i want a turtle

[little_miss]

can i ask turtle / terrapin people this

1 how big do i need a tank
2 are they hard to keep
3 what lights filter do i need
4 how many
5 any think else i need to no
i am in love with the pics i keep seeing of all these turtles

[chrissie29]

i'm sure someone more experienced will tell you more

it depends what sort of turtle you have
for yellow bellies RES etc
i have been told 40 litres of tank per inch of shell (don't forget they grow fast) so you need about 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank open topped
they are fine on there own
you need a uvb light and a basking lamp
and somewhere for them to get out the water either a floating island or similar
you need a powerful external pump recommended is the ehiem 2217 (zoo plus have it on special)

[Graham]

There's a sticky at the top of this section explaining tank size and filtration, have a read of it.

The size of tank you need will be determined by the size of the turt, and that depends on it's age, species, and sex. A fully grown turt can be anywhere between 4" and 15", some get bigger but sticking to the more commonly available species that's about right.

[little_miss]

thanks i can have one running around my living room if they want to come out.

[Graham]

No you can't! Turtles are basically aquatic creatures usually leaving the water only to bask and lay eggs, they stay near water because it's their means of escaping from danger, take them away from that safety and they start looking for the quickest way back or somewhere to hide.
A turtle removed from the safety of water is a stressed turtle, just like you'd be stressed if you were dropped into the sea too far out to swim back.

[brittone05]

Don't worry, it will run round her living room for a week or so and she will get it PTS rather than rehome it - evil creature!

[Tamie]

Originally Posted by little_miss

thanks i can have one running around my living room if they want to come out.

Given the OP's other thread about the poor puppy being PTS rather than accept someone's kind offer to collect/rehome him - I think this is either

a) another wind up

or

b) worrying to the extreme

JHMO

Tamie