What turtle should i get

Males boys usually grow to 4 or 5 inches 10 to 13 cm , and females girls usually grow to 6 or 7 inches 15 to 18 cm. Their small size makes them a good choice for people who have limited space, because larger turtles need more space than smaller ones do.

Southern Painted Turtles are also fun turtles. 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. Call your local animal shelter or animal control to find out about turtle ownership laws.

The U. Food and Drug Administration FDA enforces the ban on small turtle sales and has this advice for consumers: Don't buy small turtles for pets. Sign up to receive our exclusive e-book full of training techniques, problem-solving and important information about caring for your pet. You don't have to touch the turtle to get sick, because salmonella can live on surfaces. A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that exposure to reptiles was one of the biggest risk factors in determining whether infants get salmonella.

Infants aren't likely to handle reptiles. They probably get infected indirectly, such as a parent touching a turtle or cleaning a turtle's tank and then holding a child. Turtles are often marketed as low-maintenance pets, but the truth is that they need special care and a lot of room to grow. Turtles will not survive in a small dish with a plastic palm tree. They need the right lighting, temperature and water filtration system. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Want a Turtle? Tip Turtles aren't generally a good choice of pet for young children. Red Eared Slider. Species Overview Common Names: Red-eared slider turtle, red-eared slider, red-eared terrapin, red-eared turtle, slider turtle, water slider turtle Scientific Name: Trachemys scripta elegans Adult Size: Around 12 inches long Life Expectancy: 20 to 30 years.

African Sideneck Turtle. Eastern Box Turtle. Species Overview Common Names: Eastern box turtle, land turtle Scientific Name: Terrapene carolina carolina Adult Size: 5 to 7 inches long Life Expectancy: 30 to 40 years in captivity with good care and up to years in the wild.

Western Painted Turtle. Continue to 5 of 10 below. Mississippi Map Turtle. Common Musk Turtle Stinkpot. Spotted Turtle. Yellow-Bellied Slider. Females between 8 and 13 inches long Life Expectancy: Up to 40 years. Continue to 9 of 10 below. Reeve's Turtle. Wood Turtle. Featured Video. Related Topics. Box Turtles. Read More. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for TheSprucePets.

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I Accept Show Purposes. Home Biology Ecology. June 5, Turtles may seem like the perfect low-maintenance pet—less work than dogs and cats and more interactive than fish. And they can make wonderful pets. But experts say you should know what you're getting into first and how much work will be involved. Explore further. This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission.

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