When I started doing research on getting a turtle (fulfilling a childhood dream of mine), I ran into the classic problem of too much information! I was overwhelmed with the amount of information on turtles that I found. Most of the well put together information, or information on the specific turtle breeds I was considering, were for more serious reptile owners, or for people who wanted to breed them, or for keeping turtles outside, or keeping large quantities of turtles … etc. You see my problem.
Where are the blogs/information for a first-time hobbyist turtle owner that just wanted one turtle to love and enjoy? That is why I am writing this one!
So, what was I looking for? I was looking for a turtle that would stay small. I wanted this turtle to be comfortable in a 20 gallon tank, even fully grown. I was also looking for a turtle that did not need a lot of “attention” from me. What I mean is that I already have 2 needy fur-babies and did not want a needy shell-baby. I wanted a turtle that didn’t want to be petted or interacted with a lot. Also, in the interest of blog-honesty, I wanted a pretty turtle!
What was my reptile experience? nada
What was my tank experience? zilch!
Now, that isn’t to say that I didn’t have the normal array of pets growing up, including fish, but having a pet as a child means your parents take care of everything. So I had zero experience with reptiles and I had zero solo experience with tanks.
You may be saying to yourself, “This girl is nuts and should have started with a fish.” I’m here to say that you are probably right, but I have always been an overachiever.
So where did my research lead me? My research led me to several types of turtles that stay small, but, for me, it ultimately came down to the Spotted Turtle and the 3-Striped Mud Turtle. I did not pick a musk turtle because of the potential smell, and tbh, these were the cutest in my opinion!
I decided to get a 3-striped mud turtle simply because the other blogs I was reading said 2-3 adults would be happy in a 20 gallon tank together. I was only planning to get one turtle, so I was 100% sure she would be good! The spotted turtle would have ended up a little bigger and I thought maybe a 20 gal tank wouldn’t be quite big enough.
Also, as I side note, I would definitely NOT put 2-3 3-striped mud turtles in a 20 gallon tank. I don’t really believe they would have all been happy there.
3-Striped Mud Turtle Basic Information
Adult Size: 3-4 inches
Shell: Oval, dark brown-black with 3-stripes
Natural Range: Florida and up through Georgia, and into South Carolina, wetlands
Tank Size: I recommend one adult in a 20 gallon tank
Temperatures for Adults
- Air: ~85 deg F
- Basking: ~88-94 deg F
- Water: ~75-79 deg F
- Water Temp for a hatchling should be be ~80-82 deg F
You kinda started with the fish while you were waiting on the turtle… What did you do with those fish, BTW?
The fish were Rosy Red Minnows! They were doing fine until about a month ago, then they all passed withing 2 weeks 😔 I am not sure what happened with then tbh!