Other Turtle Discussion :: if only more people saw this picture...

[rsour24]

maybe people would think twice...

[steve]

I think the labor of getting their food ready, cleaning filters and vet bills are the toughest aspects of turtle care.

[rsour24]

if u cant get their food ready i dont think you are fit to take car of any animal. as long as you keep a variety you are fine. if u have the proper amount of filtration on your tank you dont have to clean your filter very often. and i have not had to pay on vet bill thus far.. (knock on wood). its rly a matter of laziness and not caring.

[steve]

I'm very thorough when washing lettuce Same with cleaning filters... I rinse the heck out of those things. As for vet bills... well, I hope no one ever has to deal with issues that require vets.

[ytse411]

Unfortunately it's like any other animal...so cute when they're little until they get bigger, or the novelty of bragging about an unusual animal wears off...then suddenly the critter is an inconvenience (don't get me started on people who have kids then suddenly start complaining about their pets! argh! it's not their fault that you made a life changing decision!).

Even more unfortunately uncommon or unusual animals get the worst treatment once they become bothersome "oh, it's really a wild animal, he'll be fine if I just let him go".

[xfallwithmexo]

I absolutely love that picture. It's so true, most people don't know what they are getting into

[Reel Girl]

Every adult that ever mentions getting "a cute little turtle" for their kid around me because it would be "so much easier and cheaper than a dog or cat" - - wow! do they get an ear full from me!!

I always wanted a turtle, and until I got Sheldon, I never knew how labor intesive and expensive they were - - but Sheldon is worth every penny!!

But really, the cost of the filter media is RIDICULOUS!

[Deorc Val]

I LOVE that picture! The pet stores should stick THAT on the tanks! Many trips to the pet store to get Reptomin have I seen people asking about turtles as pets... Sadly, the person answering those questions often has no clue about the joys and laments of turtle care. I love the "100+ gallons". I bet when people buy a lil turtle they would never dream of being keepers of a tank that huge. Those tanks can cost upwards of $1,000. Not to mention the filtration on those puppies, $400.

Thanks for sharing!