Is a Turtle Right For You?
* Excerpt from Chapter ONE of Russ Gurley's BABY TURTLES .

Baby Three-toed Box Turtle by Russ Gurley

To be quite honest, this book has not been written to promote the widespread keeping of turtles as pets. Actually, for most people, turtles are lousy pets and keeping them can end up being a bad experience for both the keeper and the turtle. Most aquatic turtles get large and they require expensive enclosures in which to live. Despite childhood memories of the plastic turtle bowl with palm tree, turtles will require large enclosures with plenty of clean, filtered water. Water cleanliness, filtration, aeration, and water temperature are known to be very important for the well-being of most species of turtles. In addition, turtles require sunlight or its approximation through expensive UVB-emitting bulbs. All turtles must have variety in their diets, some requiring up to a dozen different foods each week. Most baby turtles require the addition of live food such as earthworms, redworms, crickets, and small fish to their diet, which will require trips to the local pet store or bait shop or will require you to have live insects shipped to your home from invertebrate feeder dealers.

For children wanting a reptile pet, we recommend a cornsnake or a leopard gecko. Turtles and tortoises generally require a lot of research and some experience with the needs of sun-loving reptile pets. For those willing to invest the time, energy, and financial commitment, turtles can be very rewarding on many levels. If a turtle's needs are not met properly, it can be a wholly frustrating disappointment.

Read, question, explore, and weigh your realistic abilities, physically, financially, and emotionally, and if you decide to enter the world of turtle keeping and breeding, this book should be helpful in beginning your journey.

Finding a Turtle
After choosing to keep a turtle, and designing and preparing the proper enclosure, the next step is the search.

Captive-hatched Specimens
Captive-hatched baby turtles are typically healthy, alert, and somewhat accustomed to human presence. With thoughtful care, they will eat well, grow quickly, and become wonderful pets. There is a growing trend in the turtle hobby for keepers, even advanced keepers, to see captive-hatched babies as a source of future breeding stock even though some babies take many years to reach sexual maturity. In the past, breeders relied heavily on imported adult specimens, which despite the extra work during quarantine, would usually allow them to get reproduction and eggs sooner.

As more and more turtle species are being protected, and fewer turtle species are being imported, the options disappear. In many cases, small, captive-hatched specimens are a keeper's only alternative.

There are two main positive developments that have enhanced the desire to buy small captive-hatched specimens . . . With new knowledge of nutrition and the benefits of varied diets, captive-hatched babies can grow faster and healthier, reaching breeding size much sooner. There is also the simple fact of necessity. . . In many cases, the only way for keepers to obtain the rarest species is for them to buy captive-hatched babies from another turtle breeder who has been fortunate enough to establish and to breed an unusual or rare species.

Alligator Snapping Turtle by Russ Gurley

Places to Find Captive-hatched Turtles

Shows and Expos
In recent years, reptile shows and expos have popped up all over the country. In the last few years there has been an increase in the number of captive-produced baby turtles at these shows. Typically the specimens offered at these shows are healthy, feeding well, and are excellent specimens to begin a turtle-keeping hobby or to add to an existing collection. At these shows you get the rare opportunity to hand-pick the turtles you want to purchase and you often have the opportunity to speak with the breeder. When having turtles shipped to you, there is always the risk of receiving turtles that are picked by someone who may not have your best interest at heart. Add to the savings of not having to pay shipping and the lack of stress placed on the animals from shipping and the shows and expos are an excellent opportunity to get some really nice turtles.

Geomyda spengleri hatchling by Mike Rapley

Turtle Breeders
Some keepers are fortunate to have a local turtle breeder near their home. Often, these breeders will welcome visitors (potential customers) to their facilities. In this situation, you get to see the breeder's facilities and see his or her animals. You might learn some of their tricks, glean some experience and helpful hints from them, and often gain a new friend or colleague with whom to share ideas and offspring. You can find these breeders through a local herp society, a reptile keeper at the local zoo, ads in a reptile magazine, or on the Internet.

Please keep in mind that over the last few years several well-known turtle breeders that have been generous about tours and have welcomed visitors to their facilities have been burglarized by some of their “guests” who came back later and stole turtles. Thus, many breeders no longer allow visitors to their facilities or only allow those visitors who offer a long list of reputable references and lots of advanced planning for their visit.

