An aquatic turtle will need an terrarium with both a water area for swimming and a land area with a lamp for basking. A fish tank is suitable and can be set up with water deep enough for swimming and a land area built from rocks. Follow our guide on setting up your terrarium and how to care for your turtle.
Make sure you purchase a tank that is big enough. A forty gallon tank is preferable for an adult turtle. There is no need to use any substrate on the bottom of the tank. Glass is easy to clean and turtles can eat gravel or sand so it’s best to avoid this. Set up an aquarium filter and a water heater just as you would for fish.
A few artificial plants can be used for decoration but do not fill the water area with plants or other decorations as the turtle will not have enough room to swim. Real plants will be eaten by the turtle! Turtles need clean, chlorine free water to be healthy so ensure the filter is working adequately use a water and clean out the tank regularly. Remove the chlorine from the water before adding it to the tank with a water treatment chemical purchased from an aquarium supply shop.
Make a land area from rocks or bricks and place a UV lamp above it to make a basking area. Turtles need at least twelve hours a day of sunlight. Provide a small sheltered area made from small rocks or wood. The temperature in your tank needs to about 80F in the day and about 70F at night.
Place a small water dish in the land area and keep it filled with clean water. The swimming area water is not good for your turtle to drink as it will quickly become contaminated with urine and faeces.
Turtles can be fed on commercially prepared floating turtle sticks. These are quite exxpensive so you can mix in other foods such as meat, fruit and vegetables. Turtles also enjoy berries and leafy vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, clover and alfalfa. You can also give them small live fish occasionally.
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