i cut the nails of the red eared slider?

can i stop the smell of the musk turtle and how?

all help much appreciated=]

Answer 1

if this is your first turtle i wouldn't recomend either.  

Answer 2

well for any kind of turtle you need at least a 50 gallon........and sooo much more.....Do you have this setup? first read all of this and see if you have this setup, it costs at least $300, and is a regular setup. All the stuff is expensive!- Really, you have to be very responsible to own a pet turtle, because they are a huge responsibility. You have to be a loving, caring person who is willing to care for a turtle every single day! Really it is a big job for some people, but if you are willing to accept the challenge then go for it.

************ This is a setup for a red eared slider the most common type of turtle, they get up to 12 inches, but you will see them as babies at a store commonly, so know that they will grow very big**************

You will need to get a 50 gallon starter tank and upgrade to a 75 gallon later on when your turtle is over 6 inches...If you can not get that big of a tank right now then for now you can use a huge rubbermaid container filled up with clean warm water 5/6 of the way. The water should be 75-82F, that can be achieved by buying a water heater at the petstore, along with a water filter. Water filters that are best are canister filters, like the Rena xp3 filter which costs $200, but filters very well. Do buy a filter please, even a cheap one at $25, is better then none at all, since turtles are extremely messy and p**p-ful (haha). The bottom of the tank should be bare, no gravel because they could choke on that mistaking it for food. On top of the water you need 3 things, 1. a basking dock ( buy a large size zoomed basking dock). 2. you 100% need to buy a basking lamp+bulb, you buy them separatly, then s***w the bulb in ( 50 watts) and shine it on the basking dock over a mesh hood( cut a hole out of it and place the light there!). 3. This is very important, you need a uvb light. It is a long thin light, you need to get the actual lamp+ the long skinny bulb. Reptosun 5.0 is the best bulb( together costs $55). Shine that onto the basking dock as well. Turtles need these together because they use the uva for heat, so they stay warm ( the basking site should be 90-95F, not colder) and they need the uvb rays to metabolize calcium and vitamin d3 for a stronger shell ( like you need it for your bones!) The diet for the turtle should be reptomin pellets ( and other nutricuos pellets!) crickets, mealworms, bloodworms, shrimp, and krill. All of this is found dead at the petstore!;) They also need vegetation, get kale, mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and collard greens. Drop all of the food in the tank once a day, and remove any leftover bits after a few hours. By the way ALL of the protien food ( dead food, that was alive once) should be dusted with a calcium supplement ( powder) and you need to get a cuttlebone found in the bird aisle of the petstore and drop it in the water for him to knaw on, keep it there for a while (month) until she eats all of it, then get another. Once all of these things are done your turtle will be pretty happy!

Answer 3

for the red eard slider- get a female, they have much shorter claws than the males, the musk turtle only smells if it thinks a predator is going to attack it, they get their name from the smell they produce.

but id get the red earred slider as they dont smell and i have a yellow bellied slider which is related to the red earred, they are not inexpensive though because you need the right heating, lighting, and tank size. and the tank needs to be cleaned often too, but only about 1 or 2/3 of the water.

Answer 4

i say red ear slider they will sometimes get aggressive i have one really if you don't like the claws then get a female red ear slider they have less claw meaning males are longer and female are shorter

Answer 5

If you give either turtles your toenail clippings and make juice from it/fingernail jam it shoul stop the smell from the musk turtle and the others long nail. I have both species and this has worked for me