The many different breeds of turtles can just about be classifed as completely unique animals. Different types of turtles have specific requirements for diet, housing and health care to save on pricey vet bills. Here is a brief overview of the different breeds of turtles that people keep as house pets.
Box turtles- Box turtles the only species that has hinges near the front and back of their shell to actually close themselves completely in their shell. Their large high domed shell makes them awkward swimmers so beware any deep water areas with a box turtle.
The Painted Turtle- Beautiful pink and yellow markings make these turtles very easy on the eyes. They have a friendly disposition as pets, but tend to be fussy eaters at times. Try offering some crickets or earthworms for a snack thats too good to resist.
Snapping turtles- These include the aligator snapping turtle which is particularly aggressive and has an insane bite pressure. Snapping turtles are not ideal for a pet due to their temperament, but there are people that keep them anyway and say that if cared for properly they make excellent pets. Safety first with these types of turtles.
Mud Turtles- One of the easiet breeds of turtles to own as pets. A close relative to the Musk turtle, Mud Turtles are very hearty and resilient animals. You need to pay attention to a mud turtle just like any other, but they eat just about anything that any other turtle would eat and do not grow to be enormous. If there is such a thing as a beginner turtle the Mud turtle would be it.
Sliders- Red and yellow eared sliders are given their name from the colored splotch that is where there ears would be. Highly aquatic animals that require more attention to their water condition than different breeds of turtles.
Musk Turtles- Very hearty and resilient as pets. The Musk turtle is also nicknamed the “stinkpot” for its ability to secrete a bad smelling substance from the anal glands in times of danger. People have owned musk turtles for their whole life without once having the turtle secrete, which speaks to the mild mannered nature of the musk turtle.
Cooters- As far as pets go Cooters are known as one of the friendlier species of turtle. They grow anywhere from 6-16″ with females groing larger than males.
There are over 300 identified species of turtles in existence and dozens of them are different breeds of turtles that people keep as pets. Snapping turtles would have to be the most challenging. You have to worry about basic turtle care on top of their unique temperament. Don’t ever get too close to the jaws of a snapping Turtle or you will surely be sorry that you did!
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As mentioned earlier the Mud turtle is fairly easy to care for making it a good beginner turtle. However the most popular species among the different breeds of turtles commonly kept as house pets is the red eared slider, but they are a bit more challenging due to their aquatic habitat.
To summarize, if you are looking for a beginner friendly turtle for a pet try a mud turtle. They are not nearly as expensive to keep as your everyday aquatic. If however you are interested in an aquatic turtle of some kind the painted turtle and red eared sliders are beautiful to look at and have the right temperament to make a good pet.
