Turtle Decision (New Owner)

[alaxpati]

Hi everyone! I recently joined the forum as my family (including a 9 and 6 year old) have been debating getting a pet turtle for a few months.

Given how little I know on the topic but have secretly always wanted one, I started doing some of my own research. Obviously there is a lot to learn and a lot more that even goes into taking care of ensuring your turtle will be in a thriving environment. I wanted to start a discussion to get folks' feedback for someone who isn't as knowledgeable on a few high level questions to help us in our decision.

A little about us / our home: We live in Southern California (couple miles from ocean) where it can get chilly in morning and evenings with good sun during day (depending on forecast). We have a decent sized home but not a huge amount of space for an indoor enclosure or outdoor garden/backyard to house an enclosure either.

- How should I decide if a water turtle or land turtle is best for our situation (assuming all other things equal)?
- What other factors should I consider in deciding which type of turtle might be best (e.g. space, cost, effort, etc.)?
- Given our location/climate, what would be the best breed of turtle (whether water or land) that would be good to get?

Apologies as I'm sure this thread/question has been posted already but wasn't sure if I used the right key terms to search for it. Thanks again for welcoming into the community and can't wait to hear back!

 

[Ink]

Welcome to the forum. I have a desert box turtle. I don't know much about water turtles. This is Paxton.

 

[SinLA]

Welcome to the forum, greetings from Burbank! I do not know much about turtles so I will defer from commenting, but if you do decide to get something like a read ear slider, please check out the shelters. Every shelter has a ridiculous amount of them -- dozens upon dozens.

If you go for a tortoise and do not want a hatchling, there are always some in need of rescue as well. CTTC has an adoption program for Sulcatas and CA Desert Tortoises, and Russians can be found all over craigslist.

@Tom can probably give good advice on what species work best so close to the ocean - its usually cooler and damper there. Russians do well many places and are easy to find...

 

[alaxpati]

Welcome to the forum. I have a desert box turtle. I don't know much about water turtles. This is Paxton.

Hi Paxton (he's adorable)!

What type of climate are you in? Is your enclosure only indoors or do you have an outdoor one too?

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome!

 

[Ink]

I'm in Virginia. He is indoors. He is outside supervised, because of his size and the predators. There is a lot of construction going on down the road. I don't brumate him. I keep his routine the same.

Since you aren't sure if what type of turtle you want, personally would think about what your family would want. If your kids want to interact with the turtle a box turtle would be better. If you want to observe a turtle and work with the water and filters, then a water turtle would be best.

Either type would require a large enclosure, lighting, plants and fresh food daily.

You should just research and decide. Please use the forum for information on either type of turtle your family decides on.

Paxton on a leash. I also have a leopard tortoise, Ink. They both have separate inside enclosures.

 

[Tom]

I'm from that area and know the climate well. I spent more time at Manhattan 26th street in high school than I did in high school. I worked in Hermosa at a store on PCH for a year as a teenager.

Manouria would do well there as they tolerate the cold and clammy weather well. A buddy of mine used to house other montain reptile species there outside, like Jackson's chameleons, and they thrived. The problem with manouria is that they get large and require a large yard.

Russians do better with hotter, drier accommodations found a little farther inland.

I think hermanni would be your best bet, and once it is an adult, you'll need an insulated, temperature controlled shelter for it, with a heat lamp for the May gray and June gloom, and for other colder times when it can't warm up in the sun. Hermann's tortoises do best when brumated, and some people don't want to deal with that.

With the right set up, you could keep a lovely group of Burmese stars. They are very hardy and don't need huge spaces. They do like warmth, but with a heated night box and a heat lamp inside it, I think they would do well for you. Or you could just keep them indoors, and maybe have a nice large outdoor enclosure for summer.

A turtle would need a pond. That's not really my area of expertise, so I'll defer to other people who know more about them.

It might help to also tell you what other species you might want to avoid: Red foots, leopards, CA desert tortoises, sulcatas, Indian stars... All of these either get too big, or just don't do well in a coastal climate.

 

[alaxpati]

Thank you, this was very helpful! We'll have to consider all these factors, including how much space we have for the enclosures needed. It appears we might not have as much space ideally so definitely a factor to think about!

We'll post updates on our journey/search!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Thank you, this was very helpful! We'll have to consider all these factors, including how much space we have for the enclosures needed. It appears we might not have as much space ideally so definitely a factor to think about!

We'll post updates on our journey/search!

Good luck!