Habitat - Indoor :: why does the tank have to be so big again?

[ashleygamergirl]

The rule of thumb is 10 gallons for each inch of turtle (measured from front of shell to back, not including head or tail)

why? and who came up with this?

my turtles atm are in a 30 gallon and i know its 2 small but i should be getting a 125 gallon for christmas for them. BUT my 3 turtles seem very happy and healthy in the 30 gallon and i just dont get why the tank has to be soooooo big.

i want a big tank just dont understand why they have to have it. only dont get it because like i said my turtles seem fine and looks like they have tons of room to swim and whatnot. they are about 4" and i have 3

[emma]

They may seem happy to you, but they really might not be. They have to have room to be able to swim and do everything like they would in the wild.

[ashleygamergirl]

but they have room and swim all over the place.
its not like the tank is so small they cant turn around or anything
they swim all over the tank

again im still getting a much bigger tank and its going to look so nice
i just dont get why they <have> to have them so big thats all

can anyone explain?

[megcornell]

The guideline of 10 gallons per inch is for a few reasons.
One of the most important in water quality. Turtles add a lot of filth to the water in terms of uneaten food, biological waste etc. If you have a 3 inch turtle in a 10 gallon tank there is no way you can maintain a good quality of water. Poor water quality leads to health problems because it harbors bacteria and can cause eye and skin infections among other things.
Secondly, that tank is the only space your turtle has. It's his or her entire world. You certainly could survive in a walk-in closet, you could even turn around and stand up... but the quality of life would not be good. The same goes for turtles. They need space to swim and move and find enriching things like plants and river rocks to move around. It's just not fair to keep an animal captive in too small of a habitat. More space leads to better mental and physical health as far as the turtle is concerned.

[ashleygamergirl]

thats very good points i never thought of the water and it getting durty
thanks

i cant wait for christmas to see if my hubby got me the tank i told him to get lol

if not that just means i have to go out and get it