I live in Melbourne Australia Vic and i want to get two turtles?

SaturdayBabe asked:

I live in Melbourne and i want two turtles ive got a few questions:
-What type of turtle should i get. (i would prefere one that is small and the maximum it will reach is 8 inches long
-One that will hibernate
-will survive hot summer weather
-and that isnt aggressive or mean to other animals
- Can protect itself against preditors
- PRETTY!!!!!

Hope you can help im a first time turtle owner.

Comments (2) Posted in Reptiles

Subscribe RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or Trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to 'I live in Melbourne Australia Vic and i want to get two turtles?'

P a i g e x - October 24th, 2009 at 12:36 am
I would suggest a box turtle, although they are not recommended for first time owners as they need to be kept in a large area outside.
- grow to roughly 6 inches long
-They will hibernate if it the temperature falls
-not agressive
-Pretty =]
Tempest - October 25th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Here in Australia we can only keep native species, so this strictly rules out Box Turtles, I suggest if you havent done your research – do not reply to someones question..

The most commonly kept turtle here is the Murray River turtle (Emydura macquarii). They cost about $60-70 for a hatchling, and grow to be around 12 inches. They do hibernate and generally have a good temperament. Dont know why you ask whether it can defend against predators, it is YOUR job to make sure it has a suitable enclosure and away from harm.

Another common one is the Eastern Long or Snake Neck turtle (Chelodina longicollis). These can also get up to 12 inches in size. These can also hiberate. Care sheet :

However hibernation should only be attempted in healthy animals over 2 years of age.

These are probably the most hardy turtles you can get, but they generally arent very ‘pretty’ as you say. Most Australian species are not particularly colourful, though I dont see why this should matter.

Just google these names if you want more information.

Good luck