They require high water quality and adequate filtration. Map turtles can be very skittish. If given the proper environment, places to hide, and some conditioning to the presence of humans, they can make not only friendly but beautiful pets as well. Map turtles are a rewarding species to work with and will also appreciate any extra space you give them!
They are readily available and breeders have successfully bred many different subspecies. This gives you plenty of options when looking to add one to your family! The smallest species of turtle in the world is the Speckled Tortoise Chersobius signatus , growing to a maximum size of about 3 inches. Unfortunately, this species is endangered and rarely, if ever, offered in captivity.
Their population is significantly declining due to habitat loss and construction, poaching for the pet trade, and the introduction of non-native predators. Many small species of turtles, including the Speckled Tortoise, Black Breasted Leaf Turtle, and Bog Turtle, are endangered and therefore not offered in captivity. There are no real species of dwarf turtles or miniature turtles, as most grow to at least 5 inches, even amongst the smallest species. The best pet turtles that stay small are Spotted turtles, Eastern Mud and Striped Mud turtles, Razorback and Common Musk turtles, and the males of most common pond turtle species, as they do not grow as large as their female counterparts.
They are interactive and friendly, relatively easy to care for, and do well in captivity, unlike some other small species of turtles. Despite common myths, turtles do not grow to the size of their enclosures and will not stop growing if their enclosure is small. If cared for properly, turtles in smaller enclosures will quickly outgrow them and require something larger.
Turtles not kept in proper conditions most often without a source of UVB light and forced to live in a small aquarium can have their growth stunted. These turtles often suffer from metabolic bone disease MBD and although they can live with the disease, they often have their lives cut significantly shorter than normal and are extremely unhealthy.
Pet turtles will not smell if the proper filtration and adequate space is provided to them. Turtles can be messy when eating, and produce a large amount of waste, therefore it is important to ensure your filter can handle the bioload. Some turtles may confuse your hand for food, in which case the bite will most likely not cause any harm to you, as their test bites are less forceful than aggressive ones.
If you make sure to use the proper equipment and keep up with maintenance, turtles can be very easy and rewarding pets. Besides spot cleaning any waste and doing water changes, coupled with monthly filter cleanings, turtles do not require a significant amount of attention. However, a turtle aquarium that is under filtered and overfed can lead to more maintenance than is expected.
Most species mentioned in this article can be found by turtle breeders at your local reptile expo. Also, a quick search online or through turtle forums will often yield results of hatchling, juvenile, or adult turtles for sale.
Overnight shipping will ensure the turtles are safely and quickly shipped to your door for next day delivery. Turtles That Stay Small. Published By Dan Roselli. Last Updated On June 2, Do smaller turtles make good pets? You can distinguish this reptile by its various shell colors, including green, brown, and black with yellow stripes. Its belly is usually solid yellow with black markings, thus the name. This slider tends to be more active during daytime, where they also spend most of the time basking.
Turtles are generally low maintenance , but keeping and caring for giant and overgrown turtles is not as simple as it seems. So, which one is your favorite!
She has a strong love for all animals of all shapes and sizes and particularly loves a good interspecies friendship and wants to share her animal knowledge and other experts' knowledge with pet lovers across the globe.
Skip to content. Oct 17 Nicole Cosgrove. Red Eared Slider Turtle 2. Spotted Turtles 3. Mud Turtles 4. Musk Turtle 5. Bog Turtle 7. The Desert Box 8. Florida Softshell Turtle 9. Diamondback Terrapins Razorback Musk Turtle African Sideneck Turtle Yellow-Bellied Slider Summary Related. Related Posts. So if you are looking to get your first pet turtle and you want it to be a small turtle the musk turtle is a great choice. Appearance: The color of the common musk turtles tends to be a darker gray, sometimes getting very close to black.
On their heads they have a pair of irregular horizontal yellow stripes that run along the sides. Where they live: There are three species of musk turtles, and each species lives in a different place. The smaller species that we are interested in can be found in southern Canada, as well as the United States and Mexico.
