Adopt a turtle

Adopting a turtle involves a lot more details than you might think, here are the 5 main points:

• The size of the terrarium or enclosure
• Picky eating
• The budget for maintenance
• Time given to your turtle
• The necessary equipment

There are, of course, many more factors to consider, but these are the main ones. Let's take a closer look at these factors in this blog post and our tips for adopting your first turtle.

A turtle will follow you for decades

If there's one thing you should be aware of before adopting a turtle, it's that it's a long-lived animal . In fact, most turtles live for several decades, while some even reach the 100-year mark!

This is not an animal that is recommended as a first pet: many people adopt one, and get bored after a few years. This is how French ponds/streams ended up with thousands of free-roaming red-eared sliders .

One thing to keep in mind: this is an animal that requires time and attention throughout its life. Once you have a turtle, you have to remember that it will be with you for at least 15 years .

A terrarium or enclosure evolves

It's more common to keep turtles indoors in an aquarium or terrarium than outdoors when they're young. Depending on the species and size of your turtle, you'll need to prepare a larger or smaller space to accommodate it and ensure it feels comfortable.

First, define a space to accommodate your newly adopted young turtle, with an aquarium terrarium of the right size to make it feel comfortable.

Once your turtle is accustomed to its new habitat , you will have to think about the future: it grows quickly! Plan a location at least twice as big as the one you already have and then move it there.

Once they are adults, the best solution will be to have an enclosure (especially for the Hermann's tortoise) or a pond for a Red-eared Slider . Be careful, turtles can dig, so be careful with every possible escape route!

Diet cannot be taken lightly

Adopting a turtle also means adopting a new way of shopping! Their diet will vary depending on the species, but most of the time, they will be vegetarian .

Keep in mind that your turtle will eat garden flowers ( dandelions , clover ,) but also fruit and especially lots of salad and lamb's lettuce. There should be a blog article dedicated to just that, because we are only mentioning the most important ones: there are also calcium and phosphorus supplements that are generally found in pet stores as well as the right doses to know in a turtle's diet.

Occasionally, she'll indulge in a little meaty treat, but not all captive turtles are meat lovers. Their diet remains very traditional, with greens, greens, and more greens.

Adopting a turtle is a budget!

Obviously, we count the cost of a dog in toys and kibble, we could do the same for a tortoise. And yet, for the latter, the costs are much more varied than we think.

What you also need to know when adopting a turtle is that the expenses will not only be in food but also (and especially) in equipment for its habitat. In fact, food can be close to zero cost if you have a well-maintained garden!

That said, items like potting soil, health care products, terrarium decor , and your pet's hobbies can quickly add up in price. You often have to buy from breeders or specialty stores that will offer you good quality, but at a certain price.

An animal that requires daily attention

Just like a cat or a dog, you can't really go on vacation or a weekend away without finding someone to look after your turtle. Although this animal is very independent compared to traditional pets, it's important not to leave them abandoned .

If your reptile is outdoors, as long as the grass in your yard is growing well and the fence is firmly anchored in the ground, you should be fine if you're away for a few days. Just make sure you have a properly stocked food dispenser .

If, on the other hand, your turtle is still young and lives in a terrarium, beyond food, maintaining the land and water is essential: it is the health of your turtle that is at stake! Never be away for more than a week without someone to come and take care of your precious animal.

Turtle accessories are varied

To conclude this long list of things to consider before adopting a turtle, we will end with what is most often overlooked by individuals: accessories.

The most resourceful among you will be able to make all the equipment necessary for the life of a turtle without any real problems, but for an amateur, it will be much more complicated (and expensive) than expected.

Indeed, a turtle is not satisfied with a simple enclosed space: you also need to consider the soil used, the plants , the tools for well-being (UV lamps, heating plate, etc.), and above all the decoration that you will display in the terrarium.

If we consider turtles raised outdoors, a simple fence will not be enough: you will need a small water point , sturdy wooden fences, something to give the turtle shelter, and so on.

As you can imagine, each point discussed in this blog is just the tip of the iceberg: each section could be a blog post on its own. Moreover, if you're interested and want to acquire a turtle soon, we can guide you as best we can!

In the meantime, don't hesitate to take a look at our products dedicated to turtle fans, it will make you want to adopt one even more quickly!