Questions about turtles..

[Benan]

Hi,

I have a few(or more) questions about turtles..

• Can they breath under water? if not how long can they stay under water?
• What's 'breeding season' exactly? certain time of the year where turtles get the urge to have sex?
• How long does it take for eggs to hatch? does it vary from different species
• How much do turtles cost to keep?
• Do they stink?
• How big a fish tank would you need for a short neck?
• How much does a Reptile license cost in NSW? ( is this the right one? http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/PDFs/reptile_keepers_licence_application.pdf)

Thanks
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[SlothHead]

No Turtles cant breath underwater, and as far as how long, this varies between species, though it is considerable.
Dont know when breeding season is,
I believe incubation period varies though i am not 100% on it so i wont speculate.
They dont cost that much to keep, compared with say a child.
Yes they can stink quite a bit
If you are only keeping one, they can stay in 3ft tanks while they are small,
I am not sure of NSW licensing

Thats all i got

D

 

[Benan]

A child, more than $20 a week? and a 3 ft tank whilst they ar elittle? what they need when they are full grown a 10 ft one? lol

thanks for your help any one else help me out? thnx
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[Strange1]

They can breath underwater to a degree! They suck water in through there backside and absorb the oxygen through a special tissue inside. During hibernation longnecks can stay under for 3 days or so.

"breeding season" varies alot! I have a pair of shortnecks that go at it all year round but still dont actually mate.. Its normally around Autumn, with the eggs being laid around early summer.

Incubation is temperature Dependant and can take from 3 - 6 months :O

Turtles are one of the cheapest reptiles to buy... and the most expensive to keep! Super large aquariums, ponds, super filtration, electricity bills and all the rest really add up!

Longnecks can stink even as hatchlings, captive bred tend not to though. I have 7 and only 2 of them will do it every so often when handled. The main "stink" from turtle keeping would come from an uncleaned aquarium, same as keeping any fish.

For an adult shortneck you would want a 6x2x2 fishtank, unless you can get a macleays shortneck then a 4x2x2 would do the job. The bigger the better though and a pond would be ideal.

Im off to work so that'll do for now!