Getting a Terrapin

Ant695

Looking to get a Terrapin for the first time. Just wanted to know what things I should be looking out for and if possible a combined list of what I'll need. i have read info on quite a few different sites but it's all a bit scattered.

As far as I can tell the key things are the tank, heater, uv lamp and some sort of basking area. Is it better to have a basking area that sits at the bottom and comes above the surface of the water or are the floating ones ok? Just wasn't sure how easy it'd be to get onto floating ones.

Also how big a tank would be required? Is there any specific places not to put a tank or that you should put a tank? ie. Not in direct sunlight or not in a dark room?

I've seen alot of different recommendations for food from fish to meat to fruit and veg and lettuce. Which is best or is a mixture the best and would it go in the water or would they eat in the basking area?

How often would the tank need to be cleaned and would the terrapin need cleaning seperately as well like rinsing off or something like that?

Do they need any special supplements etc... that they wouldn't get from food?

Also if there was an issue would a local vet be suitable to go to or would it be better to go to a specialist?

Sorry for the long post but I want to make sure if I'm going to do it that I do it right.

Wibbs

Size of tank is important. When they're babies not so much, but they grow fast and can grow big depending on species. IMHO a mud turtle is one of the best bets as they don't grow much more than 4 inches, 8-10 cm in new money.

They almost always feed in water. This brings the next issue; filtration. They need way more than fish as they produce much more poo and such. Unlike fish they can take much more toxins in the water so foul water is harder to spot. It will kill them though, especially when younger. Get various water testers and treat the turtles like fish and try and keep the nasties to a minimum. For adult turtles external canister filters are the muttz nutz. Cuts down on tank cleaning in a big way. However - and this is just my opinion - they produce too high a flow for the babies, so unless you can find one with adjustable flow(?) I'd stick with internal filters until the turtle gets bigger and you get a bigger tank. You could run a plain tank too, no gravel. That will cut down on cleaning. Though personally I reckon gravel can help with biological filtering. The turtles themselves I wouldn't clean.

Basking areas: I've always run with stones, not the floating platforms. They didn't exist when I got my first turtles.

Avoid direct sunlight as you can't easily control the temperatures. Tank size? For a single adult 4 inch mud turtle I'd not have a tank smaller than 3ft myself. Food? I just feed them the commercial stuff. The odd time they might get some small chunks of fish and red meat, but rarely.

Ant695

Wibbs wrote: »

Size of tank is important. When they're babies not so much, but they grow fast and can grow big depending on species. IMHO a mud turtle is one of the best bets as they don't grow much more than 4 inches, 8-10 cm in new money.

They almost always feed in water. This brings the next issue; filtration. They need way more than fish as they produce much more poo and such. Unlike fish they can take much more toxins in the water so foul water is harder to spot. It will kill them though, especially when younger. Get various water testers and treat the turtles like fish and try and keep the nasties to a minimum. For adult turtles external canister filters are the muttz nutz. Cuts down on tank cleaning in a big way. However - and this is just my opinion - they produce too high a flow for the babies, so unless you can find one with adjustable flow(?) I'd stick with internal filters until the turtle gets bigger and you get a bigger tank. You could run a plain tank too, no gravel. That will cut down on cleaning. Though personally I reckon gravel can help with biological filtering. The turtles themselves I wouldn't clean.

Basking areas: I've always run with stones, not the floating platforms. They didn't exist when I got my first turtles.

Avoid direct sunlight as you can't easily control the temperatures. Tank size? For a single adult 4 inch mud turtle I'd not have a tank smaller than 3ft myself. Food? I just feed them the commercial stuff. The odd time they might get some small chunks of fish and red meat, but rarely.

Ok thanks alot of good information there. In the early days if just using an internal filter and removing any visible debris as and when how often would the water need changing? I've read that it doesn't need to be done as often with a canister filter but obviously it would be different when they're small.

Wibbs

They're most vulnerable when young, I'd be doing partial water changes once per week. Unlike fish you don't have to worry too much about chlorine and that kinda thing. They're a lot more hardy, though water conditioners and the like will do no harm either.

Ant695

Wibbs wrote: »

They're most vulnerable when young, I'd be doing partial water changes once per week. Unlike fish you don't have to worry too much about chlorine and that kinda thing. They're a lot more hardy, though water conditioners and the like will do no harm either.

Ok great thanks. Also when changing the water would you need a smaller tank to put them in or would a basin or such suffice?

MiskyBoyy

Terrapins also carry salmonella so make sure to wash your hands and any surface outside their tank they come in contact with very well to make sure your don't make yourself very sick.