I was thinking of buying a box turtle but I'll be going to college soon and don't know if the cost would be too much. How much is it initially for the turtle and habitat set up? And then how much annually would it cost for food, cleaning, etc? In addition to cost, are they too much of a hassle?
Possibly a Turtle?
- Thread starter Cranyx
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Turtles are not very expensive to maintain, but they are very time consuming. Turtles are very messy animals and if you don't clean out their habitat enough their water turns green with poo and can be a disease breeding ground. It can also kill the turtle.
Oh and I wouldn't have it run around on hardwood floors, their pee eats straight through varnish.
Oh and I wouldn't have it run around on hardwood floors, their pee eats straight through varnish.
Turtle water gets dirty fast, if your going to collage, I wouldn't suggest buying one... or any kind of reptile for that reason. They are high maintenance.
I think there might be a little bit of confusion here. I think that 'turtle' in American English is a catch all phrase for 'Tortoise', 'Terrapin' and 'Turtle', whereas in British English they have distinct meanings. To clarify, are you talking about a land dweller that looks like this:Eclpsedragon said:
Or a water dweller that looks like this:
In the case of the former, I'm not quite sure. I had a tortoise for years, and they're mostly easy to deal with (though they may occasionally try to have sex with shoes, rocks, and other tortoise-proportioned objects).
Ours lived in the garden though, so I'm not sure if a tank or student accommodation would be large enough for it to be comfortable. Also, they can live a fucking long time. As in 20-100 years. So you want to be very sure before you buy one!
If it's a water turtle, I'd advise against it. I looked after some for a while once, and they're vicious fuckers. They'll fight over food and try and bite you - so you can't handle them, which makes cleaning their tank and feeding them a right pain in the arse. They also tend to regard the fingers holding the food as, well, more food.
They also carry quite a few diseases, and aside from that, if the water is more than about 5 hours old the tank will stink.
Oh, also, they grow really quickly, and will not stop just because the tank is small. They are not good pets.
As an alternative, Bearded Dragons are really cool. My housemate has one atm, and they're really easy to look after, and all the heat pads and gear you need can be bought for about £100. They're really active, and quite smart as well, so frankly they're more interesting that tortoises or turtles or terrapins.
I'm not even sure if I'd want to buy a bearded dragon while going to college.OneCatch said:
I had a Chinese water dragon throughout college and he was time consuming, his tank needed to be just the right temperature and humidity all the time, misted regularly, he needed to eat a well-rounded diet (including fruits and vegies, with supplements, not just meal worms or crickets), he needed to be handled regularly, his tank needed to be the right size (for a water dragon that's around 100 gallons), he needed to have special bedding, a bowl so he wouldn't swallow sand when he ate...
And of course when you have water and heat together, that's perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
I've heard bearded dragons are much easier to care for, but I guess I'm just a little weary when it comes to reptiles in general.
I suppose lesson to learn is don't buy anything that lives in the water.
Wait until you are out of college before buying a high maintenance animal such as a reptile. Also make sure that what you get is legal in your area. I know that box turtles are endangered in some parts of the United States from assholes ripping them from the wild and selling them cheap. And box turtles are notoriously difficult to release, as they have a hard time re-establishing themselves and tend to die from the cold or starvation if moved from one location to another.
When you're out of college, I recommend either an easy-going reptile (bearded dragon or leopard gecko), or a red-eared slider if you want to stay with turtles. Also do tons of research. Reptiles need an adequate set up and room to roam. Turtles live a long time and, if housed improperly, can get shell deformities, and bone and digestive issues.
For now, get back to studying.
When you're out of college, I recommend either an easy-going reptile (bearded dragon or leopard gecko), or a red-eared slider if you want to stay with turtles. Also do tons of research. Reptiles need an adequate set up and room to roam. Turtles live a long time and, if housed improperly, can get shell deformities, and bone and digestive issues.
For now, get back to studying.