Musk turtles are great turtles for a beginner, they are one of the hardiest species that you can find. Baby musk turtles are a little fragile, but after a few months that is no longer a problem. Appearance: Eastern box turtles are a very colorful species.
The pattern of the splotches is not something consistent and can vary from turtle to turtle. As a turtle ages the colors start to dim down becoming less and less prominent. One other interesting thing about their appearance is that males often have red eyes, giving them a very unique appearance.
Where they live: As the name implies, eastern box turtles can be found in the eastern parts of the United States. The northest part that eastern box turtles can be found is Maine, and the southern and eastern portions of the Michigan Upper Peninsula, south to southern Florida and west to eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Pet difficulty: Medium. In this regard they are more similar to tortoises than turtles. But other than that they are relatively easily maintainable. They are very hardy like most beginner turtles and their diet is similar to most turtles. Appearance: Spotted turtles have a very unique appearance among turtles. They are covered with a dark black color and they have small round spots on them that can be various shades of yellow.
The spots can be distributed randomly along the shell, or they can be one per scute. Other than that they are relatively easily maintainable. Appearance: Bog turtles have one very distinct visual characteristic that sets them apart from the rest of the turtles out there, they orange blotches that they have on each temple.
They are the only species that have such a visual feature. Other than that there is nothing special to be said about their appearance. Where they live: Bog turtles only live in the eastern part of the United States, and they are split in two groups, the northern group, and the southern group.
Pet difficulty: Very difficult. Diamondback terrapins need about gallon tank for living happily in captivity. The habitat should contain a powerful filtration system, proper light system, and a basking spot. The light system must consist of a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. The UVB lamp helps in the synthesis of vitamin D3 in the shell.
However, I recommend using a canister filter which ensures the water is perfectly clean and safe. Crushed corals can be a great substrate for Diamondback terrapin turtles. You can make up their diet with a commercial food and some live foods. Chopped up fishes, snails, insects, worms etc. Diamondback terrapins are not good hunters. So, live feeder fish may not be a good idea for them. Looking for a reliable seller to get Diamondback terrapins?
You can check them out. Reeves turtle mainly originated from Japan and China. They can get about 6 inches in length. With proper care, Reeves turtle can live for up to 20 to 25 years long in captivity. Reeves turtles are also widely known as Chinese Pond Turtle.
Reeves turtle has a black to tan shell color. The shell has three keels from the back to front. The heads and necks consist of some yellow broken lines. A single baby reeves turtle will live finely in a gallon water tank. Reeves turtles need a habitat with shallow water depth. They are not very great swimmers.
So, only provide a water level that is 3 times the length of the shell of the turtle. Also, provide a basking area in the habitat. There should be two types of lights: a heat light and a UVB light. The last vital thing is a good filtration system. I always recommend using a powerful canister filter in a turtle setup. Also, provide some hiding places inside the tank.
You can provide pelleted turtle foods to Reeves turtle along with some green leafy vegetables. Also add some worms, insects, snails, chopped fishes etc. Box turtles are very common as a pet. They generally stay smaller than 6 inches in length.
Unlike most other pet turtles, box turtles can completely hide inside their shell. When they hide completely, they look like a box. Box turtles generally do no grow more than 6 inches in length. There are two popular subspecies of box turtles: ornate box turtle and the eastern box turtle. Both of them stays small. An interesting fact about box turtles is they do not have completely webbed feet. So, they are not a good swimmer at all.
Box turtles have a high dome shape shell. Box turtles do not need an aquatic environment to grow. They are mostly land-dwelling turtles. However, you do need to provide them with a wading pool. You can either set up an indoor or outdoor habitat for box turtles. Make a good substrate with leaf, potting soil, sphagnum moss, and sand. Spray water inside the habitat regularly to keep the substrate moist and humid.
A dry environment is a big NO NO for box turtles. Also, place some hiding spots inside the habitat so that the turtle can relax and hide if it gets nervous.
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