Find your turtle or tortoise here.

Turtles and tortoises available

Turtles and tortoises make great pets, and we carry many different kinds. Some grow into gentle giants and some stay tiny. Some live in water all the time; some won't survive in water at all.

Water turtles swim, bask and beg at the glass for food. Tortoises roam on land and graze. Come in and we'll help you pick the one best suited to you.

Why they make great pets

• A pet for the long run. Red-eared sliders often live 20 to 30 years or more, and many tortoises live 30 to 100 years.
• Calm, gentle and easy to enjoy every day.
• Quiet, no walks, no fur.
• Tortoises eat mostly greens and veggies, so there are no live bugs to buy.
• The honest part: they keep growing, they need heat and UVB, and water turtles need a big tank with strong filtration. Plan for the adult size and a long life.

A good first pet for kids?

A turtle or tortoise makes a great family pet with a parent in charge. Older kids can help feed a tortoise and keep its log. Water turtles are better watched than handled.

The CDC says children under 5 shouldn't handle or touch reptiles or amphibians, or anything in their enclosures. These animals can carry Salmonella even when they look healthy. Everyone washes their hands with soap and water after handling the animal or anything in its tank, and an adult watches over younger kids.

Cool turtle facts

• A turtle's shell is part of its skeleton. Its ribs and spine are fused into it, so it can never crawl out.
• Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise on the island of St Helena, holds the Guinness record as the oldest living land animal. He's thought to have hatched around 1832.
• For red-eared sliders, nest temperature decides whether eggs hatch male or female. Cooler eggs make males; warmer eggs make females.
• Red-eared sliders are named for the red stripe behind each eye.

What we carry

Land tortoises like the redfoot tortoise, and water turtles like the red-eared slider. Stock changes, so ask us what's in today.

• Tortoises
• Water turtles

Setting up at home

We carry flakes and dried nuggets, water conditioner, turtle platforms, several types and styles of vivariums and aquariums, heating and lighting equipment, live plants and accessories. Read our tortoise and red-eared slider care sheets first.

• Tortoise: a big, open enclosure with a basking spot, UVB and a damp hide
• Water turtle: a large tank, a strong filter, and a dry platform under a heat lamp and UVB
• Food: greens and tortoise diet for tortoises; pellets plus greens for water turtles
• Water: conditioner for every refill and water change

Tortoise care sheet →Red-eared slider care sheet →

Come into Zoo Creatures

Come in and see what we have. We'll help you pick the right animal and set you up with habitat and feeding information.