My wife and I have often looked at turtles in the pet store and thought it would be cool to set up one of those turtle tanks. If I was to get a turtle is there one that would be best for someone that has never had one?

My pick would be The Red-eared Slider. (Chrysemys scripta elegans) They have a mild temperment and adjust well to aquarium life.

I would definitely get saint_felony (The Turtle Whisperer) opinion though. If I were looking to set up a turtle tank he is the one I would consult

Sliders are nice, if you have a big enough tank or pond. They're great turtles, but the adults get pretty beefy.

Do you remember what turtles you were looking at? Did you have a specific variety in mind? Do you want an aquatic turtle or something more land based? How big of a tank/pond/enclosure do you have or have the room for?

The things I see regularly at pet stores around here are sliders, russian torts, boxies and very rarely redfoots and greeks. Is that what you're looking at? I'm not sure what options you have in Canada.

Sorry I have no clue what they are. I'll have to check and find out. From all the questions you asked I'll have to really figure out what I would want to do, then ask you if I'm going in the right direction.
Thanks for the answers you both gave me.

Well Celtic, at least you know you are asking the right person (saint)...

Paul

Thanks, MC.

See what you can find and what you like locally, and I can give you a good idea of what to expect and best way to take care of 'em.

Sounds like a plan.

Oh and if you can't find anything decent in a petstore there is kingsnake.com. They have a classified section that is essentially the ebay of reptiles. You may find some leads on breeders local to you that way.

I wont get into what type you should buy. I will say stay away from the RES's. They only grow to be a pronlem in most cases and the people just give them away.

If you do go with a RES you can 99% of the time find one for free or rescue one. There are som many who need a new home just like dogs and cats.

They only suggestion i have is dont buy from a local pet store buy from a breeder and try to keep them under 10''. Turtles under 10'' are easier to care for because the space they need is easier to provide. If this is your first turtle you might not want to go with a YOY. Go with a juvie or younger adult.

What do you mean by YOY?

As I said, Sliders are fantastic turtles if you have the room for them and know how large they grow.

The problem lies entirely with the irresponsible pet stores that don't mention to people that their cute little turtle will get to be a foot adult size. The problem also lies (in a lesser extent) in people who don't bother to research what they're getting and think the 10 or 20g tank they have will keep it for life. A good number of people that I've helped believe that the chain pet stores train their employees on all the animals that they sell, so they think they're set when they tell them that's what they need.

People give sliders away because they can't house them anymore. People have been in tears here dropping off their turtles, people have been here cursing out the pet store that gave them bad information and sold them crap gear.

The problem however does NOT lie with the turtles themselves. With regular care and interaction juvenile and adult sliders make for an outstanding pet turtle. They become friendly and docile extremely fast. quickly learns who feeds them and are very tolerant of being handled.

Yes, if you do want a slider, finding one from a rescue would be an ideal way to get one. I should know, I run a rescue.

Well I have a lot to think about and some research to do before I do anything. I may end up deciding against getting a turtle if I feel I can't give it a proper home.

I meant problem for the owner because they can no longer provide a good home for them. RES's are great turtles and I for one feel very bad for them. Here you can buy 3x2'' for $20 and this is all year round.

YOY= young of the year.

Oh, hatchlings.

Yes definitely true, hatchlings can be dicey, especially if they still have the yoke. They're illegal to sell down here in the US as pets. Legit pet stores have to wait until they're 4 inches to sell any turtle down here.

Not that you can't order 'em online as there's exemptions in the US law for "Scientific or Educational use" and no one ever checks.

I'm assuming you guys don't have that law up north?

Oh we do. It is just very rare to see the authorities checking on these stores that pop up as fast as a bullet. I know lots of turtles for sale here are smuggled in. Lots of guy's who own these stores have no idea what they are getting into when they start to sell these animals. They just think I can get it for $20 and charge $150 so why the heck not. Money is the root of all evil when it comes to these animals.

I was part of the problem at one time. I was breeding red foots and salcutas. I was stupid and did not know how many of them are left to die or traded back in because they are too big and then they are left to die. I sold my pair to a friend who is against breeding them as well as bearded dragons. The red foots ( 5 of them 1 male 4 females ) went to a guy who owns a ranch and he does not breed them as well he is sort of a private rescue. Mine were sold as they were not in need of a rescue. I just thought I would save the little ones they would have from suffering. I was not able to sell the torts at one point because I did not trust a single person who wanted to buy one. I still have 2 torts(salcutas) from my last batch they are now about 3 years old. Their pic is in my sig over @ AT.

