# Sticky  Proper care for Terrapins



## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

For lack of a terrapin care guide on this forum, I have decided to make one, I believe it is even worthy to be stickied!

First off, let me tell you what exactly is a terrapin, a terrapin is any turtle that lives in fresh or brackish water, so excluding any saltwater turtles like sea turtles. Most of the items I reference below can be found at http://www.turtlesale.com

Tank Setup:
1. Size depends on what species of terrapin you are getting, but even your smallest terrapins require at least a 30 gallon tank, but some terrapins like red eared sliders(the most common) need either a pond or at least a 150 gallon tank at adulthood.

2. Substrate doesn't matter too much if you don't want to breed terrapins, but I recommend large gravel so it is easy to vacuum/clean and your turtle wont mistake it for food and possibly choke(I had that happen once).

3. The temperature in your terrapin tank needs to be at least in the middle seventies(Fahrenheit of course), so make sure you get a heater proper for your size tank. Be careful not to overheat the tank as this will make the terrapin sick if constantly in very warm water.

4. Terrapins are very messy, so a very good filtration is required to keep the water clean and clear even with only one turtle. Water changes should be weekly with 15% or more water changed. I recommend any filters from the fluval plus series.

5. Lighting is a key aspect in terrapin raising which some people forget, you need a standard light of course, you need a good basking lamp, only get the high wattage lamps if the lamp will be far from the basking spot, also you will need a uvb/uva lamp for indoor kept turtles, turtles kept indoors or in places with little sunlight need these lamps for their shells.

6. Most terrapins are carnivorous at least somewhat and are hard to keep with fish without them eating the fish, though very good feeding, and fish larger than the terrapin's mouth help too. Also be careful when mixing different terrapin species, one might grow larger and out eat the smaller one, or kill it, snappers are notorious for this.

7. Feeding your terrapin is the most important part of keeping him healthy, for a staple most turtle pellets are good, but also feed your terrapin fruits, vegetables, and some meat now and then, but be careful not to overfeed, as I have read that overfeeding causes their shell to grow into a pyramid like form.

8. Your terrapin also needs a place to bask to get dry and warm up, your tank should not be filled more than 3/4 to the top, mine is filled 2/3, so provide something such as a floating log for your terrapin to climb up on, www.turtlesale.com has a wide variety of basking platforms, ramps, logs, etc...

9. Lastly, your terrapin, if kept in an indoor tank, needs to taken out to bask in the sun, which is very beneficial to his shell, I take my two Mississippi map turtles out about once a week for half an hour, I also recommend rubbing vita shell on their shells monthly as it is packed with essential vitamins and nutrients important for healthy shells.

10. Please don't release captive bred terrapins, because they most likely wont make it in the wild, or could disrupt the environment if they are exotic, so please be responsible and don't buy a terrapin you know you cant keep permanently. There are places such as some animal shelters that will take turtles, also some schools or colleges might take them in, especially if the college has a veterinary school.

Remember buying terrapins less than two inches in size is illegal in the U.S. although some businesses get around that by having you adopt them, and then you pay an adoption fee.


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## Cacatuoides (Feb 2, 2009)

Can you list the species of terrapins in size order? (enclosure size needed?)


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## JasonR (Jun 9, 2011)

you didnt mention about the uvb light, turtles/terrapins need a uvb light aswell as a heat lamp or a combi uvb-heat lamp but these are far more expensive. Also sand seems to be the best substrate as they can dig about and it's very easy to clean. Just pointing out couple of things


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## Albino_101 (Aug 14, 2008)

JasonR, I didn't mention it because I don't use one myself, I take my turtles outside for sunlight on a weekly basis, but thanks for adding in. 

EDIT**: I added in info about uvb/uva lights.


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