In the Turtle-Tech beginners’ article on the proper care and husbandry of baby Aquatic Turtles: “The Art of Raising Baby Turtles” The Art of Raising Baby Turtles – A beginner’s guide to happiness – TropicZone Specialty Pet Foods (tropiczoneproducts.com) we provided a general basic overview of the process and products that are involved in being successful at maintaining these wonderful little jewels of nature.

Now, in this more in-depth discussion: “The Advanced Guide to Raising Baby Turtles” we look into the specific nuts and bolts needed to assemble the most ideal environment for hatchling and baby Aquatic Turtles, and answer the specific questions directly related to this goal. These two articles, taken together, should provide all the information needed to avoid most of the bumps and bruises that come with any new adventure. And most certainly, turtle keeping is an adventure. We predict, that by following the guidelines below, your adventure will be an enjoyable one. And for many, a lifelong one.         

So, let’s jump right into what constitutes a successful journey into raising Baby Aquatic Turtles… In 10 easy Steps!

Step One: Choosing the Right Species: If you have not already done so, we would suggest reading through the Turtle-Tech article: “Starting out with Aquatic Turtles – A beginners look” Starting out with Aquatic Turtles – A Beginners look – TropicZone Specialty Pet Foods (tropiczoneproducts.com)  This review will introduce you to many wonderful groups of turtles that are considered great beginners turtles. Once you find a species that interest you, it’s always a good idea to research further their natural history and become familiar with them.  With few exceptions most Aquatic Turtles require the same basic care when young, so whatever species you decide upon this article will provide the guidelines for proper care.

Step Two: How Many Should I Get?  Most people beginning with Aquatic Turtles will start off with one, or possibly two hatchling/baby turtles.  It’s important to note that baby turtles (and most turtles in general) are naturally social animals, in nature living in smaller to oftentimes huge communities. Having more than one baby is generally a good practice and settles them down quicker in their new environment. Remember – in nature if you are small and by yourself, your usually food for someone else, so having some company naturally helps in making your baby turtles feel at ease. Most turtles of different species can make good tank mates, as long as their sizes are about the same. The guidelines below are appropriate for up to 4 baby turtles.

Step Three: Where do I get My New Babies?  Baby hatchling turtles can be purchased (or sometimes even adopted) from several reliable sources. Pet Stores can no longer sell baby turtles, but several online sources can offer them under certain conditions (such as for “educational purposes”). The best sources for baby turtles are from breeder outlets or even other hobbyist, these are people who raise many species and need to find homes for their babies. Turtle-Tech has a list of some of these sources we can pass along to you upon request.

Step Four: Purchasing your Turtles Aquarium: Once you have your turtles picked out, it’s time to set up their home. It’s always best to set the aquarium up a week or so before the babies get to you. That will give you time to work out any adjustments. The tank you choose is likely to be your turtle’s home of the next 12-16 months, so you’ll want to do it correctly and efficiently (and affordably too). We would suggest a 20-gallon aquarium to begin with. This size tank- 12 inches wide, 30 inches long, and 12 inches tall is known as a 20 gallon “long” aquarium and is a common size available almost everywhere at a very reasonable cost. You will need a metal wire screen cover for the aquarium, this helps protect the turtles from other household pets, allows good ventilation, and blocks a small part of the UV intensity of your lighting unit, which is desirable for this application. If you purchase the same size “Terrarium” (instead of an Aquarium) it is likely to come with the screen cover already attached. The difference between an “Aquarium” and a “Terrarium” is that the Aquarium will be made of thicker glass (because it must hold back the pressure of the water when filled up) A Terrarium is generally not made to be filled completely up with water, so has thinner glass and generally comes with a screen cover. For our use with hatchling turtles either one will work, as we will only be using about 4-5 inches of water for the turtles. There are numerous manufactures of these tanks, all should work just fine.  NOTE: You can buy a larger tank, but at this stage of development the hatchlings do best in something of the size recommended above. Much of their (and your) success relies on your ability to watch their progress, feed them properly, and monitor their health. All these responsibilities become much more difficult in a larger aquarium. For hatchlings, its best to start small, you’ll have plenty of time later to upgrade to a larger tank as your turtles grow.

Step Five: Outfitting your Turtles Aquarium: Once you have your turtles tank picked out, you will have to outfit it with a few pieces of equipment that will help provide the perfect environment for your Hatchlings.

The first is an aquarium filter, used of course to help remove waste out of the water and to provide a good flow of water. For this application, an “internal” filter will work the best. These filters work to help keep the water clean and well aerated and can operate in shallow water. You’ll only be working with about 5-6 gallons of water, so a big filter is not needed. There are many brands and prices of these filters, but we would suggest either the Hagen Repti-Clear or the Tetra Wisper units, both are quality filters and should perform well for years.

Next is the lighting and heating that is so important to all reptiles. This can be one of your larger investments, depending on the brands you choose and how extensive you want the setup, but it doesn’t have to get crazy.

