Turtle Needs / Cost

Please understand that by writing this post, I am not trying to discourage people from getting a pet turtle. I am simply trying to make sure that people who do decide to get a turtle, will be doing so as a well-informed pet owner, with full understanding of everything their choice entails.   

That being said... Before purchasing a turtle, it is always best to make sure that you will be able to provide everything your pet will need to live a long, happy and healthy life. If you change your mind later and try to release it into the wild, it will most likely die, since it does not know how to hunt for food, or hibernate in the winter. 

Or if you give it to someone else, they may not know everything about proper care, and again, the turtle will die young. 

This has to be a certain, decades-long commitment. You yourself need a permanent, stable home, so there is no risk of having to get rid of the turtle.  

When I said in another post that properly caring for a turtle was “expensive”, I wasn’t kidding. The biggest problem with people who impulse-buy a turtle without doing any research, is they think they can just bring it home, fill a glass bowl with water, and drop a few rocks in there. Then feed it from time to time. Like a gold fish, or something.

Its really not that simple.    

Aquatic turtles are reptiles, which means they are COLD blooded, and do not produce their own body heat. Unless they are hibernating (which only wild turtles do that, not domestic pets), they depend on the warmth from their environment to live. They also need the nutrients from the UV’s in sunlight to avoid sickness and maintain healthy bones. 
  

They will DIE, or at least get very sick, if they don’t have proper heating and UVA/UVB basking lights, a basking platform so they can dry off for a while under the lights. They can’t stay wet all the time, it causes diseases and mildew. They must have warm, clean, dechlorinated water, too. Chlorine causes terrible skin conditions for them and makes them sick), and proper nutrition.  

Turtles also need a lot of swimming space, because they need exercise to stay healthy and strong. So putting them in a tinny little tub, or shallow water, is really not adequate.

Below is a list of the things basic toolsyou will need to have on hand, before you bring an aquatic turtle home.  You basically have to mimic a natural habitat, as much as possible in your home. So you can see what I mean, when I list approximate prices. The cheaper ones will probably work for a baby. But as the turtle, tank, and other things get bigger, you will need to upgrade to the more high-end ones.

Turtle Supply Prices (Last Updated in 2023):

·         A sizable tank (10 to 100 gallons, depending on turtle size) - $20 to $800

·         A Basking Platform - $16 to $50

·         Reptile heating lamp - $15 to $20

·         UVA/UVB lamp - $20 to $50

·         Filter – Depending on power needs, $12 to $100

·         Submergible water heater water heater $15 to $50

·         Water thermometer $3 to $15

·         Turtle Food, depending how much/what kind $3 to $20

·         Water conditioner $5 to $20

·         Anti-algae water treatment (depending how much for amount of water) $5 to $15

·         Anti-disease water pellets $3 to $12

·         Calcium supplement for turtles $3 to $8

·         Water-siphoning aquarium hose for draining/cleaning (unless you wanna do it all by hand) $10 to $100

·         A clean, new 5-gallon bucket (it can’t have any leftover residues) for emptying/cleaning $5 to $15

·         Any decorations you might want to put in the tank-- prices vary, but most are (each) $3 to $20 

Keep in mind, some of these things you may only need to buy once in a while-- such as the tank, bulbs, heaters, thermometers. You may need new ones if you upgrade your tank, or something breaks. But the rest of these items (consumables like food, vitamins, and water treatments), you will be using them a lot, so you will have to buy them regularly. 

Tank Size

The rule on tank size is “10 gallons for every 1 inch of turtle shell length”.  

So…   Say you bought a small, 1-inch-long baby turtle.  And you got a cheap 10-gallon tank. Well, after adding up all the other expenses (the cheapest options), and buying 2 to 4 tank decorations, the price is starting to get pretty high. 

Now think further down the road when your turtle gets bigger, and you need a bigger tank, and therefore a bigger filter, more food, vitamins and solutions, and a bigger basking platform... You get the idea.   

Now, a lot of people say,  

“Oh, I had a turtle before, and I didn’t need all that stuff. I just used a bowl of tap water and some rocks. Washed it every couple days. My turtle was fine!” 

But how long did you have that turtle? How long did it live? If the answer is less than 30 years, which is the lifespan of a healthy pet turtle (or heaven forbid, less than 1 or 2 years!), then sadly, your turtle was not "fine". It died tragically young, from poor habitat. I'm not trying to depress you, I'm just being honest. 

So again, please be certain to have all the materials you will need on hand, before purchasing a turtle as a pet. Your water buddy depends solely on you. They deserve all your love and care, as well as a long and happy life.