Turtles - Looking for Info.

[Z Car Barbie]

I've read the other posts here, but didn't see what I was looking for, except for Christi's thread about poisonous plants, which was very informative. Thanks, girl, that really helped! I was wondering if anyone has some helpful advice or website links that provide really good info. on turtles? I just ordered an Eclipse 1 bio-filtered/lighted hood for my 10 gal. tank, so Rusty (my male Beta) will be moving into it soon and get some compatible playmates. I'd like to add a tiny turtle to his tank, but if it's not advisable, then I can put Mr. Turtle in Rusty's old 2½ gal. tank (if he gets along with the tiny frog I want, which is referenced in another thread I posted), then later upgrade them to a 5-6 gal. setup.

I'm wanting a tiny turtle that will pretty much stay small, and, of course, I'll have to read up on their habits and behavior, as well as environment and feeding requirements.

Thanks for any help you guys and girls can provide!

[elfomatic]

Sorry, there really isn't a species of turtle that is going to get along with tankmates -- eventually anything that they cohabitate with will probably become food.

Also, neither of your tanks are going to be big enough even for the smallest of aquatic turtles ... so, if you decide to get one you will need to get it a 20 gal. minimum.

If you are still interested I would recommend a common musk turtle because they stay relatively small - 4-5 inches.

[Z Car Barbie]

Thanks for your input. Ya mean there's not even one type of turtle that would stay small enough for a 5-10 gal. tank? I wanna turtle!

[PicOlio]

Not even one..... she is correct.

The smallest of smallest turtles are going to need a MINIMUM 20 gallon tank and even then it'd be nicer to have a 55 gallon. Also note, the turtles most commonly seen at the petshops are NOT the kind of turtles that stay small... go figure...

Don't let the petshops pull your leg either. Baby turtles are TINY and CUTE but are about as tiny and cute as rottweiler puppies.... they do NOT stay small....and placing them in a "tiny tank" will NOT keep them small no more than putting a puppy in a small collar and small crate will keep it small (common lie petshops seem to deliver..ugh)...

Bigger tank, triple filtration, special lighting and food are all the very very basics of getting setup for a shelled wonder and one thing I like to remind people of often, again to combat common petshop misconceptions.... Fish Tanks will NEVER be good enough for a turtle!!! Turtle Tanks can usually house a fish as long as it's willing to stick around for dinner one night

Turtles require land... fish don't.... this is just one of the reasons it's best to build it for the turtles rather than the fish

[Z Car Barbie]

Thanks also for your input, Deb! Hmmmm, I do have an 80 gal. tank that I haven't setup yet (it was my ex-hubby's saltwater tank that I inherited, and I'm converting it to a freshwater tank ... but decided to work my way up to that by starting with smaller setups). I just don't want to use the large tank primarily for 1-2 turtles, cuz I want lots more fish and other creatures. That's really important to me ... would really help to make me feel that he'll be cheering me on up in heaven when I finally get his 80 gal. tank setup and buy his fav. fish. (He had a total of 4 55-80 gal. tanks as saltwater and freshwater setups - and that was his hobby for 13 years before he died).

Well, how about this ... if I did get a small turtle, such as a Stinkpot (Musk), Spotted (if I can find one, cuz they're pretty rare now), Eastern Mud, Striped Mud, or Reeves, and kept it in a separate tank ... would a 2½ gal. setup be sufficient to start with for a baby turtle? Then, as it grows, move it to a larger tank? I already have another 10 gal. tank that I could put it in. And, I'd be willing to buy a 20 gal. later, after it grows more and needs the additional space. Do you think that would work?

BTW, in general, how fast do turtles grow? I've done a lot of reasearch on them over the past 6 mos. (just still don't know all of the different types there are), and have found that numerous people claimed that if the turtle's living quarters is too small, many do not increase in size much (some do and some don't - just depends on the breed).

I really, really want a small male turtle, and I'm willing to accomodate his needs. Thanks again for your help, everyone!

****EDIT: Oh, sorry, one more question for now. I know that for fish, the basic rule is 1" per 1 gal., but it appears that the turtles need much more than that. What's the ratio for a turtle, cuz if I do get one, I'll need to keep myself aware of his size as he grows to accomodate properly.

[elfomatic]

2 1/2 gal is really too small ... so is a 10 gal. for a starter tank ... you have to invest so much money with every setup on extra stuff for the tank (water heaters, appropriately-sized filters, substrate, basking rocks, etc.) that constantly upgrading really isn't worth it. I recommend that you get the biggest tank you can afford and start with that -- it saves you a lot of hassle and a lot of money.

Turtles grow at varying rates ... there really is no way to predict how fast they grow. You can care for 2 identically and they will grow different rates. In general though, you can count on a good inch or two at least for the first year or more. The whole idea that turtles grow to fit their tanks is a myth ... the only way you can stunt a turtles' growth is to mistreat it.

Generally you won't be able to tell the sex of a turtle until it is at least a few years old. So, if you do want a male for sure then you will need to buy an older turtle.

As for the size of the tank, it depends on the species of the turtle. Bigger is always better.

[Z Car Barbie]

Oh, okay. Thanks for the info., girls! I'm thinking I shouldn't get a turtle after all, and just stick with smaller aquatics.

[elfomatic]

That's a very responsible decision. Turtles aren't for everyone.