Last Updated: 29/05/2025
Pet Turtle Care Guide
All the facts you need to know about Turtles.
Author: Dr Nicole Wynne BSc BVMS MANZCVS (Unusual Pets)
Reading Time: 64 minutes - extensive read
Last Updated: 29/05/2025
All the facts you need to know about Turtles.
Author: Dr Nicole Wynne BSc BVMS MANZCVS (Unusual Pets)
Reading Time: 64 minutes - extensive read
Turtles are fascinating creatures, and while they do come with their own mobile homes, there's still plenty you need to do to ensure that they remain safe and healthy. Contrary to popular belief, turtles are not easy or low maintenance pets to keep, and due to their water quality requirements, they may be one of the most high maintenance reptile species you can keep in Australia!
There are three commonly-kept pet turtles species in Australia:
There are other species that can be kept as well, but require more stringent licensing and more experience. These do differ from state to state:
A solid period of preparation is key, and it will make the first 6 months of turtle keeping much easier. Be sure to check the licensing requirements for your species of choice in your state. Reptile-keeping licences differ in terms of structure and species allowed from state to state, and they can take time to get, so plan ahead. First, decide on which species of turtle you want to keep, as the maximum adult size does differ from species to species. The rule of thumb with turtle enclosures is the bigger the better, as turtles are notorious for fouling water. An adult-sized enclosure will save you money in the long run as if you invest in a high quality tank, it will last you through the life of your turtle.
Make sure you are comfortable and happy with where your tank is located, as once it is full of water and turtles it will be very difficult to move!
For beginners, Eastern Long-Neck Turtles or Murray River Turtles are good species to start off with. The Eastern Long-Neck Turtle can grow up to 26 cm in length, and Murray River Turtles can grow up to 30 cm in length. The minimum water depth in a turtle tank should be twice the length of their shell. Ideally, a tank large enough to house an adult turtle should be 1.8 m x 0.6 m x 0.6 m. This size will be able to accommodate up to 3 adult turtles.
When sourcing your turtle, get the largest and oldest turtle within your budget. While smaller turtles are cute, they are much more fragile, and less able to stand up to poor water quality, fluctuating temperatures, and nutritional imbalances. It is also important to ensure that you are sourcing your turtle from an ethical and reliable supplier. While you may not be able to view their breeding stock due to biosecurity reasons, they should be extremely knowledgeable about their breeding practices, husbandry of species kept, and have a good relationship with a reptile vet. If you are inexperienced, stay away from wild-caught turtles as they may harbour parasites that are not found in captive-bred animals, and this may also be illegal depending on the species and state. Visiting a breeder can also help give you an idea of what the maintenance and size requirements are for your species of choice, and they can chat to you about care requirements.
Making sure that your setup can maintain good water quality is essential to successful turtle-keeping. The largest space you can get is the best, as increased water volume will help to dilute any waste products they produce, and give you more leeway for your filtering system. Turtles require a dry area that they can climb up on as well as a swimming area. The dry area will also function as a basking spot where the hot end of the enclosure should sit, as well as UV lighting. The basking spot should be kept at 29-30 degrees Celsius, and water between 24-26 degrees. There are two main ways you can set up an enclosure:
A dry area can be constructed in a tank using large and medium-sized rocks, limestone, and gravel. You can also use commercial products like the Exo Terra Turtle Bank, which attaches to the side of the tank using magnets, and includes a ramp for easy access. You can be as creative as you like with tanks, and with some planning, you can even create a mini beach! Do ensure that any substrate and materials you use for furnishing comes from a reputable supplier, as materials not meant for aquarium use may contain toxic ingredients.
Your enclosure should also be located in a room with as few temperature fluctuations as possible. For example, a room where the air conditioning is constantly being turned on or off is not ideal, or a room that gets strong sunlight for only a few hours each day.
Finally, other pets in the household should not be able to access the enclosure, even if they can't open it or get on top of it. Dogs and cats are predators of reptiles.
Pond setups will require a fiberglass pond or waterproof material to be sunk into the ground, and the most important thing when planning installation is to ensure that it is easy for turtles to get in and out of the water. They should have multiple points of entry and exit. Fencing should also be sunk into the ground, as turtles can dig! Choosing the location of your pond is very important, as it will factor into water temperature, potential predators, and water fouling. For example, if the pond is situated under a tree, bird droppings may contribute to water fouling. UV lighting and heating is still recommended for outdoor setups, especially in the basking spot, so ensure electrical connections are available.
