My son wants turtles!

notakid

My 18 year old son wants to buy some turtles in a tank. I'm against it, as I've read its pretty cruel and they don't like being in captivity, and a frankly they have quite unpleasant personalities; and two, they seem very boring. I think he will get fed up and guess how will end up looking after them?

Also can they have diseases? You can see I'm signed up for this!

Any opinions welcomed.

In his defensive, he is very adult for his age and does understand the responsibility. I think rereading this, its me you need to convince!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Opinion?

Say NO.

When he has his own house, he can have his own pets.

Barneysmom

He's 18. It's just a fad tell him no, he'll soon find something else to want, like a girlfriend....

Jellicat

How much reading has he done? is he aware that 2 turtles of most species will need at minimum 100gallon tank as adults, possibly bigger? Many turtle enthusiasts still feel these tanks are too small and have huge plastic enclosures that have many hundreds of gallons in them, or end up building a pond for them. Such tanks are enormous and difficult to clean. He'll also need a decent canister filter, good ones are normally in the region of a hundred pounds plus I believe. Then there's the water heater, UVB lighting, a basking light and the thermostat. Overall you're looking at a few hundred squids of equipment for a few turtles.

Then there's the upkeep...they need careful thought put into feeding, turtle sticks from the pet shopdon't cut it. They require live food, in the form of crickets and earthworms and the like...do you want them in your house? Also, turtles STINK when they go to the bathroom and the tank needs regular cleaning, even with a decent filter.

I wouldn't say that turtles care whether they are in captivity or not, so long as they are given adequate conditions, the problem is that most people keep them in too small tanks and are not aware of their complicated dietary needs or need for UV...people just stick then in a fully aquatic fish tank and expect them to thrive. They can live several decades and unfortunately are highly abused animals, because they start out little bigger than a 2 pound coin and can end up bigger than a dinner plate, and few people are aware of their needs.

At the end of the day, its your home. Lay down the law! It would be unfair on the turtles for him to get bored in a few years, then the poor things might end up getting rehomed if you don't want to deal with the effort. Few people want turtles when they are fully grown. Think of the poor turtles!

notakid

Jellicat wrote: »

How much reading has he done? is he aware that 2 turtles of most species will need at minimum 100gallon tank as adults, possibly bigger? Many turtle enthusiasts still feel these tanks are too small and have huge plastic enclosures that have many hundreds of gallons in them, or end up building a pond for them. Such tanks are enormous and difficult to clean. He'll also need a decent canister filter, good ones are normally in the region of a hundred pounds plus I believe. Then there's the water heater, UVB lighting, a basking light and the thermostat. Overall you're looking at a few hundred squids of equipment for a few turtles.

Then there's the upkeep...they need careful thought put into feeding, turtle sticks from the pet shopdon't cut it. They require live food, in the form of crickets and earthworms and the like...do you want them in your house? Also, turtles STINK when they go to the bathroom and the tank needs regular cleaning, even with a decent filter

I wouldn't say that turtles care whether they are in captivity or not, so long as they are given adequate conditions, the problem is that most people keep them in too small tanks and are not aware of their complicated dietary needs or need for UV...people just stick then in a fully aquatic fish tank and expect them to thrive. They can live several decades and unfortunately are highly abused animals, because they start out little bigger than a 2 pound coin and can end up bigger than a dinner plate, and few people are aware of their needs.

At the end of the day, its your home. Lay down the law! It would be unfair on the turtles for him to get bored in a few years, then the poor things might end up getting rehomed if you don't want to deal with the effort. Few people want turtles when they are fully grown. Think of the poor turtles!

Thank you! You have summed up my worries.
Yes, he has done his research, he knew about the crickets earthworms but told me as they get older they become herbivore? He has also mentioned that the turtles he has chosen will not grow bigger than a circumference of 5cms.

However,i'm not sure that information is correct. I don't think he realises how big they can grow, I didn't 'till you just told me and the age they can live to. Also the stink! I'm not having that, I've an old Lab who smells and I love him enough not to mind but I'm not adding to the stink! I'm going to have a chat with him today and explain that by buying the turtles he could end up being an abuser, much like all the poor dogs we saw when choosing our Buddy! He won't want to be part of that! He isn't having turtles!

Jellicat

The smallest species of turtle I can think of available as a pet is the common musk turtle, which is 7.5-12.5 cm, females can grow twice as big as males and unfortunately you can't tell the sex of a juvenile turtle. Even these tiny little guys will need about a 30-50 gallon tank minimum, more if he wanted a couple. Their other common name is the StinkPot Musk Turtle which may be enough to put you off :rotfl:. Most turtles do become more herbivorous as they age however most still need bugs I believe.

I just think its important people realise the work involved in turtles before they buy. They are beautiful critters but can't really be handled much so don't give you much in return. Maybe if he's still into the idea when he's a little older and he's moved out he should consider rehoming an older turtle. I too would love a map or painted turtle but I'm kidding myself that I have the space and money for such equipment at the moment.

I'm glad you've decided he can't have them, they are an enormous amount of expense for anyone, even a settled adult, I certainly wouldn't have been able to cope with them when I was that age. The Ninja Turtles movies have a lot to answer for!