Turtles make good pets except for the fact that if you don’t clean the water on a regular basis the water starts to stink very bad, very fast. Turtles need their water changed at least once every 2 weeks if not more. It depends on how many turtles you have and how big the turtle is. Snapping turtles grow very quickly and they are very aggressive. Think twice before getting a Snapping Turtle because they reach 150 pounds. They can snap off your fingers or arms. They do not make very good pets and once you have one you cannot let it go. Stick to basic water turtles such as red ear sliders or mud turtles. Aquatic turtles are more work than land turtles. If you have a choice i would suggest buying some sort of land turtle rather than a water turtle.
Water turtles need a lot to keep them healthy. Everytime you change the water you need to add ReptiSafe or some other type of chemical to remove harmful chemicals in the water like chlorine. If you do not use some sort of chlorine remover your turtle could go downhill very fast. If you notice that your turtles eyes are swollen you need to buy eye drops or take them to a vet as soon as possible. Turtles can able get tape worm which you will notice in the tank. Tape worm does not kill the turtle. It simply steals the some of the food that your turtle eats and therefore it leaves your turtle hungry all the time. You can take the turtle to the vet and the vet will give the turtle two shots. This will eliminate the tape worm. You cannot catch tape worm from the turtle unless you drink the water or put the turtle in your mouth.
Turtles under 4 inches are illegal to have as pets. This is because little kids tend to put things in their mouth. Most turtles carry salmonella and this can make your child very sick. If you have a small child it’s not a good idea to have turtles in your home. If you already have a turtle, make sure that the child cannot get at the turtle.
Turtles eat pellet food. If you have an aquatic turtle you need to buy aquatic turtle food. Try to buy the biggest container you can get because turtles need around 8-10 pellets each day to survive. You should also buy vitamins that you spray onto the pellet food to keep the turtle healthy. You also need to keep an eye out for soft shell. If your turtles shell looks soft you either need a higher wattage light or you need to leave the turtle out of water for 2 days. Make sure you have the correct light and be careful what you put the light on because it will melt plastic and could be a fire hazard.
