Which turtle should I get?

[Mount_Prion]

OK. I've been doing a bunch of reading, and I think I've narrowed down my search to a few possible turtles for my "swamp."

Here are the options:

Siebenrock's snake-necked turtle (Chelodina siebenrocki)



Reimann's snake-necked turtle (Chelodina reimanni)



Chiapas Giant Musk Turtle (Staurotypus salvinii) --very aggressive--



Matamata (Chelus fimbratus) --very aggressive--



(^basically a vicious living log)

Pink-bellied side-necked turtle (Emydura subglobosa)



Argentine sideneck turtle (Phrynops hilarii)


(^ has barbells under its chin! so cool!)

I know a few of these guys (looking at you, Mata) get too big for the (6'x2') tank, but building a bigger turtle enclosure in a couple of years isn't unrealistic for me.

Please vote and help me decide! I think all these turtles are cool, and depending on species, would likely want 2-3.

 

[fwprawn]

What do you want out of a turtle?
Some, like the Mata, you will never see again.

My vote - from personal experience, and everything else that it has going for it, is the pinkbelly sideneck.
Pro's - smaller adult size, lots of personality, not on the aggressive side, super cute, widely captive bred, long lifespan, and not difficult to take care of, or feed, and is usually active, but more hopping along the bottom, rather than needing large amounts of water to swim, and most importantly, get along in groups, since you want 2-3. And, low cost!

 

[Mount_Prion]

Thanks for the input! Yeah, the mata seems like it pretty much isn't mobile, and its whole strategy is to blend in. And I'd have to constantly keep feeder fish in there for it.

But on the plus side, it looks so damn cool. It'd be like having a pet dinosaur. Or maybe more like an occasionally snapping dinosaur statue, haha.

I just started looking at the pink bellies today. Saw a few youtube videos of them swimming about and immediately put them on the list. Another plus to those guys is that they're readily available. Might take me a bit longer to source an Argentine.

 

[kevinfleming21]

I had a mata mata myself. Very cool for the first few weeks...then very boring. About the most inactive turtle out there lol.

 

[kevinfleming21]

Siebenrock's snake-necked turtle are pretty sweet

 

[Mount_Prion]

Siebenrock's snake-necked turtle are pretty sweet

Have any experience with them?

And yeah, these comments are starting to make me think the Mata would really just be like buying a demanding piece of driftwood. So maybe that's out of the running despite having the most votes so far, lol.

 

[snakeguy101]

I loved my mata mata and wish that I still had him. I kept other fish in there with him without problem and did not mind his apparent lack of energy. Even when they sit still they look awesome. And they are not aggressive at all I have dealt with many and they bite a lot less than sliders, sidenecks, or snappers.

 

[kevinfleming21]

Yeah, they are pretty shy and mellow at first, become quite social after a bit though.

 

[Adamrhh]

MataMata is so UGLY lol

my vote is for the Reimann's snake-necked turtle SO cute
or the pink belly

 

[kevinfleming21]

I loved my mata mata and wish that I still had him. I kept other fish in there with him without problem and did not mind his apparent lack of energy. Even when they sit still they look awesome. And they are not aggressive at all I have dealt with many and they bite a lot less than sliders, sidenecks, or snappers.

Yeah this is true. All the other besides the mata will bite and take fish out if there are going to be any in there.