Turtles
My Red-Eared Sliders from Chinatown
I bought a few underwater turtles from Chinatown and didn’t know what they were at first. I bought them on sheer cuteness factor. I quickly discovered that they’re red-eared slider turtles, which are aquatic creatures that spend most of their time underwater in aquariums. They’re great pets for adults who live in apartments, but not for families with children, since they may carry salmonella. (The turtles carry it, not the kids. Kids don’t carry anything, as evidenced by parents always dragging huge bags full of kid supplies.)
In the words of Tony Simmons from The Turtle Ranch, “With proper hygiene, the risks of contracting salmonella reduce greatly. The likelihood of getting salmonella is much greater from handling chicken these days. Judy and I handle hundreds of turtles a year, and neither of us has gotten salmonella. There is a risk of salmonella, but the commercial breeding of RES has improved greatly, and they are capable of producing salmonella-free hatchlings.”
If you just got a little dime-store turtle, here’s my advice: a year or two down the road, your tiny, adorable turtle is going to grow to the size of a shoebox top. The necessary filter, aquarium, lamps, and heater will cost you $400-$500. If you buy a good $100-$150 filter, then cleaning the tank will take 2-3 hours a month. If you buy a cheap $40-$50 filter, count on 1-2 hours a week.
If you’re not prepared to make that kind of an effort to care for your pet, go straight back to the store, give them $5 to take the turtle back. I know it sounds bad, but we’ve already got enough problems with owners giving up their turtles for adoption because they got in over their heads. Do a search on Google for “turtle rescue” and you’ll find all of the organizations looking for homes for turtles. Don’t be cruel: return the turtle while you still can, and get yourself a little beta fish that lives in a nearly maintenance-free glass bowl. I speak from experience because after two years of turtle ownership, I gave my turtles away, because they required more work than I could put in.
Having said that, if I haven’t scared the pants off you, welcome to the world of turtle ownership! I loved my turtles dearly, and they’re the perfect pets for me and my girlfriend. They never make noise, they’re easy to feed, they’re affectionate and intelligent, they don’t shed hair or trigger allergies, and they have wonderful personalities.
Here in the site, I’ve tried to gather the most basic, simple and informative tips to help you get started with your baby turtle. My turtle links page includes more in-depth turtle care pages, but my feeling is that kind of stuff gets pretty overwhelming. I’m here for the baby steps first!
Read My Turtle Info:
