What Turtles are Best for Pets?

Turtles are popular reptile pets, especially for children. They require relatively little attention, apart from habitat maintenance and feeding. Certain turtle species are the best and most widespread types of pet turtles. However, turtles do produce salmonella, regardless of the species. Therefore, owners must take care to wash their hands thoroughly when handling turtles or their habitats.

  1. Box Turtles

    • Box turtles are small turtles, averaging less than 6 inches in length. One of their most prominent features are the red eyes found in males. Females have yellow or brown eyes. Their carapaces (upper shells) have high domes. Their skin and shells typically have yellow and brown markings. When box turtles retract their limbs and head, they are able to close their shells, unlike many other turtles. They may live to be more than 100 years old. Box turtles require aquatic habitats. Outdoor enclosures should have areas of shallow, fresh water. They should also have fencing against predators and dens of natural debris, such as dead leaves and grass, for burrowing. Indoor enclosures need basking lights, enough fresh water to soak in, a basking area and a container of dirt for burrowing. All must be accessible to the turtle. Box turtles will eat worms, vegetables and fruit.

    Red Eared Sliders

    • Red eared sliders get their name from the red stripes that go back from their eyes. They typically have yellow and dark green carapaces. Red eared sliders' plastrons are yellow with darker markings. They may live more than 40 years. These turtles may grow to be nearly a foot in length, so they require relatively large habitats. Indoor red eared slider habitats must have roughly 10 gallons of space per inch of turtle. They need fresh water for swimming, basking lights, heat lamps, logs or rocks for basking and substrate, such as aquarium gravel. These turtles feed on worms, vegetables and fruit.

    Russian Tortoises

    • Russian tortoises are native to Russia and parts of the Middle East. These turtles are brown, tan, black and yellow, typically all over. They can grow to be 8 inches long and live more than 25 years. Russian tortoises eat green, leafy vegetables and flowers, such as dandelions. Russian tortoises need basking lights, substrate mixture with sand, burrowing material and water. They do not require aquatic habitats. They need only dishes of fresh water. This means less maintenance, but their waste is messier. Russian tortoises expel a white, powdery substance in place of urine. This is because they do not use water to produce waste.

    Painted Turtles

    • The name painted turtle comes from the bright designs that often appear on their plastrons. The colors may be any combination of black, red, yellow, brownish and orange. Their carapaces are comparatively plain black with occasional yellow markings. Painted turtles need roughly 70 percent meat in their diets. Fish or commercial turtle food is sufficient. The rest of their diets should consist of leafy, green vegetables. Their habitats must have water for swimming, basking lights and basking areas.