The Different Breeds of Turtles Commonly kept as Pets

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The Different Breeds of Turtles Commonly kept as Pets

Article by Mike









The many different breeds of turtles can almost be categorized as completely unique animals. All sub species of turtles have specific requirements for diet, housing and health care to save on pricey vet bills. Here is a quick overview of the different breeds of turtles that people keep as house pets.

Box turtles– The only species that has hinges near the front and back of their shell to actually close themselves completely in their shell. Their large high domed shell makes them awkward swimmers so beware any deep water areas with a box turtle.

The Painted Turtle– Beautiful pink and yellow markings make these turtles very easy on the eyes. They have a friendly disposition as pets, but tend to be fussy eaters at times. Try offering some crickets or earthworms for a snack that’s too good to resist.

Snapping turtles– These include the aligator snapper which is particularly aggressive and has an insane bite pressure. Snapping turtles are not ideal for a pet due to their temperament, but there are people that keep them anyway and say that if cared for properly they make excellent pets. Safety first with snappers.

Mud Turtles– One of the easiet breeds of turtles to own as pets. A close relative to the Musk turtle, Mud Turtles are very hearty and resilient animals. You need to pay attention to a mud turtle just like any other, but they eat just about anything that any other turtle would eat and do not grow to be enormous. If there is such a thing as a “beginner” pet the Mud turtle would be it.

Sliders– Red and yellow eared sliders are given their name from the colored splotch that is where there ears would be. Highly aquatic animals that require more attention to their water condition than different breeds of turtles.

Musk Turtles– Very hearty and resilient as pets. The Musk turtle is also nicknamed the “stinkpot” for its ability to secrete a bad smelling substance from the anal glands in times of danger. People have owned musk turtles for their whole life without once having the turtle secrete, which speaks to the mild mannered nature of the musk turtle.

Cooters– As far as pets go Cooters are known as one of the friendlier species. They grow anywhere from 6-16″ with females groing larger than males.

There are over 300 identified species of turtles in existence and dozens of them are different breeds of turtles that people keep as pets. Snapping turtles would have to be the most challenging. You have to worry about basic turtle care on top of their unique temperament. Don’t ever get too close to the jaws of a snapping Turtle or you will surely be sorry that you did!

As mentioned earlier the most resilient and therefore beginner friendly pet would be the mud turtle. However the most popular species among the different breeds of turtles commonly kept as house pets is the red eared slider, but they are a bit more challenging due to their aquatic habitat.

To summarize, if you are interested in a fairly easy pet choose a mud turtle. They don’t cost nearly as much to keep as typical aquatic. If however you still leaning towards an aquatic turtle of some kind the the red eared slider and painted turtles are attractive animals and have the right temperament to make a good pet.




About the Author

Want to Learn More?These are some general rules for identifying the different species of turtles, but they work well for most common species. To learn more about the different http://www.my-linker.com/hop/typesofpetturtlesART””>breeds of turtles and compare them side-by-side as pets check out my lens at www.squidoo.com/types-of-pet-turtles-. Be sure to read the review and check out the video of the #1 rated turtle guide to learn everything you need to know about keeping a happy healthy pet.










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