Common pet terrapins

Purchasing your first terrapin is a big step because terrapins aren’t as easy to care for as people think. There is a lot involved in raising these chelonians and keeping them healthy.

There is a large variety of foods, habitats and species available which necessarily makes buying a terrapin a journey of knowledge.

As with most other pets this isn’t a process you can take lightly. Pet stores will usually stock one or more kinds of terrapins given below.

One of the most common pet terrapins is the box terrapin, or box turtle. This species is found all over the world in varying geographical locations. These turtles grow no larger than six inches in length as adults.

Their small size makes them ideal as pets and allows you to have more than one without crowding the habitat. The male box terrapin is smaller than the female but has a longer tail. This species lives on land but in moist areas and can often be spotted in fields or in forests.

They will live out their long lives close to where they were born in an area no larger than a football field.

Being omnivores, these turtles can eat meat including fish, earthworms, crayfish, chicken and turkey but it should ideally be cooked as fatty meats can cause illness.

They also eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.

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Slider terrapins are incredibly popular and can be found in Virginia Beach, southern Brazil, New Mexico and Florida. These terrapins vary in size up to a foot in length with the females being larger than the males.

Calm waters are preferred by these terrapins as you would find in marshes and ponds. Lakes with soft bottoms are also desirable living quarters as long as there is dense vegetation. As babies the slider terrapins are carnivores but become herbivores as they get older. They will eat chicken, fish, crayfish, earthworms, plants and vegetables.

Map terrapins receive their names due to their unique shells. And although they resemble other common terrapins they are quite unique and can only be found in the continental United States.

Map terrapins come in many varieties. Each species of terrapin has their own distinct habits, environmental preferences and diets despite following many of the same handling traits.

Regardless of which turtle you decide to keep as a pet, if you pay close attention to its needs it can be a very rewarding and fascinating pet.

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