Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Trevor]

I'm thinking of gettng some turtles. I don;t want to commit to a cat or dog in Korea, for obvious reasons, but I don't think a tank full of turtles would be heartbroken if I gave them away after I left. I'd buy a big tank and take good care of them.

Anybody ever had turtles. Where do I buy one of those big fish tanks? I want all the best for my new turtles.

[Dazed and Confused]

I've never had turtles but from my understanding they can be difficult to care for. A big tank of water isn't the best thing for them. They have to sun themselves and get dry sometimes. They get salmonella and pass it to humans. Then there's the fact they live for a very long time.

[bluelake]

When my son was in elementary school, we had two turtles. We later felt we were neglecting them, so we released them into a pond.

The other day, I saw large box turtles for sale (20,000 won) at E-Mart, along with the large aquariums.

[Trevor]

Hmmm...and I've been trying to steer clear of the salmonella during my stay in Korea...

[RACETRAITOR]

[khyber]

I cared for some turtles a few years ago when I was teaching at a school.
Sadly, the school didn't really care about/for them. They had a tank and a perch; not even a light. Those poor things.

And they stunk and cleaning out the tank was freakin' gross.

You gotta wash EVERY time you touch those hoors.

[oldtactics]

They stink and god help you if you live in a small apartment, the whole place will smell. In my opinion.

[Thewhiteyalbum]

Get a hamster.

[Trevor]

No interest in rodents. Never had. When the neighbors cat ate my sister's gerbil's she cried her eyes out. I felt no remorse.

[coralreefer_1]

I think turtles would be a great choice.

I have kept turtles ever since I was a little boy (not the same ones of course) and they are not difficult at all to take care of.

Of course, assuming you are getting the readily available water turtles at E-mart, they will need a tank. A turtle tank should not stink, the same way a fish tank does not stink. So long as you are using a filter and the water is moving around a bit, you should never smell a thing.



As far as difficulty in cleaning the tank, that will depend on how you set the tank up. If you design some elaborate set-up with tons of pebbles/rocks/overhangs etc, then it can be time consuming. The filter keeps it pretty clean. Occasionally you should empty it all and wash the tank with warm water and a mild soap. I only do that once every other month, and I have always had a clean and odor-free tank with that schedule.

Of course disease can be a problem, and should wash your hands after touching the turtles, but you should not be touching the turtles often. The only time I can imagine you would handle them would be to take them out to clean the tank. If you handle them regularly, you open the risk of passing something to them as well of getting something yourself. The salmonella thing comes from some time ago children were putting the baby turtles in their mouths. I assume you are responsible enough not to do that:) The same way you should wash your hands after touching raw chicken, so you should also for touching the turtles.

For cleanliness, I do not use the tiny "colored" pebbles on the bottom of the tank. I prefer a more "natural" set-up..so I go outside and find small pebbles and use those on the bottom. These will allow for more circulation of the water, and help prevent feces and food particles from settling so deep into bottom and not being circulated and caught in the filter.

Technically speaking, you should use a certain type of light for them, though these are hard to find in Korea. Their minerals they get from natural light helps to keep their shells hard. This can be overcome by placing them in a place where they can get natural sunlight for a period of time during the day. Also there are calcium supplements for turtles that do not get the right kind of light. Honestly I have never worried about this, as my turtles live in a safe and protected home and have no need to worry about predators, hence I don't worry so much about their shell. Any normal light will provide them with basking heat, and they don't know the difference.

Turtles make great pets! They don't require alot of space, don't make noise, don't need to see a vet for regular check-ups and vaccinations, and the food is cheap. Assuming you take a few moments to clean the catch in the filter every few days, and empty the tank and put fresh water every couple of months, you should never have a smell in your apartment.

[MollyBloom]

Right in my neighborhood is a place called Themarium, which is an aquarium store. It's all lit up like the Northern Lights. You have to take the bus to Sinsa Station, but make sure you take the bus that lets you off in the middle of the road (take blue buses 402, 420, 441, 470, 145). You want to cross to the side of the street where the Starbucks and Shinhan Bank are and go down the hill where the aforementioned businesses are. Keep on walking straight for about 7 minutes and you will hit it.


http://www.themarium.com

[Trevor]

Thanks for the information. I may PM you as I get furhter along. what happens when you go on vacation? Do they need daily care?

[Trevor]

Nice, but they look pricey. I was thinking of getting a big used tank such as the ones that you see on the street outside of restaurants and seafood markets. They are common and ca't be too expensive.

[coralreefer_1]

[quote="Trevor"]Thanks for the information. I may PM you as I get furhter along. what happens when you go on vacation? Do they need daily care?


Going on vacation is no problem at all. As reptiles they can go quite a long time without eating, even weeks depending on the species.

Daily care is minimal at the most. I have an electric timer that I brought from America attached to my light, so it comes on and off at the times I set it to. Without that, you would have to turn the light on and off, depending on how much light you want to give them. Again, the light is not a life or death issue. I've kept many turtles and never used a light back in my younger days. Even a simple desklamp is enough to give them warmth when basking.

As far as food, I feed each turtle about 2-3 sticks of the typical "Reptomin" food daily. (i have 3 turtles in the tank) Having the nature that they do, they will eat until full if you feed them enough, but doing that will cause them to grow quickly and the tank will become smaller for them. Also they will gorge themselves, causing their body to grow so quickly that the shell cannot keep up with the growth, which can kill them.

Both light and food are not serious issues. If you forgot the food for a few days, they will not die. If you didn't turn on the light for some time, no big issue there either. Ideally they would prefer regular food and light, but a short lack of either will not cause death.

Feel free to PM me anytime.

[Underwaterbob]

Someone mentioned cleaning the tank with a mild soap. Don't. Soap leaves a residue that isn't good for them. Use some diluted bleach, it rinses out easily and doesn't leave any residue.