 

The Internet|
The Internet has very quickly developed into a source of live animals. There are several extensive websites that offer classified ad sections where one can buy animals and plants as well as ponds, pumps, filters, food, and more. There have unfortunately been occasional problems with unscrupulous, faceless dealers. When buying this way, one doesn't get to see the animals or the facilities, and many of these Internet dealers are simply buying and reselling animals. Some don't disclose to beginners that an animal is captive-produced or wild-caught, or even worse, lie and say that it is when it isn't. There are also concerns about shipping, even with overnight delivery services. There are Styrofoam-lined boxes, disposable heat packs, and most boxes can travel across the country in a day without a problem. We try to only ship and receive baby turtles from April to October and are careful during cold nights in winter and hot days in summer.

USPS regulation: United States Postal Service, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Material, Publication 52, 1999.

525.3 Reptiles – All snakes, turtles, and poisonous reptiles are nonmailable.

“Turtles are the only living members of the subclass Anapsida, which is characterized by a primitive skull with a solid cranium and no temporal openings (anapsid). These shelled reptiles constitute the order Testudines. All living shelled reptiles are turtles , but the terms tortoise and terrapin have also been applied, and these have different meanings in various parts of the world. Tortoise is best applied to terrestrial turtles. Terrapin is usually applied to edible, more or less aquatic, hard-shelled turtles.”

Turtles of the World

C. H. Ernst, R. G. M. Altenburg, and R. W. Barbour

If you are careful and inquisitive, these Internet dealers can be a good source for turtles. When you contact dealers selling turtles, ask plenty of questions. These people want to sell you a live turtle (or turtles) and keep you as a future customer so they should be willing to spend a little extra time with you. Make sure they are charging a fair price by looking around at what these animals typically sell for in other ads and from other sources such as dealer price lists. Do your homework. Most will be willing to send you photos of the specific animal in which you are interested. Find out about their packing and shipping techniques. Make sure they sound legal, logical, and safe for the animal. If the seller is rude or unwilling to answer your questions, move on and count your blessings. Typically, these deals end up being the ones you regret.

Pet & Specialty Stores
As interest grows, more and more pet stores are offering turtles for sale. Not only are they offering turtles for pets, but they are exhibiting healthy animals in proper and inspiring setups. Many are offering correct advice and stocking the best equipment and supplies for their customers. In the past, pet stores rarely established proper enclosures to keep turtles long-term. Filtration was absent or inefficient and specimens were often in poor health and species from all over the world were mixed together in a single, large turtle tank. As imported specimens made up most of the turtles for sale in the shops, most were traumatized and parasitized.

Now, with the increased emphasis on the true needs of turtles, shops are installing larger enclosures with filtration and basking spots. They are using better food and many are even offering veterinary services to properly care for turtles before or during sales times.

Though many continue to get a bad rap, these shops are literally the front line in our crusade to educate the general public about turtles. As the first stop for most people searching for a pet turtle, pet shops have the unique ability to inspire a beginning turtle keeper's first creative ideas and to offer proper procedures for setting up and caring for animals.

Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Sternotherus minor minor , by Russ Gurley

Choosing a Specific Turtle
When you discover a turtle that you are interested in purchasing, begin by checking out the turtle's enclosure. If it is an aquatic species, check the water. It should be relatively clean and turtles should not be crowded. If it is a terrestrial species, check its water dish. It should be clean and free of any feces. If turtles from different parts of the world are kept together, especially in crowded conditions, we suggest you don't buy any.

Ask about the turtle that has caught your eye. If captive-hatched, was it bred by the person you are talking to? Was it bred locally? What's it been through over the last few days?

Pick up the turtle: It should be alert and active.

Check its weight: It should be heavy.

Check its strength: It should push off of your fingers with force.

Check its uniformity: The shape of the scutes should be regular and there should be no noticeable bumps, lumps, or asymmetry to its body.

Check its eyes: They should be open, clear, mucus-free, and alert.

Check its nostrils: The nostrils should be open and free from any bubbles or discharge.

Check its mouth: The mouth should be free from injuries, irregularities, or lumps.

Check its vent: Its cloacal opening and tail should be free of any discharge or lumps.

Ask about any guarantee the seller might offer. Is this guarantee offered in writing? Remember, you are often stuck with your decision with no possibility of a refund. In fairness, the seller can't know your home or the care you will offer and so can only guarantee the turtle's current health.

Turtle Conservation Organizations
You should make contact with organizations such as the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation Group, Asian Turtle Consortium, World Chelonian Trust, Tortoise Trust, New York Turtle and Tortoise Society, California Turtle and Tortoise Club, Turtle Homes, and others. Typically their members are thoughtful, sincere keepers that enjoy connecting with other keepers and breeders to exchange sound advice and useable information.