Turtle Care
For Starters
Before one even gets a turtle they should research proper care for turtles. Try to find out what type of turtle you are wanting and see if there are any special needs that the turtle requires (for example: map turtles require a higher water quality than some other turtles). Do not rely on the people working at a chain pet store to give you reliable information about the animals there. Another important thing to have before you get your turtle is the habitat for the turtle. Before you get your turtle you should have a proper enclosure prepared for them; this makes their transition to their new home less stressful for them. You should have their set up fully running before they go in there to make sure that the temps and water quality are right where they need to be so your animal doesn't get stressed out.
Enclosures
When it comes to your turtle's home think big, because your turtle will need a LOT of swimming room. For every inch of the turtle's shell you should provide at least 10 gallons of water or more. This is just a guideline and I would use it as a minimum when finding a tank for your turtle. When picking out your enclosure also take into consideration how many turtles you plan on housing together and if there are other things such as fish that you wish to house together. If you are planning to house multiple turtles together they will need extra room to swim about. If you were thinking about keeping fish with your turtles you will need to get a larger size tank, otherwise the water conditions will most likely be rather poor due to all the waste from the animals in the water. If you do not have a large enough tank to house multiple turtles and/or fish together their health will deteriorate from the water or you will have to do water changes extremely often to diminish hazardous byproducts such as ammonia.
Here are some videos of my setups:
Instructional Video:
Water
When filling your tank you should use distilled water but if you are filling your tank with tap water use a water conditioner. Using a water conditioner neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals from the tank's water. They have quite a few water conditioners on the market that work quite well. The tank will also need beneficial bacteria to keep the water quality up. These beneficial bacteria help reduce waste and are an important part of a healthy tank. There are also health conditioners that you can put in the water. These help reduce a variety of organisms, such as salmonella, to keep the owner and their turtle healthy. The tank's water should also be an appropriate temperature for your turtle. You may need to use a submersible heater to get the water to the proper temperature. Always have some kind of thermometer for your tank's water so you can easily tell the water temp.
Filtration
An important aspect of a properly run turtle tank is the filtration system. Often times people do not have a proper filtration system for the size of tank. When getting a filtration system: GO BIG: it's worth it. Turtles are messy and produce alot of waste and it is recommended that one gets a filter system that is twice the gallon per hour rating. That means it will filter more water quicker which will help keep your water cleaner and clearer. If using a smaller filter I would use two filters. For example in a smaller tank that I have, I am using a 90 gallon per hour Repto Filter and a 55 gallon per hour 318 Turtle Clean Filter, I put them in opposite corners on opposite ends of the tank at it keeps the water nice and clean.
Lighting
Lighting is a very important part of proper turtle care. You will need to have a basking lamp with a basking area so your turtle can get out and raise their body temp. Not every turtle needs to bask but many will still get out to bask. However if you have what is called a basking turtle (sliders, painted turtles, cooters, etc.) you will have to have a basking spot for them as they need it to metabolize food. Also UVB light more than likely needs to be provided for your turtle. As with the basking lamp not every turtle requires UVB light but many do such as basking turtles. If a UVB light is not provided the turtle will likely become more dull in color and will most likely get Metabolic Bone Disease, which causes deformations in the turtle's shell and can cause serious health problems.
Food
When it comes to feeding your turtle there are many options out there. There are quite a few commercial aquatic turtle foods and they are good to feed your turtle. However you should also feed your turtle other items apart from commercial food. I like to feed my turtles commercial turtle food and also different insects, shimp, krill, and different types of greens (red leaf lettuce, collard greens, dandelion, etc.). When picking out foods for your turtle look into the nutritional value of the food. If you feed your turtle something like iceberg lettuce that has hardly any nutritional value, very frequently your turtle will not get the nutrients that it requires. Depending on the age of your turtle it may require different foods. When a turtle is younger it is more carnivorous and as it grows older it turns to more of a herbivorous diet. It is important to research what your turtle's natural diet is and try to mimic that as best as possible. Do not feed your turtle cat, dog, other animal food, uncooked beef, pork, chicken, canned foods (they are high in sodium), or any produced food for human consumption. You want to stay away from things produced for people to eat because they have alot of sodium and other things & chemicals that the turtle should not ingest. You want to feed your turtle fresh foods like they would find in nature. You can feed them meats such as beef and chicken but I would cook them and make sure that there are no seasonings or anything on it.
