The most common turtle is the Red Eared Slider.
Here are a couple of pictures of Morris, my Red Eared Slider. He was my pet for 23 years.
In his feeding tub waiting for a worm,
Basking in his first pond
Some of us who are old enough can remember when you could get a baby Red Eared Slider complete with turtle lagoon and plastic palm tree for a dollar or so. These poor creatures usually died because of improper diet, housing and care. Turtles do not make good pets for children, particularly young children. Young children are not equipped to address the needs of a turtle and they do have special needs. The following photo is a case in point of how inadequate of a home the standard “turtle lagoon” is as permanent housing for a Red Eared Slider.
This picture was taken by Tom C of Austins Turtle pages. There is a link to his great web site and turtle forum below. Tom posted this as a joke but it really makes a point. Those cute little turtles can get quite large with proper care and you can see how ridiculous it would be to consider this little plastic bowl as a turtle home.
A proper set up for a turtle like this is ideally, a nice big pond in a warm climate. Young turtles do best in carefully controlled conditions and would need at a minimum a ten gallon aquarium (only good for starters, not as a long term home) A reptosun UVB light, a ceramic heater and/or basking light, a really good filter, and a water heater to keep temps mild. Baby turtles are very prone to pnuemonia so you need to be careful when they are little and keep them warm enough and out of drafts.
It is actually illegal now to commercially sell a baby turtle that is under 4 inches long unless it’s for research or educational purposes. Private collectors have them though and breeders are out there so they can still be obtained if you want one badly enough.
If you are interested in getting a red eared slider for a pet, or just want more information on turtles in general here are some links to my favorite turtle sites.
One thing I have to say here is that a lot of people get a turtle without realizing what’s involved. Especially baby turtles. They are so cute! But those cute little creatures grow into big turtles, sometimes up to 12 inches and they have special requirements. And most importantly, turtles can live a long LONG time. I had my RES Morris for 23 years before he escaped last year and I don’t know how old he was when I got him. So BEFORE you get a turtle, or any pet really. Make a commitment to that creature for it’s life. The links above have lots of information about turtle care.
Click here for the Story of Morris the Turtle
