new turtle keeper

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at2

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Jun 5, 2007
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My daughter wants a pet turtle. although i will be taking care of the turtle (thats how it works right?)
I am thinking of getting a box turtle for her. right now all I have is a empty 20L tank to house the turtle in. I am prepared to make an outdoor setup for the turtle during the warm months of the year and I can get a larger indoor setup for it for the colder months. but the 20gallon is all i got at the moment.

any info/advice anyone can give me will be greatly appreciated!
 
A 20 is mighty small for ... well, anything bigger than a baby, or yearling, or a musk turtle (Aquatic) I do not recommend a box turtle for a 20 gallon tank. They like to roam. I have two, and I don't keep them in anything smaller than a room.
 
my friend keeps their tortoise running around the house and backyard.(which is completly fenced.
she fell into the pool though...he floated so she's all right

it's a big turtle so people don't have to watch where they step.. african spur thighed tortoise.

you should get a russian tortoise, and get like those plastic rabbit cages for it.
 
please don't put an animal that loves to wander around, in such a tiny container.
They really do need their space, as do turtles. I would do some research before getting one.
 
santoury;1126919; said:
please don't put an animal that loves to wander around, in such a tiny container.
They really do need their space, as do turtles. I would do some research before getting one.
Click to expand...

oh i am not going to do that. i am coming on here asking questions for that reason. since i have never kept one i want to do it right or not at all.
 
if you have the space you can use a plastic kiddie pool you know they come in many colors and have cartoonie fish painted on the outside and they are 5' wide round circles and they are cheap...i used to have my two redfoots in a 90gal rubbermaid but they walked all over it and then started wandering around the edges (a sign of boredom and to much energy) so i now have them in a kiddie pool as described above and they are doing way better and eating more...just a suggestion in any case do adiquate research before you purchase anything
 
I just didn't want somebody to mislead you :) If you can have the turtle roam a room during the day (for a diurnal species) and have him "sleep" in a smaller container, that's doable.

If you are not "set" on a terrestrial setup, I would encourage you to put a musk turtle in that 20. They are awesome, personable turtles.
 
A kiddie pool is a great idea - a $10 Wal-Mart hard plastic pool - they are like 8 feet across, and I'm sure your daughter would love the ... cartoons on it :)
 
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