turtle as a pet?

[NRRfrogmanP5]

does anyone on here have a turtle as a pet? i was thinking about getting one and just wondering how it is. like taking care of it. alot of work, smells. feeding? i hear its alot of work but ima read up on it. but any ideas would be cool too. thanks --mattman

 

[mckraut]

It's been a long time since I owned one, but a turtle was my first pet. It was an aquatic type and I don't remember it being a lot of work. Then again, I was seven, so I'm sure my parents did most of the heavy lifting.

I'm sure others can help you out more, but I think a turtle is pretty low maintenance depending on which one you get.

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

there are different kinds?.. wow. i need to research this lol

 

[SuperStretch18]

Turtles are big and messy. If you want an aquatic turtle and plan on keeping it properly, plan on at least a 50 gallon fish tank with all the filters and everything, as well as the proper heat and full spectrum lighting that you would need for a lizard. It's not cheap to do it right...

 

[speed1016]

+1 I found out the hard way. HAHA not very easy pets to take car of.

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

damn i think im gonna pass on the turtle but they are sooo cool i already had a name picked out lol

 

[SuperStretch18]

michelangelo?

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

Spike!

 

[Captain KRM P5]

my in-laws have two small turtles. my daughter likes to poke them and watch them retract into their shells. other than her getting a kick out of that, and watching them swim around, they don't seem to do much else.

 

[bgibb68]

reptiles can be messy and smelly....had 2 iguanas....not bad though once a week i'ld clean out their cageand just let rome the house....if ya got the water turtles just clean the tank one a week or when it get dirty and no probs....stick 'em in the bath tube when ya clean

 

[DeanSweet]

you won't ever forget the smell of the water... it's different. :X

 

[NRRfrogmanP5]

yeah thats why i like turtles...they remind me of myself. just easy goin creatures who like to relax. i think i still might gotta look into how exspensive the lighting is and all that

 

[Captain KRM P5]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEXo9EE-nMs

 

[kickniteasy]

I was thinking the same thing.....you need a big tank though, and it gets expensive quick. That, and they do smell pretty....unique? They live for forever too, so be ready for a commitment.

 

[bucksatan]

My step sister had a turtle, it lived for 15 or 16 years I think. Red eared slider. Didn't actually take all that much work, mostly just cleaning the tank from time to time. Pretty boring as a pet.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

You could always get a box tortoise. I had one of these when I was a kid...no messy water for it, and they're not bad looking. If I recall, they do smell a little, but you don't have the dirty aquarium problem.

Edit: this thread is 4 months old, so never mind.

 

[wmbeaver]

Once you get everything set up, it isn't so bad. Their initial cost is way more than their upkeep. I have 2 red-eared sliders and they can grow close to 10" or larger. They do live for a while too. They can get kinda stinky too if their tank gets dirty. I usually change their water every couple weeks, in which I also buy new filters (if needed) for the pump and clean it out. It is worth it to splurge for a nice water pump too. Nicer ones clean the water much better are more user-serviceable, last a lot longer, and are quieter.
As far as feeding them, you usually only need to feed red-eared sliders once every 2 days if you use turtle food, which is relatively cheap. Also, they sometimes I'll go to the pet store and get some crickets or even goldfish for them to eat, just as a treat every now and then.
My turtles are actually pretty social, too. Anytime someone walks by, they start swimming over to that side of the tank.
Be sure to get a tall tank because when I first got mine, they routinely would climb out and I'd have to look under beds and such to find them. I really do enjoy having them though.

 

[JDM-P5]

Wife had a turtle. Couldn't take it with us on the move, so we gave it away.
Ummm...upkeep was relatively easy. Feed, wash the tank...pretty much it.
During the colder months, she got pretty lazy and cut down on food intake.
And, yes they are kinda stinky. Just clean the tank often and its no problem!

 

[Marmeladeone]

Unfortunately, my turtle "Little Dolly" died last week, I'm so blue (Dolly was 12 years old).

 

[tylerjones553]

Well I don't have any experience of keeping Turtle as a pet but It seem that they are also good pets only have dog till now they are also awesome