Thinking About Going into turtles

[upwith inverts!]

So im obviously thinking about going into turtles, as mentioned by this title, and I have realized that these guys need large amounts of water. I just saw the large waterland tub, but I was shocked by the $500 dollar price tag. And I realized how much it resembled a cattle trough. So my question is, can I realistically keep turtles in cattle troughs, and put something in there for them to climb up onto?

 

[Nokturnal1980]

Yes, I've seen people use cattle troughs, large rubbermaids, kiddie pools, and those fake ponds for yards. You'll need a BIG filter. People really underestimate filtration and that leads to shell rot and other problems. Aquatic chelonians create horrid messes in their habitats. A good rule of thumb is twice the filtration than the water, i.e. if you were using a 55 gallan tank pick a filter rated for a tank over 100 gallons. I have met noone who has had a lot of luck with those cheap turtle filters. We have rehabilatated and kept pet turtles for many many years. Don't forget you'll need to be able to heat the water depending on which you use.

 

[Jmugleston]

I prefer to use the troughs or rubbermaid containers modified so that there is a land area. It can be as simple as a log that breaks the surface of the water and is fixed to the side so that it is sturdy enough for them to climb out on. That is provided you get one of the slider type turtles that require a land area. If your plans are to breed aquatic or semi-aquatic turtles, then you'll need to modify it a bit differently so that there is a sandy area for egg deposition. It isn't that difficult, and the troughs are much cheaper than the turtle tubs. As mentioned earlier, no matter what cage you decide on, make sure you have plenty of filtration and that the water is warm enough. You'll enjoy the animals much more if you're not constantly fighting odor and disease. What type of turtle were you considering?

 

[upwith inverts!]

I'm thinking along the lines of a common snapping turtle. (I really need to get these reptile scientific names down. It's something serpentina serpentina)

 

[Jmugleston]

Chelydra serpentina. For those you don't need to worry as much about a land area. When I was keeping them, I just had a shallow area, but no area that was completely dry.