Turtle Requirements..

[Benan]

Hi, its getting closer to christmas.. and I need to know what turtles need for their tank..

I'm thinking of getting a 3 - 4 foot tank for a Macleay River turtle, I need filters and lights in there dont I? how much do they cost? and how much do they run your electricity bill up? and do I have to clean the tank our rugulary? or does the filter help me there? What do i use for a basking area? *stresses* what type of plants I need in there?

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[cyclamen]

u will need a heater. get a turtle dock, so they can get out of water. and any plant at the pet shop is fine, but be warned they will eat them. turtles make so much mess with tank furniture, mine is a bulldozer. lol. as long as u clean the filter out regurlary u wont have to change the water that much. u dont need lights for them to bask on either. as long as u hav a uv fluro. thats all they need. i setup wont run ur electricty bill up. hope it helps. good luck with ur turtle.

 

[Benan]

Making a list to give to mum O: ) and what about when my turtle gets bigger? I cant put a pond out the back.. cause I got dogs and mum refuses too do I just sell it then *cries* or do I leave it in the tank?
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[cyclamen]

depends on how big ur turtle gets. mine is a murray river turtle and they get very large, he has gone from the size of a 20 cent peice to the size of a small dinner plate in a year. with still heaps more growing to do. adult size a 4 foot tank is fine. but if u want to make a pond thats great. make sure u do some research about it. cause turtles can burrow and u would need protection, like a cage, roof. what i hav done is googled it and looked at peoples pictures to get ideas.

 

[cyclamen]

lol. sorry, i re-read what u wrote, u cant hav a pond. lol
a 4 foot tank is fine for 1 or 2 turtles

 

[Benan]

Hehe, im not sure if its gona be 4 ft copuld be 3ft but no smaller than that! I duno how bg a 4 ft is :X

but I know one thing! I am gona name my turtle gobbles! but you cant really name them unless you see them.. what about food, how many times a day and what do i feed em?
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[cyclamen]

turtles are expensive to set up, but really really cheap to keep
at the pet store u buy theses frozen packs of turtle food, and they are little cubes in blister packs, once the turtle is little u only need to give them 1/2 cube per day. my turtle is 1 yr old i give him 2 cubes a day, cause he is a guts. i also put feeder fish in tehre and watch him go crazy till he has eaten them all.
but they really dont cost much at all to keep once u have everything. just buying the food which is cheap and lasts for quite awhile.
u would probably only need a 4 foot tank when its fully grown which wouldnt be for a few years

 

[Benan]

my friend suggestion getting one of those kiddies pool you know the shells? and dig a hole put it in and use it as a pond but, I have 2 dogs and knwoing my luck my turtle will be stolen

 

[cyclamen]

turtles escape from ponds really really easy. they are sneaky little buggers. and can climb quite well. as i sore with mine. if u arnt allowed to build an outdoor enclosure with pond. definetely keep it in a tank inside

 

[Benan]

but your allowed to take them on the grass and stuff? and like along beachs

Its amazing how ppl treat animals/reptiles so caring hehe and do turtles like fresh or salt water
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[cyclamen]

turtles arnt toys, so i wouldnt recomend getting them out unless u hav too, it puts lots of stress on the animal.
salt water will kill them
fresh water, but u need to buy the stuff from the pet shop to go in the water, cant think of what its called

 

[Benan]

like you do with fish? its like a purifier it, I thought turtles like coming outta their tank for a stroll hehe, and how much do filters and UV lights cost
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[cyclamen]

yeah, same stuff u use with fish.
also u will need calcium, u get it from the pet store they are shaped like little turtles, u put it in there tank and it slowly dissolves.
um, turtles dont really like coming out. i take mine out a few times a week, and he is great, but its only to put him in the pond for a swim .
filters about $25- $45 approx
uv lights $45- $80 approx
heaters $40 approx
these are just approx prices, cause its a little different in all states

 

[Benan]

Yeh theres an aquarium/Fish shop near me i wouldnt mind snakes, at first i hated them but they grew on me! but noooooo mum hates them.. and what age do turtles gotta be for them to breed?
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[cyclamen]

this is the size of my turtle, and he is 1 year old

 

[Benan]

Hes cute! what type is he?
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[cyclamen]

not 100% sure with breeding them. that might be advice someone u has bred em before could give ya.
snakes are fine, but, if u look at getting 1, be prepared to be bitten at least a few times.
i hav a carpet, she is a angel 18 months old, never even striked at me. i hava childreni and when i got her she bit me every chance she could, now she is good to handle though.

 

[cyclamen]

he is a murray river turtle, his name is squirt

 

[Benan]

Heh, yeah geckoes are cute too, I like most reptiles dont like frogs though. Duno why they are just weird hehe

Im thinking of getting a Murray short neck now hmm, i duno what i want need pictures yours looks good

but not suree i definatly dont want a long neck
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[cyclamen]

the murray river ones are gorgeous. mine is just a nutter , its like he is on speed, they hav a really good personality. i will dig up some pics and post em for ya.