Turtle Times

Cooters are the larger, calmer cousins of sliders — same family (Emydidae), similar husbandry, but considerably bigger as adults and noticeably more plant-keen in their adult diet. Tom keeps a single Florida red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys nelsoni) and the standout difference from a slider is the…

Mud turtles are the underdogs of the small-aquatic-turtle world. They’re smaller than sliders, hardier than maps, less smelly than musks, and yet they sit ignored on most pet-shop lists. Linda’s kept eastern mud turtles (Kinosternon subrubrum) on and off for fifteen years and recommends them…

Map turtles are the species we recommend to keepers who’ve outgrown the “just keep a slider” phase and want something prettier, fussier, and more interesting to watch. Tom’s kept a single Mississippi map turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) for nine years, and Linda’s answered enough “why does…

If anyone asks us for a recommendation on a first aquatic turtle that doesn’t outgrow the average flat, the answer is almost always the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus). Tom’s kept a pair in a 75-litre tank for six years and they’ve been the easiest…

Box turtles get their diet wrong more than any other commonly kept turtle. We see two patterns in our inbox over and over: keepers feeding only commercial pellets (cheap, convenient, terrible long-term) or feeding only lettuce and fruit (visually colourful, nutritionally hollow). The actual diet…

Map turtles (genus Graptemys) are the connoisseur’s pet turtle. Beautifully patterned, active, intelligent enough to recognise their keeper, and small enough that a single adult fits comfortably in a 200‑litre setup. They’re also fussier than sliders about water quality, and that’s where most beginner setups…