What you might not know about me, is that when I’m not blogging, I’m taking care of and playing with my pets. I’m a full-fledged pet owner and a pet lover and I feel like my pets need constant interaction on a daily basis. My pets are my family. Even my yellow belly slider turtles; Pokey and Scooter. To be sure, it’s probably a one-sided love when it comes to my turtles but that’s okay.
As far back as I can remember I’ve always had a fascination with turtles and that might be because we always had turtles during my childhood. The fascination has only increased as an adult. If you’ve seen any of my past trip photos, chances are, you’ve seen turtle photos I’ve taken. I choose travel destination where I know turtles will be viewable. I could sit and watch turtles for hours at a time. I’m even a member of Turtle Rescue League. It allows me to foster turtles, host fundraisers, drive around and do road retrieval and to rush turtles to the vet if needed, and so much more.
While turtles are cute and easily accessible to buy, having yellow belly slider turtles is a lifelong commitment. You are going to be amazed at how long they live if they’re healthy and taken care of properly. Please keep their long lifespan in mind before you make a turtle purchase. Yellow belly slider turtles should never be purchased on a whim.
Yellow belly slider turtles can live up to 100 years. WHAT? Oh my gosh. It’s rare but it’s not rare for them to live anywhere from 20 to 50 years (or even 70 years if they’re healthy). At my age, my baby aquatic turtles could very well outlive me. Before I considered owning yellow belly slider turtles again and especially at my current age, I lined up a foster mom that would agree to let them live out their lives in a happy and healthy environment in the event I pass away before they do. There is a slim chance that won’t happen because I chose turtles with defects, the underdogs so to speak. They had less chance of being fostered, adopted, purchased. There is something wrong with both of them but I wanted to give them the best life I could for as long as they live. And if that’s longer than me, all the better.
If after knowing that your turtle/turtles will be a lifelong commitment, and you still want one, please consider adopting one or buying a grade b turtle. Turtle pets are as important as any other pet and it’s so important to realize up front that they can never be released into the wild. Never. Ever. If you aren’t sure that you can give the time it takes to care for your turtle or turtles daily (which we’ll get into soon), the expense, which mounts up (which we’ll also get into soon), and of course the long lifespan of turtles, then please don’t even consider adopting or purchasing a turtle. Just admire them from afar.
I’m going to do a whole series on yellow belly slider turtles so you’ll know everything there is to know before you jump in and purchase one. From the expense (which can be quite a lot in the beginning) to traveling with your yellow belly slider turtles (or not). Be sure to sign up for my newsletter so you don’t miss a single yellow belly slider turtle discovery post.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored in any way. I’m a past and present turtle owner and all thoughts included are from my many years of experience in owning, handling, and loving yellow belly slider turtles. I’m not an expert on turtle care.
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