Turtles

[DoodleBopper]

Hey, me and my boyfriend went into our local(ish) reptile shop and he fell in lvoe with the turtles there! I don't know if he will get one but i've told him i'll do some research etc about them. However I don't know what the ones they were selling there were, and there are so many different types! So I was wondering what species/type of turtle would be best for someone who's never looked after them before? Thanks, any info would be greatly appreciated

[lab-gang]

depends how big an enclosure you can provide, and if you can put them outside in a pond for the summer?

some turts get BIIIIGGGGGG, sliders, cooters etc etc even female maps get attain a good size.....

smaller turtles are the musks and only need a moderate size enclosure compared to other species like sliders etc

[Geomyda]

Well said, those Oh so cute baby Turtles sold very often by iresponsible retailers, can grow into veritable monsters who cannot be kept by many home set up's:

It has been said, that to keep a Tortoise, one has to like it, however,to keep a Terrapin, you will really have to love it!

[DoodleBopper]

Yeah that's what I was thinking cos they look so small but then theya lso have big ones and it'd be hard to get somewhere big enough for them. I think he;d probably have to get a small one, are the musk turtles the smallest? Or the only small turtles you can get?

[Geomyda]

Originally Posted by DoodleBopper

Yeah that's what I was thinking cos they look so small but then theya lso have big ones and it'd be hard to get somewhere big enough for them. I think he;d probably have to get a small one, are the musk turtles the smallest? Or the only small turtles you can get?

The Northern Musk Turtle (Sternotherus odoratum), or its other Cousins in the Kinosterindae group are by far the best choice of Turtle in a home aquarium set up!
With an average adult size of 12/15 cm, they can be kept throughout a long and hopefully happy life in a home captive environment, they breed quite easily, yet are not too productive so babies are easily coped with and are always in great demand.
Having personally kept members of this group for nearly Fifty years, it is also very hard to tire of their antics.

An adult White lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum) from Mexico & Nicaragua.
Razor Back Musk Turtles:

Start, then carry on:

[DoodleBopper]

Is the one at the top the Northern Musk turtle? He/she looks really cute!! So what do you keep them in?

[Geomyda]

The first picture, is a Mexican White lipped Mud Turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum), which is sub tropical. It lives in a 122cm X 38cmX51cm Aquarium, in my tropical house, which is in my garden.
I will need to migrate some more photo's onto the Photobucket account in order to post further pictures of a Northern Musk. However, they do look very similar, and as adults reach a very similar size.
To illustrate what they look like in their Aquarium, I can attach a picture of yet another sub Tropical species, which I also keep in my collection: The Red Cheeked Mud Turtle (Kinosternon scorpoides cruentatum)

[DoodleBopper]

Aww I like the mud turtles. So mud turtles are small too? So they live in tanks? Does this need to be heated? Also do they bask or need areas where they can get out of the water?

[Geomyda]

Suggest you look at the following Caresheet:http://www.terrapintank.co.uk/forum/...hp?f=34&t=2185

[lab-gang]

Lovely turtles Geomyda........up my end of the country it is absoloute kak for finding turtles like these, my lfs has some muds in but they are not too well at the mo, suffering from shell rot, i gave em the info i got from the vet i took my african helmeted turts to and even gave them half my supply of povodine iodene soloution, mine seem to be happy as pigs in s**t, but the shop is struggling a bit

Where do you manage to buy such lovely turtles from if you dont mind me asking? .....even rescues never happen up my end