Once you've built the framework for your enclosure, you can start setting up your filtration system, cycling the tank and adding plants.
The filtration system is vitally important for maintaining the health of your turtle. Turtles require a powerful filtration system as they produce a lot of waste. They are also very messy eaters, and uneaten food or food particulates will contribute to water fouling and reduction of water quality. Some keepers use a separate feeding tank for feeding to reduce water fouling. With large, messy animals like turtles, canister filters are the best option as they provide the most filtration power, and some canister filters like the Bioscape Tropic Canister UV Filter even incorporate UV light for sanitation. Depending on the number of animals and the size of the tank, you may require multiple canister filters.
Although canister filters appear daunting, they are actually fairly simple to maintain, as the filter media just stacks within the canister. They are also great for customising, which means that if your water quality indicates that extra mechanical, biological, or chemical filtration is needed, you can adjust the contents accordingly. Canister filters also have a long lifespan as all the filtration media, and often filter parts, are replaceable, which means that you only have to replace the part you need. If an important part such as the pump breaks, your local aquarium shop may also be able to fix it for you.
There are several ways you can source water for your turtles, and even tap water is suitable! Other sources include rainwater and filtered water; however, filtered water is often difficult unless you have a home filter system. Regardless of the source of your water, all water should be tested with a water testing kit prior to adding to the tank. Tap water should also be allowed to sit uncovered for at least 24 hours to allow any chlorine to evaporate. If you are unsure if your home filter system removes chlorine, allow it to sit uncovered as well.
Once your tap water has been left to sit out, it should still have a conditioner added to ensure that any other impurities or potential toxins are removed. Basic water conditioners like the API Tapwater Conditioner are suitable, and there are water conditioners to suit almost every need! For example, the API Pond Stress Coat Water Conditioner contains extra ingredients to help maintain healthy skin in aquarium animals, and API Ammo Lock specifically removes toxic ammonia from the water. They even make one specifically for turtles! This is one of the reasons why testing your water is so important, as it allows you to make the appropriate adjustments prior to adding it to your tank.
The same steps apply for water used for water changes, and if anything, more vigilance is needed, as unsuitable water can ruin an established tank!
Cycling the water in your enclosure is of utmost importance in ensuring that water quality is maintained when you first introduce your turtle. Water cycling ensures that the beneficial bacteria that help to break down waste products in your tank get a chance to colonise the tank properly. Without these colonies of good bacteria, filtration systems will struggle, and lack of established good bacteria in tanks is the reason for 'New Tank Syndrome' which is when the level of good bacteria cannot handle the amount of nitrites that your tank occupants are producing. Increased levels of nitrites and other waste products are toxic to turtles and fish, and unfortunately will start causing illness and death very quickly.
Water cycling can take up to 8 weeks, so be patient! Water testing is very important to keep track of how your tank is progressing, and the API Freshwater Aquarium Master Test Kit is a super handy, all-in-one kit that will tell you exactly what is happening with your water quality.
The key to water cycling is to introduce the good bacteria, and then nourish and support their growth. Pet Circle stocks a range of bottled bacteria ready to colonise your new tank. With water cycling, you are also trying to colonise your filtration system with good bacteria. Larger filters include sections for biological media, which provides a place for good bacteria to grow, such as the Pisces Laboratories Ceramic Rings. Biological media are usually hollow and porous to maximise surface area and protect the bacteria.
In preparation for water cycling, you will also need a source of water fouling for your bacteria to feed on. Fish or turtle food is fine, or you can use small, hardy fish such as danios, guppies, or tiger barbs to produce waste. The fish should be fed sparingly every 2-3 days, or if you are using just food, a few flakes or pellets can be dropped into the tank every 12-24 hours. Do note that small fish are likely to be eaten by your turtle once they are introduced!
During the initial 1-2 weeks of cycling, you are looking for some (3-4 parts per million) of ammonia in the tank to give the bacteria something to feed on, and this is where daily water testing comes in. Once you have established a steady level of ammonia, you can start testing for nitrite levels, which is an ammonia breakdown product. When you start seeing nitrites, you know that your cycling has started successfully!
The next step is for the bacteria to convert nitrite into nitrate. Your ammonia and nitrite levels should be steady for another 2-3 weeks, and you will start seeing a drop in nitrite levels, and a corresponding rise in nitrate levels. Ammonia and nitrite levels should continue to drop to zero, and that's when it is ready for tank inhabitants to be added!
If your water cycling isn't going according to plan, a partial (20-50% water change) and adding more bacteria should bring it back on track.