First, you’ll need an 8-inch dome lamp unit with a Clear “basking” light bulb of 100 watts. This will provide directional heat that your turtles can sit under and “bask”- providing heat to both warm their bodies and dry off their shells, plus provide warmth for the general environment. The second lighting unit is for providing UVA-UVB light. Simply put, this replaces the sun’s rays your turtles would normally get being outside. There are some turtle keepers that have the freedom to allow their turtles time outside in the sun a few times each week, and so go without this secondary “sun light”. But if you can’t see yourself having playtime with the turtles outside in the natural sunlight multiple times a week, your best bet is to get a fluorescent lighting unit with the proper UVA/UVB bulb. A possible choice can also be a “combo pack”, which combines both these lighting units into one.  Our recommendation would be Zoo Med for any of these items as they are experts in this field. For a more in-depth discussion on lighting, please check out the Turtle-Tech article: The Proper Lighting of Aquatic Turtle Enclosures” on the Turtle-Tech Blog Site.

Finally, if your house tends to get cold at times of the year, or during long winter nights, a smaller 50-75 watt submersible aquarium heater will keep your turtle’s water warm when everything else gets colder. Again, you’ll only be working with about 5-6 gallons of water, so a larger heater is not needed.  Both Fluval and Tetra produce high quality heaters of this sort. Also, you will need an aquarium thermometer for both water and air temperatures, as these are essential in monitoring the correct warmth of your turtle’s environment.

So now we have all the equipment needed to help maintain your turtle’s aquarium, Next will be a few decorations and their basking area. Turtles of all sizes need a stable area where they can get out of the water to dry and “bask” in the warmth of their heat lamp. A rock or stationary piece of driftwood works well for this purpose, and some manufactures produce various size pre-made “basking platforms”. Regardless of whichever you choose, it must be big enough for all turtles to fit on, be easy to climb, and solid enough not to move when the turtles get up on it. A one-inch layer of clean medium grade gravel at the aquariums bottom works well to provide an area where beneficial bacteria can establish a biological filter bed that will help keep the water clear and clean, avoid colored gravel as there has been (although extremely rare) cases where a turtle has misjudged it as food.  Besides this are decorations to make your turtles feel at home, this is really your preference, but live or plastic plants work well, make sure to provide the hatchlings with a few floating items they can hang onto so that they can rest while swimming in the water.

The last thing to purchase is your turtle’s food, Hatchlings at this stage of development have very specific nutritional needs. If these needs are not met, the hatchlings cannot survive, despite the investments you’ve made in aquariums, filters, lighting units, etc. For the Hatchlings Food Source, we would recommend the TropicZone Stage1 Hatchling food, as TropicZone is the leader in aquatic turtle diets. This diet is complete for the hatchlings, and they require no other supplementation. It is easily available on the TropicZone Website.

Step Six: Putting it all Together! Now that you have everything you need, the first thing is to give the new tank a quick rinse with warm water, just to remove any dust or contaminates from the store, never use any soaps or detergents. Next is to thoroughly rinse the aquarium gravel and any other decorations that will be added to the tank, including the basking rock/log/ or landing platform. Once everything has been rinsed off you can add a one-inch layer of gravel and position your basking area off to one side of the tank (let’s say the right-hand side). Next, place the internal filter inside the tank on the opposite side from the basking spot (the left-hand side of the tank). The filter should be positioned so that it shoots water toward the basking area so that the water is completely circulated around the enclosure when the filter is in operation.

If cold weather is a concern, and you are including a heater with this set up, now is the time to place the heater in the tank. The heater can be positioned anywhere in the tank where there is a steady current of water flowing past it, so that it warms the water evenly when in operation. Now that the gravel, filter, heater, and basking area are in place, you can begin to fill the tank with water. The final water level should be between 4-5 inches deep and allow the filter to have enough water depth to operate properly and have the heater completely underwater. Once filled to this level the basking area should be roughly half out of the water and half submerged and be arranged so that the hatchlings can easily climb up it to exit the water and bask under the heat lamp.

Most people will use common tap water so it is likely that the water will be treated with either chlorine or chloramines. You can use a water “conditioner” if you choose but allowing the water to circulate for a week before the turtles are introduced is usually the safest option. Non-treated spring water is also a great choice. At this point you can plug in the filter and check on its operation, it should be shooting a mild stream of current toward the opposite side on the tank. If you are planning on using the heater, do not plug in the heater until the next day, and then adjust the temperature setting as directed by the manufacture. Place one of your thermometers into the water so that you can keep watch of the water temperature and the other thermometer in the air in the left side of the aquarium (away from the basking light), so that you can keep track of ambient air temps. Finish up the inside by placing in your decorations and plants. Make sure all decorations are aquarium safe and nontoxic.

