Other Turtle Discussion :: is it true?

[portsporting06]

is this fact true. the bigger then tank the quicker the turtles grow? cuz i got a 20 gall tank and 2 baby turtles that are 1inch big and i dont want them 2 grow quick.

[steve]

It not a fact and it's not true. Needing larger tanks is a necessity of turtle keeping.

[blulite]

another point that is often mistaken, is, turtles only grow to correspond with the size of their habbitat.

this alco is a myth and is not true.

[theartbook35]

Turtles will grow quickly if you feed them an improper diet. Definitely read up on the "Feeding and Nutrition" forum we have here. They will always love a protein food, but make sure to introduce leafy greens and veggies NOW so that they won't be stubborn later on in life and refuse to eat them.

All reptiles have a slower metabolism than mammals, so their growth is much slower. It takes a turtle about half of their expected lifetime (between 10 and 15 years usually), to reach full size, especially if they are a female.

Understand that your turtles are a commitment. Keeping two in the same tank is risky, since, 98% of RES pairs end up attacking each other as they grow older, even when they have more than plenty of room. I estimate turtles to be about 5% social, meaning they mostly get together to breed and will share basking spots. On rare occasions turtles willingly spend time together for other purposes, but it is pretty rare. When you house two turtles in the same tank, you must follow the ten gallon per inch of turtle rule. If you plan to separate them, then, you can let the ten gallon rule go a little a bit. In other words, it's okay to put a 6 inch turtle by itself in a 55 gallon tank. Turtles don't get as stressed out as other reptiles, based on the the size of their tank/cage.