Reasons not to get a turtle.

Yes it is sad to say we had to give our turtle away for a better life. Don't get me wrong we took good care of her, but she just got too big and our tank was just too small. Sure turtles are so cute and look like fun at the pet store and they are. Eventually they get big and a 55 gallon tank just wont cut it any more. So here are my reasons not to get a turtle.

Reason 1. 12 inches is a lot bigger than you think. When you look at a ruler you think its not that big, but just wait until your turtle gets that big, you wont know what to do to give her enough room because lets face it a tank that would be big and wide enough is $500 plus. 

Reason 2. Plan on having a pond outside and doing the maintenance on it. Sure the tank will serve you well for 1-2 years, but once that turtle gets so big it can barely swim, its time to bust that pond out. Ponds can run anywhere from $100 and up. You might as well get a pool, and if you thought cleaning the tank was bad every two ish weeks think again! The pond is much bigger so obviously much more work.

Reason 3. Turtles are mean. Maybe not all turtles, but ours wasn't the nicest once she got big enough and realized she could defend herself. Her nails got so sharp and there was noway in Hades I was clipping/ trimming those suckers. She was always trying to snap at me, it was an all around no when it came to holding her.

Those are my 3 main reasons to not get a turtle. If you can handle caring and providing for one go for it!