Last part of the setup is replacing the screen top and setting up the lighting units. Follow manufacturer instructions, but generally this is simply installing the light bulbs and plugging in the units. Position the basking heat lamp over the basking area so that the turtles can sit below it, generally the manufacturer will recommend the light units be around 12 inches above the actual basking area to provide the proper heat and UV light exposure, but simply follow the manufactures direction. The screen top will block a small portion of the UV exposure, which in this case is beneficial. If you place the heat lamp slightly off to one end of the basking area, it will allow the hatchlings a “hot” spot directly under the lamp, and a cooler spot slightly off to one side of the lamp. That way the turtles can adjust the heat they receive from the lamp by moving from one end of the basking area to the other. Aquatic Turtles should have a minimum of 6 hours per day of directed basking time and a general ambient daytime of 10-12 hours of UVA-UVB light.

Step Seven: Making it all Work: Now that the turtles aquarium is set up and running you should have a few days to let it all settle in. The water should have warmed to room temperature and the filter will have cleared up any dirt missed when rinsing the gravel. Proper average temps for hatchling turtles are between 75- 82 degrees. If your home is already at these temps, the water will reflect that and you’re ready to go. If your home is cooler, and the water heater is required, now is the time to plug it in and follow the manufactures directions in setting the temperature to 72-78 degrees. Generally, it takes a day or so to establish, so keep a watch on your water thermometer. Water temperatures are extremely important in maintaining the turtles body metabolism and to support good feeding, so maintaining a 78-degree average is your goal. Remember, residual heat from the basking light will also contribute to warmer water temps, so watch your water thermometer.

The water may go through periods of clouding during the next couple of weeks as the biosystem of the aquarium develops and stabilizes. Once the tank has “cycled” and beneficial bacteria have established themselves in the gravel bed and filter media the water quality will generally become more consistent. Once the water temps are up to 78-degrees and stable, you will be able to introduce the hatchlings.

Step Eight: Introduction of the hatchlings: Now that your turtle’s tank is stable and running, you are ready to introduce your new little best friends! If you have received your turtles through overnight delivery, the best way to acclimate them is to place them in a small container with a half inch of water from your aquarium. This allows them to calm down from the shipping experience and rehydrate a bit before being let loose in their new home.

Once they are ready (usually an hour or so) they can be added to the aquarium. Just place them in your palm, gently lower them into water and allow them to swim off into the aquarium. It is important that the hatchlings take a big gulp of air before diving into the water, this air allows them buoyancy to be able to swim and rise to the surface to breathe. This is why the aquarium has only 4-5 inches of water. Watch the hatchling as they swim and make sure they come to the surface for their first breath, if one is struggling to reach the surface just lift him out of the water and place him back on your palm until he dives back in. Some shy turtles may want to stay in their shells for a while longer, these turtles can be placed on the basking dock and allowed to drop into the water whenever their shyness has worn off. Once the hatchlings have been swimming around for a short while, you can easily see that all are coming to the surface to breathe and swimming well. It is a good idea to leave the lights on for the first 24 hours so that the babies may become familiar with their surroundings before the first dark period. Do not feed the hatchlings for this first 24 hours.

Step Nine: Scheduled Care and Maintenance: After the first 24 hours the turtles can be set on a regular schedule. You can begin to feed the hatchlings by simply sprinkling in the Hatchling food in small amounts they can consume within 2-3 minutes. Hatchlings can be fed multiple times a day to support their growth and development at this early stage of life. Be careful not to over feed at any single feeding. It may take a couple of feedings for the hatchlings to catch on and start chasing the food pellets. Many times, temporarily unplugging the filter can be helpful by allowing a calmer environment while the babies are eating. Take time to make sure that all hatchlings are feeding well. It doesn’t take long for the hatchlings to settle in and look forward to feeding time.

Filter maintenance, as prescribed by the manufacture should be performed on a regular basis, Hatchlings do not produce the large amounts of waste as larger turtles but still require periodic filter changes, gravel cleaning, and occasional water changes. The schedules for these cleaning and maintenance procedures can vary, but generally speaking the filter should be cleaned once every 2 weeks, the gravel vacuumed about the same, and a 25% water change once each month. The aquarium walls can be wiped down anytime to prevent algae build up. This regiment should keep the aquarium clean while not disturbing the biological balance of the aquarium.

Lighting periods for hatchling are equivalent to that of older turtles: General lighting (including UV) is between 10-12 hours a day. The heating-basking lights are usually available for 6-8 hours. This allows the turtles proper photo periods of both light and darkness with adequate amounts of basking time. Keep an eye on water temps as extended periods of basking heat can also increase water temperatures.

Step Ten: Enjoy Your Turtles!: Now that you have done the work required to properly set up your turtle adventure for success, it’s time to sit back and enjoy your turtles!  As time goes on and you gain more experience and confidence you will hopefully find, as most all of us did, that keeping turtles is a fun and rewarding adventure that just keeps on getting better. We hope you will find the initial investment you’ve made has brought back many times its value in the enjoyment of this wonderful hobby, and you have become a turtle lover for life.

Enjoy!