You're almost ready! Other equipment you might need include tank furniture, such as floating docks, fun ornaments, and real or plastic plants. You may also want feeding accessories depending on how you plan on feeding your turtle. Ensure that all furniture is examined and cannot be swallowed before use, and clean them thoroughly with water, as well as a disinfectant if you like. Ensure that anything treated with a disinfectant is thoroughly rinsed prior to use.
You will also need a place to store fresh food for your turtle. A combination of fish-based pellets and a variety of 4-5 different kinds of fresh food is ideal. Frozen fresh food is fine as long as it is thoroughly defrosted and brought to room temperature prior to feeding. Examples of suitable fresh food include prawns, whitefish, whitebait, and mussels. Ensure that defrosting containers are thoroughly washed after each use.
Australian turtles will readily eat live insects, and this is a great way of ensuring that they get their vitamins and minerals, as live insects can be gut-loaded with a reptile supplement, whereas dusted food will tend to lose a lot of supplement to the water. Live insects like crickets and roaches should be gut loaded with a reptile supplement 24 hours prior to being fed. If you wish to dust your fresh food, dust with a fine powder supplement, allow to dry, then feed with tongs to minimise the amount of time the food item is in the water.
If you want to use a separate feeding tank, ensure it is large enough for your turtle to move freely.
A water heater will be needed regardless of your setup to ensure water temperature is kept between 24-26 degrees, and a system that includes a thermometer and thermostat is ideal to ensure that the temperature is automatically regulated.
UV lighting should be combined with a heat source at the basking spot, and UV lighting should not be more than 30 cm away from the animal in order to be effective. UV light is also filtered by glass and plastic, and so should be unimpeded. Like water temperature, basking heat is best controlled with a system that includes a thermometer and thermostat for automatic regulation, and care should be taken to ensure the animal cannot reach the lamp.
You can also add an in-water calcium block for extra calcium supplementation, but be aware that these blocks are not a substitute for proper diet and UV lighting.
Your turtle can be placed straight into the wet or dry portion of the enclosure, but do monitor them for at least an hour after introduction to ensure that they are adapting well, and there aren't any escape points or other hazards that have been overlooked.
If you are introducing a new animal into an established enclosure, quarantine them in a separate enclosure, ideally in a completely different part of the house, for 4 weeks beforehand.
Your turtle's head is a good guide to what size of food they can comfortably strike and swallow, and food items should be no larger than half of their head size. A typical feeding amount per session is about the size of the turtle's head, and younger turtles can be fed once every 48 hours, and older turtles 2-3 times a week.
It is important that turtles get a variety of foods to ensure that their diet is balanced. A variety of at least 5 different food items is recommended, and even more is better. A good mix of food items includes basa/catfish, crickets, pinky mice, commercial turtle pellets, prawns, and whitebait. Other options include mealworms, feeder cockroaches, organ meats like liver and heart, live feeder fish, woodies, and molluscs. Any saltwater food items should be soaked in freshwater for at least an hour prior to feeding.
While the importance of vegetation in the diet of Australian turtles is debatable, we still recommend providing water plants such as duckweed and azolla in all turtle enclosures. Even if they are not eaten, they still provide refuge for the biological filter, environmental enrichment for your turtle, and creates a lovely natural-looking enclosure.
Australian turtles only eat in water, and so they should always be fed while in the wet portion of the enclosure. Introducing the food into the water near the turtle's head is the best way to get them to strike. Feeding tongs are great for moving the food item around a little to get your turtle's interest, and to maintain hygiene. It also reduces the risk of being accidentally bitten! As turtles can harbour Salmonella, it is important to avoid even minor injuries that break the skin.
Each feeding session should not last more than 20 minutes, and sessions should stop once your turtle slows their feeding rate and loses interest. Any uneaten food should be removed from the tank once the feeding session is over to reduce water fouling. Alternatively, a separate feeding tank can be used to minimise fouling from food debris. A feeding tank does not need to be a full setup, but water heating and enough space for your turtle to manoeuvre freely in the water is a must. Water preparation and quality should still be the same as for the main tank, but the concern for preserving the bacterial filter isn't there, as the water can just be changed 100% once fouled.
Each feeding session should not last more than 20 minutes, and sessions should stop once your turtle slows their feeding rate and loses interest. Any uneaten food should be removed from the tank once the feeding session is over to reduce water fouling. Alternatively, a separate feeding tank can be used to minimise fouling from food debris. A feeding tank does not need to be a full setup, but water heating and enough space for your turtle to manoeuvre freely in the water is a must. Water preparation and quality should still be the same as for the main tank, but the concern for preserving the bacterial filter isn't there, as the water can just be changed 100% once fouled.
