pet turtle?

ILoveParamore

I'm thinking of getting two pet turtles. Where would i get them? How much would they be? I only want two very small ones that won't grown very big and indoor turtles also, so what kind of turtles should i get? what sort of box?...or tank would they need and any specific care...lighting needs, water etc..

thanks

jen_23

Hey First off I'm not sure many turts do stay very small.
The most popular breeds of terrapins in Ireland are red eared sliders and yellow bellied sliders. Both of those grow to approx 12-13" shell length then you need to factor in you need 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell.
(you don't need to get a big tank to begin with but be aware you will have to upgrade at some point!)
These are semi aquatic so you also need a basking area with a heat lamp they also need a decent filter, uv lighting and can become an expensive hobby as they grow.

baby terrapins cost between 25-50euro depending on the pet shop.

I would recommend either a yellow bellied or red ear slider as they are beginner turts.

ETA: almost forgot you'l also need a water heater!!

dbrock

razor musk or musk turtles stay on average 5 inches,, and are small enough to handle, indoors for there lives,,, but your best to do as much research as you can on them, and chat to your local GOOD shop about them,,,you can try reptile haven in fishamble street or fintastic aquatics in dun laoighaire both shops know what there talking about with them,,

Harris

Don't want to rain on your parade but a friendly piece of advice.
Be prepared to spend a lot on food, bulbs for the heat lamp, bigger tanks, bigger docks etc.
They are pretty high maintenance in my opinion. We got 2 and they were tiny but after 2 years they were the size of dinner plates. (They were yellow bellied)
I managed to rehome them through boards.ie to a great guy in Cork who rescues turtles. He will give you very good advice and may have one needing rehoming. It's something like reptile-community.com.

Anyway do your research and good luck!

ILoveParamore

thanks very much for your help, i'll keep all of that in mind

dbrock

as harris said stay away from the yellow bellies , or red ear sliders, maps and so onthe smallest to keep is the musk , unless you got an indoor pond thats the best one to go for

ILoveParamore

Yeah, thanks gonna keep an eye out anyways....see what comes up.

Demonique

There are notices up in the Reptile Haven on Fishamble street from people looking to rehome terrapins

dbrock

Demonique wrote: »

There are notices up in the Reptile Haven on Fishamble street from people looking to rehome terrapins

great idea to rehome just make sure the home your giving will be good enough for the long run

Nothingcompares

turtles/terrapins are generally expensive (tanks, heating, filters, lighting, food) and difficult (cleaning, changing water, nutrition) to maintain. they also don't really return any affection (unlike dogs or cats for example) or offer much interaction (more similar to fish than other big animals). So turtles are really only for hobbyists/enthusiasts who really just like looking after semi-exotic animals