I just want to add that when I first started breeding them these animals were not so commmon. Now they are abussed as much as dogs and cats. The pet trade is a sick one that is for sure.

I have no doubt there's responsible breeders as well as crappy ones for every animal available as a pet. Sounds like you were doin a good job of tryin to be responsible about it.

Size wise I don't think Redfoots are all that bad. I think a good number of people can manage a single adult. Sulcatas though, criminey, you're getting into noble steed territory with them.

I'm guessing you had a dedicated room or something for them? Canada is pretty cold to have 'em out most of the year.

saint_felony wrote:

I have no doubt there's responsible breeders as well as crappy ones for every animal available as a pet. Sounds like you were doin a good job of tryin to be responsible about it.

Size wise I don't think Redfoots are all that bad. I think a good number of people can manage a single adult. Sulcatas though, criminey, you're getting into noble steed territory with them.

I'm guessing you had a dedicated room or something for them? Canada is pretty cold to have 'em out most of the year.

I find they can take colder weather then most people would think. I keep them indoors most of the time and let them sit in the sun when it is nice out. I use UVA,UVB Bulbs when they need it but most of the time just sunlight. They 2 I have now are small. one just hit 700g and the other is only about 350g. Smallest is 7 months older as well LOL

I had both the red's and africans in huge dens I built with my dad. PVC lined all all that jazz for easy clean up. They were at one end of the house and no it did not stink LOL

It could be I just think Toronto is a lot colder than it really is too. Wyite and MC have nightmare winters almost year round, so I think I just lumped most of Canada in too.

I don't find any of the pure herbaceous torts to be all that stinky. The poo has an aroma for sure, but it's more mulched grass scent than anything else.

Did they manage to stay in? One of the few Sulcatas I've placed burrowed through sheetrock in it's first indoor enclosure, I'd imagine pvc would go like tissue paper.

After reading all this I'm really not sure a turtle would be for me.

saint_felony wrote:

It could be I just think Toronto is a lot colder than it really is too. Wyite and MC have nightmare winters almost year round, so I think I just lumped most of Canada in too.

I don't find any of the pure herbaceous torts to be all that stinky. The poo has an aroma for sure, but it's more mulched grass scent than anything else.

Did they manage to stay in? One of the few Sulcatas I've placed burrowed through sheetrock in it's first indoor enclosure, I'd imagine pvc would go like tissue paper.

Oh the winters here are bad as can be but when it becomes like that outside they do not even get to go near a window LOL I think we anerage around -25c without windchill.

I bought that super heavy PVC membrane and lined the den that was made out of MDF with it so the MDF would not swell up. They could not even rip the stuff with their nails. It worked out great. I will try and find pic's of the dens. I just hope I can find them LOL

CW~
We are talking about tortoises not turtles They are much harder to look after since the ones we metioned can get to be the size of a big dog

Best is to look around and see what turtles you like. Once you know wich ones you like then find out if their needs fit you. They are not that hard to care for just need a bit more attention then most fish. Maintnance is number one as feeding most if not all turtles is very very easy.

I hope we did not make it seem like it is hard to care for them just some need more than others thats all

saint_felony wrote:

Wyite and MC have nightmare winters almost year round...

Hey, not fair! We have four seasons: winter, road construction, rodeo and hunting season. Road construction is the first half of July, rodeo runs the last half and hunting season is August through October. Winter is the other 8 months.

WYite

Gotta get all that road work done so people can get to the rodeo eh Wyite?

I'm surprised the pvc liner held. Good to know though. After the one down here went through the sheetrock I'da never thought pvc would have held. The girl who had the one here ended up picking up some 4x8 sheets of shower/tub back splash stuff. Kind of a rigid plastic/tile looking thing. That stuff he couldn't dig through thankfully.

CW, even most of the torts are fairly easy to take care of. Different then fish, definitely, but still not hard, so long as you stick to the smaller guys.

The one we're talking about, the Sulcata, is the third largest land tortoise in the world. Adults average 150lbs, they get 3ish feet and one of it's favorite hobbies is to burrow. I have no clue how they became so common in pet stores, but I see 4 inch ones far more regularly than should be and usually with no warning of their adult size.

Truth be told even sulcatas aren't *hard* to take care of, you just need to make consideration for their massive size.