Turtle Breeds

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…

Box turtle diet is where most box turtle health problems begin. The species sits awkwardly between aquatic-turtle and tortoise feeding patterns — not as protein-heavy as a slider, not as plant-only as a Mediterranean tortoise — and a lot of well-meaning keepers get the balance…

Cooter diet is where most cooter health problems start — specifically, where keepers fail to make the protein-to-plant shift as the animal matures. Tom’s answered enough “why is my cooter pyramiding” emails to make this the diet guide we wish all cooter keepers read at…

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…

Diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) are the odd ones out in North American turtle keeping — the only species that lives in brackish water. That single fact reshapes the entire setup. A diamondback in a freshwater tank slowly develops skin and shell problems that don’t happen…

The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is the most-kept box turtle in the US pet trade and the species most readers email us about. Linda has kept a small group of three captive-bred Easterns in an outdoor pen for ten years and answers more…

The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) — also called the spur-thighed tortoise — is one of the Mediterranean group’s most variable species, with at least a dozen recognised subspecies spread across the Mediterranean rim from Spain to Iran. Marcus has kept a small group of T.…

Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is the species we recommend most often to UK and European first-time tortoise keepers — legal across the EU/UK, hardy in temperate climates, manageable adult size, and a reasonably forgiving species for new owners. Marcus has kept a pair of Western…

The Indian Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is one of the most striking species in captive collections — the radiating yellow star pattern on each dark scute is unmistakable. Marcus has kept a single male Star in an indoor enclosure for six years (climate doesn’t allow…

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…

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…

Map turtle diet is the area where the snail-cracking adult females separate from the more generalist males. Tom keeps a single male Mississippi map turtle and answers more “why won’t my female map turtle eat pellets” emails than any other map-related question. This 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…

Musk turtle diet is the simplest of any common pet aquatic species — they’re carnivores, the protein ratio barely shifts with age, and they’ll eat almost anything you offer. The problems we see in our inbox are mostly the result of too little variety rather…

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…

If you want an aquatic turtle but don’t have room for a 400-litre slider setup, the common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) is one of the best-kept secrets in the hobby. Tom has kept musks in a 100-litre footprint for the past nine years and considers…

Diet is where most painted turtle health problems start. Linda’s answered hundreds of “why won’t my painted turtle eat” and “is this food OK” emails over the years, and the pattern is always the same: too much pellet, not enough plant matter, and the wrong…

Painted turtles are the second-most-kept aquatic turtle in the trade after red-eared sliders, and their tank setup is similar but with a few species-specific differences worth getting right. Tom keeps a Western painted (Chrysemys picta bellii) named Vincent in a 280-litre indoor tank and has…

This is the slider-specific diet companion to our painted turtle diet guide. The general framework is similar — omnivore, protein-shifting-with-age, dust calcium, watch for vitamin A — but sliders have a few species-specific quirks that catch new keepers out. Tom’s seen the “all pellets all…

The red-eared slider is the most-kept pet turtle on Earth, and we’ve seen more bad slider tanks than any other species in our inbox. Tom’s kept sliders for twelve years and has done the maths the hard way — outgrowing two undersized tanks before finally…

Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii, also called Horsfield’s tortoise) are the smallest of the commonly-kept Testudo species and the species we recommend for keepers who want a tortoise but have limited outdoor space. Marcus has kept a single male Russian named Boris in an outdoor pen…

Sideneck turtles are the wider family that includes the snake-necks Priya covered separately — but the broader Pleurodira suborder contains a handful of species in the pet trade that share a defining feature: they retract their necks sideways under the shell rather than pulling them…