Can I keep Florida soft-shelled turtles found on road? Tank size?

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.

Ideally, you'll need a tank between 75 gallons and 125 gallons. The general rule for turtles is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. Popular sites to search for tanks would be local yard sale sites or "List" sites. Be sure any tank you get from either of these sites don't leak. Check the local Petco as well. They have "$1 per Gallon" tank sales occasionally. Another affordable, but not aesthetically pleasing, option would be to use a plastic stock tank. These tanks are used as water containers for livestock. You can find them online or in stores such as Tractor Supply Co.

Thank you for your question, and thank you for the pictures! I would recommend taking this turtle back to where it was found, and placing it on the side of the road that it was trying to get to. It may have just been moving around in its territory when it was found. This would be the best course of action for the turtle, so that it can be part of the wild population and hopefully make little turtle babies in the future! It is so important to leave these guys in the wild because their population numbers are declining. Every turtle being back out in the wild will help! Thank you for caring for this turtle, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It looks like a juvenile slider. Ideally, a wild turtle should be returned to the area where found. They don't transition well to captivity Since it is a juvenile , you may have a better chance though. You can read about slider care here: http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html You can feed a commercial pellet or stick diet supplemented with fresh greens and some protein in the form of crickets, feeder fish or nightcrawlers. The water should be no deeper than twice the length of the shell and should be heated and filtered. Provide a heat lamp and UVB lighting.

An adult slider should have at least 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. Bigger is always better though, so if budget and space allow then try for a 75 or even 90 gallon tank. Provide a UVB light source unblocked by glass, plexiglass or fine mesh. Heat sources (for the water and for basking out of the water) are also necessary. A basking platform out of the water should be provided. Use a filter that is rated for at least twice the volume of any tank you choose. This will help maintain water quality. You can read more about keeping sliders at the links below. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Eared-Slider-Care-Sheet/

Those are a pair of yellow belly sliders. They are common throughout your state. Returning them to the spot you found them or to the nearest body of water would be recommended as well. If you plan on keeping them, check local, state and federal wildlife laws first. Care of this species is identical to its cousin, the red eared slider. You can review care at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

Thanks for reaching out about Shelley. Starting with a good website such as the San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society (instead of just copying it to here). At the minimum, a 30-40 gallon aquarium. Set up for a haul out area under a basking site. The basking site should reach 90+ degrees and also include ultraviolet B radiation (special bulb). Food can consist of turtle pellets (purchased in small quantities, used in 3 months, with the remainder thrown away). Fresh chopped vegetables can also be offered but it usually takes a while for turtles to accept it as food. Testing water quality and cleaning regularly. Good luck.