i would love golden phesants. my friend has some, he also has peacocks, but my mom hates birds so i cant do birds, i think outdoor turtles would be the way to go. are there any that wont outlive me tho?
small turtle
- Thread starter austinpetemo
- Start date
actually no, i cant think of any turtle what so ever that couldnt at least live a humans lifetime :hypnotized:
what does your mom like....?
what does your mom like....?
Did you take a look at anoles? They're small, easy to keep, easy to handle, and they don't live as long as turtles.
I hope you find something that you AND your mom can enjoy (or at least tolerate).
from http://www.wnyherp.org/care-sheets/lizards/green-anole.php
I hope you find something that you AND your mom can enjoy (or at least tolerate).
(Whoa...this turned into a longer post than it was meant to be. Sorry.)
I second the anoles. In addition to green anoles, there are also Bahaman anoles, and I believe a few others that are commonly kept as pets.
Certain frogs are also great for 10 gallon aquariums.
Also, mourning geckos, if can find them, are great! They get to be about 3 inches, and you can successfully keep up to 6 in a ten gallon aquarium. They are, however, parthenogenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis), which means they breed without the use of males (subsequently, all mourning geckos are females). You can remove the eggs when they are laid though. They are quite entertaining to watch. They will squish their tails at each other (the more you have in a smaller aquarium, the more territorial they will be) and their food and make a little clicking noise. They are, in many countries, an invasive species, and as such are able to withstand a wide range of conditions. They can be kept at room temperature as well, with a good misting in the morning. I have two of these and, as I said, they are very entertaining.
Another option may be pygmy chameleons. I don't know much about their care, but here is a site: http://www.crestedlady.com/pygmycaresheet.htm. An aquarium, however, may not be the best enclosure for them.
Please, please, please do not get a turtle to keep in a ten gallon. Many people say you need ten gallons per inch of turtle. (I personally don't follow this very closely as I do maintenance on my turtle tanks two or three times a week and my turtles have plenty of swimming room.) You also need 2 or 3 times the amount of filtration you would need for fish. In a 20 gallon turtle tank, you would need a filter that's made for at least a 40 gallon tank. In my 55 gallon turtle tank, I have enough filtration for 130 gallons of water. In my other tank which has about 15 gallons of water, I have enough filtration for 40 gallons. Another thing to consider with a turtle tank is horizontal, not vertical, space is important. Turtles are very messy (messier than even goldfish).
Also, if you are considering getting in herp, and you live that far away from a pet store, you will probably want to order your live food online. This is much cheaper and you don't have to spend all that time and gas getting to the pet store.
I second the anoles. In addition to green anoles, there are also Bahaman anoles, and I believe a few others that are commonly kept as pets.
Certain frogs are also great for 10 gallon aquariums.
Also, mourning geckos, if can find them, are great! They get to be about 3 inches, and you can successfully keep up to 6 in a ten gallon aquarium. They are, however, parthenogenic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis), which means they breed without the use of males (subsequently, all mourning geckos are females). You can remove the eggs when they are laid though. They are quite entertaining to watch. They will squish their tails at each other (the more you have in a smaller aquarium, the more territorial they will be) and their food and make a little clicking noise. They are, in many countries, an invasive species, and as such are able to withstand a wide range of conditions. They can be kept at room temperature as well, with a good misting in the morning. I have two of these and, as I said, they are very entertaining.
Another option may be pygmy chameleons. I don't know much about their care, but here is a site: http://www.crestedlady.com/pygmycaresheet.htm. An aquarium, however, may not be the best enclosure for them.
Please, please, please do not get a turtle to keep in a ten gallon. Many people say you need ten gallons per inch of turtle. (I personally don't follow this very closely as I do maintenance on my turtle tanks two or three times a week and my turtles have plenty of swimming room.) You also need 2 or 3 times the amount of filtration you would need for fish. In a 20 gallon turtle tank, you would need a filter that's made for at least a 40 gallon tank. In my 55 gallon turtle tank, I have enough filtration for 130 gallons of water. In my other tank which has about 15 gallons of water, I have enough filtration for 40 gallons. Another thing to consider with a turtle tank is horizontal, not vertical, space is important. Turtles are very messy (messier than even goldfish).
Also, if you are considering getting in herp, and you live that far away from a pet store, you will probably want to order your live food online. This is much cheaper and you don't have to spend all that time and gas getting to the pet store.
Soooo, you're thinking maybe turtle. I will say right off that with college in 2 years, turtle = not a wise choice, not so much for you or even your Mom - just the turtle. it really does sound like you are passionate about animals and goodness knows I understand that burning desire to care for more and create habitats for them to live.
Flip side, I can see Mom's pont of view too.
The first thought that comes to my mind is what about seeing if there is an opportunity to foster an animal (possibly even a turtle...or two) in your area? A call to the nearest humane society , shelter & veternary offices might turn up a local rehabber or resucuer that could use a hand. Reality is there are often not nearly enough people able or willing to care for herps and maybe you could help out one that really needs care and then re-home it when you head off to college? Maybe too this could lead you to helping with a variety of animals without being tied to any when it's time to go out of town with the folks?
All of that being said, if you are determined to do a turtle in TX & it would be outdoors, & you could do an outside water pond (Mom might like it if you put in the work...) I'd suggest a slider, hardy, less delicate than a box turt, and if you have a filter in your pond, given your locale you would be sidestepping the issue that gets most people into trouble with sliders, it won't outgrow the pond like it would a fishtank.
If you are thinking turtle, Research, Research, Research!!!
A good place to start austinsturtlepage & the associated turtleforum.
The library for books, and take lots of notes on pros (and cons) Mom's like that before you ask Mom, much easier to make an informed choice...better for all of you.
Flip side, I can see Mom's pont of view too.
The first thought that comes to my mind is what about seeing if there is an opportunity to foster an animal (possibly even a turtle...or two) in your area? A call to the nearest humane society , shelter & veternary offices might turn up a local rehabber or resucuer that could use a hand. Reality is there are often not nearly enough people able or willing to care for herps and maybe you could help out one that really needs care and then re-home it when you head off to college? Maybe too this could lead you to helping with a variety of animals without being tied to any when it's time to go out of town with the folks?
All of that being said, if you are determined to do a turtle in TX & it would be outdoors, & you could do an outside water pond (Mom might like it if you put in the work...) I'd suggest a slider, hardy, less delicate than a box turt, and if you have a filter in your pond, given your locale you would be sidestepping the issue that gets most people into trouble with sliders, it won't outgrow the pond like it would a fishtank.
If you are thinking turtle, Research, Research, Research!!!
A good place to start austinsturtlepage & the associated turtleforum.
The library for books, and take lots of notes on pros (and cons) Mom's like that
before you ask Mom, much easier to make an informed choice...better for all of you.
I second Pygmy Chameleons for your 10 gallon. Anoles are some of the most abused lizard species out there right after green iguanas. A 10 is really small for even 1 anole let alone a couple or trio. They have large territories in the wild and they live in loose groups, something you can't provide in a 10 gallon. I don't think I've ever seen Morning Geckos for sale but another common choice would be any of the House Gecko species. You could keep a pair in a 10. You could also keep a pair or trio or Viper or Dune geckos in a tank like that.