Laws
Check your state and local laws to make sure there is no legislation which would prevent you from having the turtle that you are wanting to keep. If you were planning on taking one from the wild, it could be permitted in your area (it is always recommended to get your turtle captive bred & let the wild turtles be wild) due to species being threatened and other population problems.
Good Starter Turtles
Common Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratus): This turtle stays relatively small, as they grow between 2" and 5.5" on average. This turtle mostly stays at the bottom of the tank searching for food. However every now and again this species may come up to bask on a log or some other basking site. Other musk turtles are good choices also but they are not as colorfully marked as the common musk.
Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta): A colorful and personable basking turtle. The Eastern subspecies stays the smallest in size and the Western subspecies grows to be the largest in size. This species will average between 4" to 10".
Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans): These turtles get between 5" to 13" on average and are another type of basking turtle. These turtles are the most often sold in pet stores and are the most often abandoned by their owners. Because of this these turtles have become an invasive species in many countries and described as the cockroach of turtles as they grow accustomed to many environments and actively breed in them. If you have a large enough tank these turtles are a good first species to own as they are easy to take care of and do not have any special living requirements apart from basic aquatic turtle requirements.
Common Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica): This turtle grows between 3.9" to 11" on average and also requires a basking area. Other map turtles are also good candidates but require higher water quality in their enclosure.
Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta): A colorful and personable basking turtle. The Eastern subspecies stays the smallest in size and the Western subspecies grows to be the largest in size. This species will average between 4" to 10".
Red Eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans): These turtles get between 5" to 13" on average and are another type of basking turtle. These turtles are the most often sold in pet stores and are the most often abandoned by their owners. Because of this these turtles have become an invasive species in many countries and described as the cockroach of turtles as they grow accustomed to many environments and actively breed in them. If you have a large enough tank these turtles are a good first species to own as they are easy to take care of and do not have any special living requirements apart from basic aquatic turtle requirements.
Common Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica): This turtle grows between 3.9" to 11" on average and also requires a basking area. Other map turtles are also good candidates but require higher water quality in their enclosure.
Turtles That I Do Not Recommend for Beginners
Snapping Turtles: The Common Snapping Turtle, Alligator Snapping Turtle or any other snapping turtles are not recommended for beginners as they get large, aggressive and have a higher potential to cause serious injuries.
Softshell Turtles: Softshell Turtles are not the best beginner turtles as they do not have a hard, bony carapace or plastron and can injure the fleshy covering on their body. They also require sandy substrate to dig and cover themselves in. Sandy substrate is a necessity as they use it to cleanse their skin. They are also quite aggressive and can deliver a nasty bite and many species of Softshell Turtles can get fairly large.
Central American Sliders: Although easy to care for these turtles get big and do so quickly. In the first two years these turtles will grow extremely fast and cannot be kept outside in cool areas as they cannot hibernate as turtles native to cool areas can.
Softshell Turtles: Softshell Turtles are not the best beginner turtles as they do not have a hard, bony carapace or plastron and can injure the fleshy covering on their body. They also require sandy substrate to dig and cover themselves in. Sandy substrate is a necessity as they use it to cleanse their skin. They are also quite aggressive and can deliver a nasty bite and many species of Softshell Turtles can get fairly large.
Central American Sliders: Although easy to care for these turtles get big and do so quickly. In the first two years these turtles will grow extremely fast and cannot be kept outside in cool areas as they cannot hibernate as turtles native to cool areas can.
