Penny Turtles: Need To Know

[britt]

Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone could help me. I am looking at buying a penny turtle and would like to know the basics from people who have actually owned one.

Any info on the following would help:

Tank size
Food
Cleaning
and any thing else that might help.

cheers britt

 

[Kirby]

there is no such thing as a penny turtle.

assuming you have the apropriate reptile licence

your basic options are a murray short neck, or an eastern long neck. each will grow to the size of a large dinner plate in about 2-3 years. shell length of 30cm+

tank will be a 6x2x2 or a large outdoor pond.

hikari gold cichlid pellets, fish, prawns, yabbies, aquatic plants.

HUGE filter ($$$$) weekly water change, etc. like a fish, but ALOT more waste.

uv costs, heat lamp, turtle dock, turtle blocks, suppliments, twice weekly natural sun (2-3 hours)

 

[dickyknee]

Tank... size will vary on the size of the turtle , but full grown it will need a large tank or better still a pond ..
Food ... they eat fish , worms , and a variety of frozen foods .( i dont keep turtles so some one else may have better idea )
Cleaning ... they will need cleaning , probably weekly or so , more as they get bigger
Anything else ... you do know it will not stay the size of a penny ??
will need UV , heat ..

and what ever Kirby said too .

 

[-Peter]

Try here for turtle information.

http://www.australianfreshwaterturtles.com.au/index.php

 

[britt]

thanks...
i was told to get a penny turtle because apparently a mate in my herp club has 2.
if there is no such thing as penny turtles the wat is the smallest turtle i can get?

 

[Kirby]

nothing really under a dinner plate.

 

[dickyknee]

thanks...
i was told to get a penny turtle because apparently a mate in my herp club has 2.
if there is no such thing as penny turtles the wat is the smallest turtle i can get?

most of the commonly kept turtles will grow to around the dinner plate size .

 

[Hoon84]

Found this online the other day, not sure where u would get one or if they're legal in Aus, but look cool nonetheless!!

 

[grimbeny]

Hoon thats just a hatchie, it would get to a large size aswell.

 

[Hoon84]

Hoon thats just a hatchie, it would get to a large size aswell.

Ya think?? I thought it was one of those rare albino midget turtles!! Course its a hatchy, the pic was posted merely for viewing pleasure!

 

[britt]

Wat sized dinner plate?
my plates are small.

What breed of turtle is the smallest n how big will it grow?? (measurements, not comparisons to dinner plates)

 

[Emzie]

the smallest you can keep are the Macleay River turtle Females reach 18cm and males 16-17cm

 

[aliveandkicking]

Average size britt will be about 30cm across

 

[britt]

why is it that some people keep saying there is such a thing as penny turtles n then others say there is no such thing.
One of my best friends has had two penny turtles for a while n she sold them to someone else i know n they a still really small (and alive).
So are there penny turtles or not??
Im so confused...

 

[Hoon84]

why is it that some people keep saying there is such a thing as penny turtles n then others say there is no such thing.
One of my best friends has had two penny turtles for a while n she sold them to someone else i know n they a still really small (and alive).
So are there penny turtles or not??
Im so confused...

I just googled "Penny turtle pictures" they definately DO exist!

 

[cris]

It is a myth, its just that some have kept turtles for a few years and havnt noticed much growth probably due to poor feeding. They lose interest or kill the turtle through bad husbandry before it gets much bigger.

There are smaller species of turtles(under 15cm shell length as adults) mostly exotic species.

 

[FAY]

Britt,
There is no such thing as a penny turtle that stays the size of a 50 cent piece.
It is a myth.

 

[britt]

Well the so called penny turtles my friend owned were and still are in great health.

 

[scam7278]

Well the so called penny turtles my friend owned were and still are in great health.

well tell your mate to FEED these poor little turtles

 

[Kitah]

"Penny turtles" Do not exist. The myth arose from people who kept hatchling turtles in small cramped conditions and fed them the totally wrong diet and not enough of it. Chances are that the turtles died due to insufficient nutrition and very poor enclosures so never grew to adult or even sub-adult size, so people said they always stay small.

Also another myth I frequently seem to hear is that turtles won't outgrow their tank. i.e. keep a hatchling in a tank thats 30cm wide and 20cm deep it will never grow. Truth is it WILL grow and it will need a large tank or outdoor enclosure as an adult. My kreffts boy was the size of a 20c coin when I got him, and now being 2.5yrs old is about 25cm long (shell length) Most of the species in Australia grow large, and the males are usually the smaller out of the two genders.


Finally... Just as a note, turtle "breeds" do not exist; they are actually different species, not breeds. With dogs you get different breeds like German Shepherds, Border collies etc but they are all still the same species; Canis lupus familiaris. With turtles Kreffts, Murrays etc. are actually different species.

I wish you luck, however please thoroughly think it through before you get a turtle; they have long lifespans and are living creatures; they're not simply disposable. They are very expensive to keep and have higher maintenance levels than many other animals, such as dogs, fish, other reptiles etc.