Is a 20-gallon tank safe for an adult turtle during boarding?

Thanks for your question about Jade! A 20 gallon tank is likely appropriate for him while he is young, however this species of map turtle can get to be about 10 inches or so in length, and due to this size, will need a larger tank as he gets to be full size. Ideally, the water level should be at least as deep as Jade is long, and more ideally it would be 1.5x deeper (ex: if Jade is 10 inches long, the water would be 15 inches deep). There would also need to be enough space for two haul out areas, one on the cool end of the enclosure and one on the warm end of the enclosure. There will also need to be space for a water heater to be present. With all of these items, it can get quite crowded in a small tank! I hope that helps to answer your question, and good luck!

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question! Yes, a 24 gallon tank is too small. Map Turtles like to swim a lot so therefore, they need a lot of space. A full grown Map Turtle will need at least a 75 gallon tank. Be sure to include a dry basking area. It is recommended that you have a sloped ramp leading up the basking area to allow for easy access. Hope this answers your question. Best wishes.

Symptoms of illness can include lethargy, decreased appetite, loose droppings, discharge from the eyes, nose or mouth, swimming crooked, difficulty breathing, wheezing or popping noises while breathing, swollen eyes, or blowing bubbles from the mouth or nose. Ideally, you should provide 10 gallons of water per inch of turtle. Keeping a hatchling with a larger turtle would not be recommended for the safety of the hatchling. The 10 gallon tank would be fine for the smaller turtle temporarily. Maintain a water depth of no deeper than twice the length of the shell.

Thanks for your question about Nugget. For the human health part of your question, the biggest disease that we worry about passing from reptiles to humans is Salmonella. There are other bacteria that they can also carry, but they don’t seem to cause as many problems for humans as Salmonella does. I would recommend washing your hands thoroughly after handing Nugget or cleaning the enclosure to help with this, and to clean the area where you dump the water (ie if you use the sink). For issues relating to a dirty enclosure for Nugget, there are many health problems that can occur with poor husbandry. They can get very sick from exposure to the high levels of bacteria present in their poop, and may stop eating, growing, etc. Often these infections take a long time to treat, and some reptiles don’t recover. I hope that answers your questions, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for reaching out about your turtle. There is no such thing as too big a tank, but the minimum will be determined by the size of the animal, and will change as it grows. The larger the water volume, the more stable the water quality. Turtles will probably need a water heater, haul out area, basking lamp with heat and ultraviolet B radiation. Good luck.

Thanks for using PetCoach! Here is a link of a good example of a good environment for an aquatic turtle though there is going to be some variation depending on the species. Have a good night! https://www.myturtlecam.com/habitat.php

I wouldn't recommend keeping a smaller turtle with a larger turtle. Oscar would harass or try to eat the smaller turtle. Red eared sliders can be quite territorial and aggressive towards other sliders. If you have a huge tank, say over 100 gallons, it *may* work. If you are set on having another turtle, look for one that is similar in size. The problem with mixing species is that there may be care and environmental differences that you may not be able to overcome in order to provide adequate care to both species.