What Is the Smallest Turtle You Can Have as a Pet
Turtles make fantabulous pets, are incredibly adorable, easy to care for, and more than interactive than other pets similar fish. But turtle lovers sometimes wish that their giant turtles could go back to being tiny adorable pets (non that being big changes that, though).
While information technology'southward true that turtles require less work than dogs and cats, small baby turtles that grow big quickly tin can be difficult to manage. Also, large turtles outgrow your laps and their habitats, requiring you to replace their tanks and then often.
Thankfully, nature has provided turtle breeds that stay small forever for y'all to choose from. Read on and discover!
The 12 Pet Turtles That Stay Modest
1. Reddish Eared Slider Turtle
- Lifespan: 20-40 years
- Size: half dozen-12 inches
- Tank Size: l gallons
- Price: $20-$50
Red Eared Slider turtles originated from North America, and they are ane of the nearly mutual turtles kept as pets. Even so, what sets these reptiles apart from the balance are their notable red patches around their ears, giving them the "scarlet eared" proper name and appearance.
Ane practiced thing about this pet is that it is hardy and leans on the depression-maintenance side more other turtles. They all the same need piece of work and dedication as the other breeds, though.
Red Eared Sliders are mainly omnivorous, which means that y'all won't run out of feeding options. Also, they are brightly colored and dislike much handling.
2. Spotted Turtles
- Lifespan: 26-50 years
- Size: 3-5 inches
- Tank Size: 20 to 33-gallon
- Price: $75-$100
You lot can find Spotted turtles in Southeastern Canada and the Northeastern United States. They are eye-catching and small pets, measuring merely 5 inches long.
Spotted Turtles get their name from the yellow-foam colored spots covering their blackness or dark-dark-brown heads and shells. You may find some with red, orange, or yellow spots on their bellies as well.
Turtles loathe beingness handles, but non the spotted species. These reptiles are even-tempered and enjoy being handled.
Spotted turtles are every beginner'southward dream turtle pet!
3. Mud Turtles
- Lifespan: 25-fifty years
- Size: Up to five inches
- Tank Size: 75-gallon
- Price: $60-$120
The listing would be incomplete without Mud turtles, which grow just up to 4-5 inches long when adults. Mud turtles are native to Africa, Mexico, and some parts of North America.
In that location are iv Mud turtle species, with the famous Mud and Stripped Mud turtles existence about 4.5 inches in adulthood.
The other two, Yellow Mud and Sonoran Mud turtles, abound up to six inches at times. And no, the name does non mean that their enclosures will be muddy.
4. Musk Turtle
- Lifespan: 40-60 years
- Size: 3-4 inches
- Tank Size: 20 to 29-gallon
- Price: $xxx-$85
Musk turtles are usually small, with the females being smaller than the males. You can mostly notice them in eastern parts of North America.
Dissimilar most turtles, the Musks do not like brackish water or water whose saline levels are between freshwater and seawater. These reptiles also burrow in the mud during winter.
Musk turtles are ardent climbers, so look out for them if you proceed them in an aquarium. They can hands climb out of their tanks.
This turtle is definitely the best pick if you want a pet that stays small forever and tin can live upward to lx years!
5. Reeve'south Turtle
- Lifespan: 10-20 years
- Size: four-9 inches
- Tank Size: 50-gallon
- Price: $l-$80
You may know Reeve'southward turtle as the Chinese Pong turtle. These turtle species are popular in the pet earth, particularly in China, Nippon, and Taiwan.
Reeve'southward turtles prefer notwithstanding or slow-moving h2o such as lakes, ponds, and streams with lots of vegetation and basking spots.
Although these reptiles might not be as colorful (they are primarily blackness or dark gray) as others on the list, turtle fanciers adore them for their charming, docile demeanors. Plus, they stay small-scale forever!
Yous may desire to keep an eye on their shells, though. This is because these turtles are prone to various diseases that bear witness on the shells.
6. Bog Turtle
- Lifespan: twenty-xxx years
- Size: 3-four inches
- Tank Size: 40-gallon
- Price: $250-$450
You can't talk of tiny pet turtles that stay tiny forever without mentioning little Bogs. The longest Bog turtle only measures up to four inches long! Their small sizes have made them incredibly pop in the U.South, particularly amongst beginners.
You tin find these reptiles nigh swamps and marshes in the Eastern U.S. You lot can likewise find some grazing in wet fields amongst cattle.
Little Bogs are usually black or dark brown with a yellow band around their necks.