Turtles are not difficult to handle, and they're unlikely to bite, but there are still some basics that need to be followed to ensure your turtle is safe and injuries to yourself and your turtle don't happen. The most important is to reduce your risk of scratches, as turtle claws can be very sharp, and to reduce the risk of dropping your turtle, as drops and falls can cause shell cracks and fractures, which may be difficult to treat.
A good basic grip is to hold your turtle on the top (carapace) and bottom (plastron) shell from between their hind legs. It is difficult for them to scratch you as their hind legs are not as flexible as their fronts. Turtles can be quite wriggly when picked up, so do ensure that you stay close to the ground until you are comfortable handling your turtle to reduce the risk of serious falls.
Turtles are easy to transport. A plastic container with holes in the lid, lined with a damp towel is an easy, cost-effective transport container. You can also use most commercially available pet carriers and pet packs as long as your turtle can be safely enclosed. If you are concerned about escape, you can contain your turtle in a damp calico bag prior to putting the turtle in the carrier.
Finally, ensure that you sanitise or wash your hands before and after handling your turtle.
It is vitally important that water quality is the top priority, with regular water testing done every 2-4 weeks, and filter equipment maintained according to manufacturer specifications. Weighing your turtle regularly and recording the weight is also highly recommended, and a great way to ensure that your turtle is growing as expected. Weighing every 2-4 weeks is ideal. Weight is important as it can be difficult to tell if a turtle is gaining or losing condition.
A vet visit with an exotics vet should be organised for your turtle once you get it, then every 6-12 months ongoing depending on what your vet recommends. Even though your turtle may be healthy, it is still important to keep up with regular health checks to catch problems before they become symptomatic. Your vet will also be able to discuss husbandry and other questions you may have about keeping turtles.
While not an exhaustive list, we've compiled a list of exotic pet vets by state below.
When you have a vet visit, always bring a current photograph of your enclosure that demonstrates your set up well. Bring a water sample as well so they can examine or test it if required. Your vet is also likely to ask you some questions:
1. How often do you change the water, and what percentage of water do you normally change?
2. How often do you test your water quality, and what results do you get?
3. Do you have your weight records for your turtle?
4. What is your turtle's normal diet, and how often are they fed?
5. What temperature is your water and basking spot?
Recognizing potential symptoms of disease early and seeking prompt veterinary care is key to a smooth recovery. Symptoms can arise from several different illnesses, and diagnostic testing is likely required to pinpoint the cause of the issue. For example, many shell and skin conditions require microscopic examination of a sample to identify the causative organisms.
While waiting for your vet appointment, ensure that you do a round of water testing and double check water and basking temperatures. Check your UV lighting as well to see if your globe needs changing.
The enclosure should be spot cleaned daily with a full clean every 1-2 weeks. Spot cleaning involves removing and replacing soiled substrate or water, and a full clean involves a complete substrate change, sanitization, and replacement, as well as a partial water change of 20-40% depending on the water quality. Testing and recording water quality parameters during this time can also help guide ongoing cleaning schedules.
Maintenance also involves looking after your equipment, especially the filtration system, as a failing filter will cause water quality to decrease rapidly, leading to illness. Thermometers and thermostats should also be checked regularly with an external thermometer to ensure basking and water temperatures are appropriate. UV lighting should also be checked to ensure output is still sufficient, and many brands of UV lights require bulb changes every 3-6 months.
Tank or pond walls should be scrubbed of algae if appropriate, and repairs made to the dry area if needed. If the enclosure is planted, plant debris may need to be removed.
Enjoy your little shelly friend! Turtles are fascinating creatures, and you'll have the perfect window into their lives. You'll also be surprised at how interactive they can be, especially during feeding time, and you'll slowly build a relationship with this beautiful creature with ancient origins - their fossil history dates back to the Cretaceous period, up to 145 million years ago!
Want to know more? Take a look at our other reptile articles:
Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
Veterinarian, MANZCVS (Unusual Pets)
Dr. Nicole graduated from Murdoch University in WA in 2014, and immediately started working in exotics-only practice. She was also one of the few vets in Australia that would routinely see venomous snakes ranging from death adders to tiger snakes. Although Dr. Nicole enjoys seeing all exotic pets, her absolute favourite are rabbits. She passed her Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists Membership (MANZCVS) exam in unusual and exotic pets in 2021.
