Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 2:13 am
Depends on how long your turtle's shell is.
Regardless, even a full grown turtle, (12 inches long) still has enough room to stretch out lengthwise in the width of your current tank. A full grown turtle would not have enough swimming room or depth, however, and if given the right depth would escape. I'm just trying to explain that if a full grown turtle's body still has room to stretch in a 25 inch space, then a smaller turtle is going to have plenty of room to turn and dive.
The trick I go by is a little different than the one they describe on these forums. If your turtle's shell is shorter than four inches, you multiple their shell length by five. It won't get you perfect dimensions, they'll be off by a few inches, but a few inches isn't that big of a deal. Basically, a couple of two inch turtles need a space 10 inches long each to roam around in and swim. This would be the size of a 10 gallon. When a turtle is four inches or longer, you simply multiple their shell length by eight.
Spike - Egyptian mau mix, 8 years old
Phryne - Japanese bobtail, 9 months old
Hurricane - RES, 8 yo, 6 1/2 in. long
Typhoon - RES/Map hybrid, 8 yo, 7 in. long
Sadie - RES, 20 yo, 10 in. long
Sophie - Colombian red tail boa, 5 yo, 5 ft. long
