Job Discussion Forums

[MO39]

About the only kind of pet I have space for in my very small apartment is a little turtle or two. Does anyone know a good place in Mexico City (somewhere in the Centro) to buy healthy specimens plus the whole set-up: a home for the little creatures, food and so on?

[Guy Courchesne]

You can start with Maskota, the most prevalent pet store chain in the city. Mercado Sonora will have turtles and supplies as well. Or, wait for Gary Denness to find this post...he's a turtle fanatic.

[Guy Courchesne]

So did you buy the turtles? I'm anxious to know if it's worth getting some little swimmers to complement the animal farm I live in now. Puppies and ferrets and turtles, oh my.

[MO39]

[notamiss]

Hey, I have a turtle pen that has been taking up space since our turtle days. It would be good to see it put to use.

[MO39]

If your turtle pen will fit on the cabinet in front of my livingroom window, I'd be happy to take it off your hands!

[Gary Denness]

I've found this post vary late Guy, but found it I have! Mo, think carefully before you get any turtles! More carefully than I did, anyway! They have plenty of pros, because they are cute and fascinating little creatures. But it's the cons you should be aware of...!

Those little 5 peso coin sized turtles will be the size of a saucer within a couple of years, and can grow to about 12 inches when fully mature. They need quite a bit of water to swim in, so whilst a small aquarium is ok now, you'll be looking for one measured in feet not inches pretty soon!

http://my.opera.com/garydenness/blog/2007/08/23/hungry-like-a-turtle

They are tropical, so you'll need to heat the water, which pushes the electricity bill up noticeably. Also you'll either need a UV light or put them in an outdoor pool for the sun. No sun or light, and they die.

They eat. Alot. They're carnivores when they're young. And they poop. A lot. And it really, really smells! So even with a good filter, cleaning the tank is a regular weekly job. A big tank isn't easy to clean!
http://my.opera.com/garydenness/blog/2007/05/29/dinner-for-three

If they get sick you have to find a specialist herp vet, and visits start at about $300...and they can live for 30 to 40 years.

But having said all that, they are great little companions in their own little way. They do recognise you anyhow.

http://my.opera.com/garydenness/blog/2007/11/12/angus-aka-fatboy

http://my.opera.com/garydenness/blog/2008/03/03/turtle-acrobatics

[lozwich]

[MELEE]

I didn't say anything earlier, mostly because MO is an adult who knows how to wash her hands.
But last year in the us 300+ children contracted salmonella from pet turtles.

Not exactly a good choice for a pet.

[MO39]

I often fault myself for being a procrastinator, but in this case, it looks like I was wise to put off purchasing a couple of cute turtles to keep me company. Gary, thanks for all the straightforward information. I never thought about how big turtles could get because when I had them in the States when I was a child, they never lived long enough to become bigger than a ten-peso coin. My apartment gets sun during the day (I'm on the top floor of a 4-story building), so that shouldn't be a problem, but I don't know if I could deal with the poop smell while eating my morning croissant with jam repast. Maybe I could get a goldfish instead. Or wait till I have a bigger apartment someday...

[Phil_K]

[lozwich]

[geaaronson]

If you go over to the American Embassy, Marsha, there`s the food court on Calle Lerma and there are a few bigger turtles in front for sale, I believe. They also have parrots but I don`t think you are ready for that.

[dixie]

[MO39]