The truth about aquatic turtles

Turtles are interesting, hardy and very intelligent pets that can be both an attractive and fascinating addition to a home. They are also cute - darn cute - especially when they are young. That being said, they are among the most time consuming and expensive reptiles to keep. Before you consider getting a turtle, there are some things you need to know:

The common species of aquatic turtles you see in pet shops get big and need big houses. That 10 gallon aquarium may look fine for a red eared slider when it is the size of a silver dollar - but an adult slider wouldn't even be able to turn around in one. Some people think that a turtle kept in a small tank will stay small. In truth, they will either continue to grow or will get sick and die. Even 55 gallon aquariums may not be large enough for a female slider and you may find yourself looking at larger aquariums or stock tanks to properly house the mature turtle. As a general guideline, for every inch of turtle shell you should be providing 10 gallons of water. There are some smaller species of turtle, but these tend to be harder to acquire and much more expensive. Turtles live a long time. If you are buying a turtle for your children in elementary school, be aware that it may still be alive after they have graduated from university and have children of their own.

Aquatic turtles are dirty. They eat and defecate in the same water they live in. As a consequence, keeping them clean can be an expensive and time-consuming proposition. Most aquarium filters are not designed to handle the volume of waste produced by turtles and only an oversized canister filter can realistically keep up with a mature turtle. Even with this filter, weekly water changes and filter maintenance are required. Building your own wet/dry trickle filter is often a better option, but even with a well built system, maintenance is required.

Most aquatic turtles require full-spectrum lighting with both UVA and UVB components. Full-spectrum plant lights and bulbs producing UVA only are available relatively inexpensively but are not suitable for turtles. Tube fluorescent lights with quartz glass produce the correct spectrum but need to be replaced every 6 months. Mercury vapour bulbs are also available and produce both the correct light and heat for turtles. A single bulb will cost you anywhere from $80-100, however. Remember that glass filters UVB rays so putting the tank in front of a window will not provide the turtle with the proper light.

Be considerate of our native turtles. Keeping native turtles is illegal and with good cause. Many turtles are threatened in the wild or unsuitable for being kept in captivity. Furthermore, diseases acquired in a captive environment can be released back into the wild when irresponsible owners decide to release their former pets. Releasing pet turtles into the wild is even worse. Many areas now have breeding populations of red eared sliders (an invasive species) due to irresponsible pet owners releasing them once they got larger than anticipated.