7. The Desert Box
- Lifespan: 30-fifty years
- Size: 4-5 inches
- Tank Size: 30 to 50-gallon
- Price: $50-$400
Desert Box turtles are breaking the narrative that turtle lovers living in dry environments cannot ain such pets. Unlike most turtle breeds, Desert Box species exercise not need high humidity. Also, they alive longer and are famous for their yellowish color.
Desert Box turtles are ane of the two subspecies of Terrapene Ornata turtles. Unfortunately, they can be pretty costly to buy as their prices go equally loftier as $400.
8. Florida Softshell Turtle
- Lifespan: twenty-thirty years
- Size: 6-12 inches(male)
- Tank Size: 125-gallon
- Price: $15 to $xl
Y'all can guess from the proper noun that these turtles are native to the state of Florida. Florida Softshells are nearly entirely aquatic, although you tin notice them on land sometimes.
If you want a turtle that'southward a piddling out of the ordinary, notice Florida Softshell. Every bit the proper noun suggests, these reptiles lack one feature common in almost all turtles-a hard shell. Instead, they are flat, with skin covering the beat out, making them resemble pancakes.
You may want to go for a male Florida Softshell Turtle, though. The reason is, males and females vary significantly in the size range.
The males stay pocket-size forever, at effectually six inches, while the females are big and bulky and tin abound upwards to 1.v feet!
9. Diamondback Terrapins
- Lifespan: 25-40 years
- Size: five-7 inches
- Tank Size: 75-gallons
- Price: $200-$450
You'll detect out that Diamondback Terrapins are not as small as the listed turtles, but they are still considered modest turtle breeds. The males measure up to v inches, with females measuring up to 7 inches.
Diamondback Terrapins are hardy, although they are susceptible to fungal infections and shell diseases. Y'all'll demand to put in actress fourth dimension and space in their care (they fall on the upper spectrum of small-scale-sized turtles).
10. Razorback Musk Turtle
- Lifespan: 20-25 years
- Size: 5-6 inches
- Tank Size: 30-gallon
- Price: $25-$100
Musk turtles are generally small, and as difficult as information technology is to believe, the Razorback is the biggest of them all. This breed is almost entirely aquatic, although it comes to bask in the sunday occasionally.
Razorback Musks are shy and practise not bite or get ambitious. All the same, they'd prefer if you didn't handle them and simply watched them from a distance.
And, they are a delight to watch, especially because they can walk along the tank's bottom effortlessly.
xi. African Sideneck Turtle
- Lifespan: 25-50 years
- Size: seven-12 inches
- Tank Size: 75-gallon
- Price: $50-$100
The African Sideneck is easy to maintain and thrives in captivity. This turtle has a contagious smile, thanks to their mouths that curve upwards in a "smile."
African Sideneck turtles are native to the freshwater rivers and lakes of Africa and Madagascar. They are uniquely cute and boast the ability to brand their heads plough sideways.
These reptiles are a sight to behold, mainly when they use their long necks to flip themselves over when they are on their backs.
12. Yellow-Bellied Slider
- Lifespan: xxx-40 years
- Size: 5-13 inches
- Tank Size: 75-100 gallons
- Price: $25-$75
Here'southward another small and long-lived pet turtle that's a great addition to any household. Yellow-Bellied Sliders are closely related to Ruby Eared Sliders and are just equally colorful.
You can distinguish this reptile past its various vanquish colors, including light-green, brown, and blackness with yellow stripes. Its abdomen is usually solid xanthous with black markings, thus the proper name.
This slider tends to exist more active during daytime, where they also spend most of the fourth dimension basking. Also, it doesn't like much handling.
You get this pet, and y'all'll have a minor, amiable, and non so needy pet in your domicile for a long time.
Summary
Turtles are generally low maintenance, just keeping and caring for giant and overgrown turtles is not as uncomplicated equally it seems. Y'all'll need to change their tanks more than often, which is expensive and also much work.
Get yourself a pet that will stay minor forever, and the most problem you can become to is to ensure it'southward well-fed and thriving. So, which one is your favorite!
Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
Contents
- The 12 Pet Turtles That Stay Minor
- one. Red Eared Slider Turtle
- 2. Spotted Turtles
- 3. Mud Turtles
- iv. Musk Turtle
- 5. Reeve's Turtle
- half dozen. Bog Turtle
- seven. The Desert Box
- viii. Florida Softshell Turtle
- nine. Diamondback Terrapins
- 10. Razorback Musk Turtle
- 11. African Sideneck Turtle
- 12. Yellow-Bellied Slider
- Summary
Source: https://petkeen.com/pet-turtles-that-stay-small/
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