Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:49 pm
I read your other post...what kind did you decide to get? I'd recommend only getting one turtle tho. I bought 2 sliders before I knew what I was getting into because I thought they'd need a friend. Turtles are actually very solitary animals and don't need companions if they're kept in a stimulating environment.
The minimum tank size for aquatic turtles is 10 gallons for each inch of turtle. For example, if you were getting 2 sliders (no matter what size) even if they're just hatchlings now, you'd potentially need a tank that's at least 240 gallons if they both turn out to be females. That's a LOT of water and a lot of work. A minimum for one hatchling I'd say should be 20 gallons because they can grow quickly.
I noticed in the other post that there was talk of box turtles. I don't believe they're easier to keep because you have to get the humidity level just right, among other things. Since I got my boxie, my 'turtle time' every morning has gone from 2 minutes to about 30. I used to get up, throw something in for the sliders, quickly check temps and go about my day. Now, I do that and then wake my boxie up, churn the soil and mist it, prepare the worms and salad bowl, change his water, make sure he gets a soak and drinks some water and check a few times before I leave for the day to make sure he's eaten and he's not on his back somewhere. It's really more work than I thought. Besides that, the boxie cost me 7 times more than both my sliders!
The things that come to those who wait may be the things that were left by those who got there first - Steven Tyler
), Lucky-mouse, Pete-RES, and a tank of tropicals