Hi all.
I have just recieved a 40" tank from my auntie and was interested in getting a turtle/terrapin. Money is no real problem, but i have had no experiance with them, and was unsure of how to look after them and where i could buy one.
- is it possible to get them thru mail order? as none of my local, or even not so local pet stores have them.

Thanks

welcome to RFUK

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as far as i know you need uvb, aquarium heaters and rocks etc. the tortoise trust does some good caresheets for turtles and also how to create an indoor and also an outdoor pond for them as eventually a tank will be too small for most tyopes. some of them, even red eared sliders can get Quite large compared to the cute little hatchling in the petshop! the tortoise trust also runs a re-homing scheme that is always looking for people to re-home turtles. may also be worth you checking out shelled warriors site.

Where are you based?

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i'm in peterbrough lincolnshire.

The 40" tank might make a suitable starter tank, but for almost all species it would need upgrading to a much bigger one at some point. You'd also need a good size external filter, a UVB lamp, heat lamp, basking area and various tank decor.
I really wouldn't recommend buying turts by mail order, not unless you're prepared to have them delivered by a reputable reptile taxi service, treating them as parcels isn't a great idea.

ok thanks for the advice. I have kept tropical fish for a while so have a suitably sized filter already but need to buy the rest of the stuff.
Also do they require the water to be heated seperatly using an aquarium heater?
And where are the best places to buy turtles from? (preferably in lincolnshire)

Yes they need awater heater aswell as a basking spot. A Uv tube is also vital.

A musk turtle could last quite a while in a tank that size.

Young turts (less than 1 year) need heated water, but older temperate species don't normally, the heat from their basking lamp and background heat from the room is usually sufficient.
What is the filter you have? Just because it was OK for tropical fish doesn't mean it'll be OK for turts which are far messier, the usual recommendation is for the filter to be rated for at least twice the capacity, eg if it's rated for 500 litre aquariums then it's OK for a 250 litre turt tank. If you have more than a couple of turts in the tank then it needs to be bigger still.
I can't really help with places to buy them in your area, maybe someone more local can suggest somewhere, try asking on the Terrapin Tank forum as we have quite a few members up your way.

JC Exotics in lincoln usually stock baby sliders.