Water Turtle Habitat

Aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles are popular and rewarding pets, and quite a few species are available. However, water turtles often require more complex care than terrestrial turtles. It's important to understand how to set up a water turtle habitat before that turtle comes home.

  1. Housing

    • Many water turtles grow quite large, and require plenty of swimming space. This means that water turtle housing often takes up more space than housing for land turtles. Every water turtle should have a large heated aquarium with a deep swimming area, as well as a shelf or other location where the turtle can completely leave the water. Most adult turtles need at least a 20 gallon aquarium to themselves. If keeping multiple turtles, pet owners can start with 20 gallons, then add 10 gallons to tank capacity for each additional turtle.

    Warning

    • While water turtles can be kept in natural or artificial ponds outdoors, they should never be housed in outdoor aquariums. According to the World Chelonian Trust, the heat of the sun through the glass can make the water extremely hot, and may injure or even kill the turtle. Even ponds should be partially shaded at all times, to allow the turtles to cool off on warm days.

    Temperature

    • Many species of water turtles require additional heating, especially those originally from the tropics. Temperate turtles can be kept at cooler temperatures, but should not be allowed to become cold. A baseline of around 80 degrees will work for most turtle species. According to the San Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society, many species will stop feeding if the tank temperature drops below 70 degrees.

    Lighting

    • Water turtles require adequate sunlight in order to use calcium properly. A turtle without sunlight or supplementary UVA/UVB light bulbs may develop serious bone and shell problems as a result. Turtle enclosures may be placed so that unfiltered sunlight enters the tank through an open window, or supplied with a reptile basking light that provides both UVA and UVB rays.

    Land

    • While water turtles spend much of their time in the water, they do need some land area. Turtles must be able to dry their shells to prevent fungal and bacterial problems. Doctors Foster &Smith suggest that for a fully aquatic turtle, about 25 percent of the enclosure should be land. For semi-aquatic species of water turtles, that percentage increases to 50 percent. Land areas can be made using soil, gravel, sand, large rocks or even large pieces of driftwood, as long as they are easy for the turtle to climb onto.