How many years can a turtle live, and which species is good to keep in 2020?

Turtles are common ornamental animals in daily life and are very easy to keep; generally, with careful management they can live a long time. So how many years can a turtle live? Which species is good to keep in 2020?

1. Introduction to turtles:

1. What species of turtles are there?

There are many species of turtles. Common ones include the red-eared slider, the golden coin turtle, the pig-nosed turtle, the alligator snapping turtle, the map turtle, the Burmese mountain tortoise, the big-headed turtle, the Chinese pond turtle, the yellow-throated pond turtle, the keeled box turtle, the Galapagos giant tortoise, the yellow-margined box turtle, the Chinese striped-neck turtle, the leopard tortoise and the yellow-headed turtle, among which the Chinese pond turtle is one of the most commonly kept in daily life.

2. What do turtles eat?

Turtles have a wide diet. Whether it is small fish, small shrimp, insects, pork, or rice, wheat, peas and so on, they all eat them, but they mainly eat small fish, pork, corn and so on.

2. How many years can a turtle live?

In general, turtles growing in a natural environment have a lifespan of about 150 years, and some can also live more than 300 years. Of course, some live only 10-15 years. The specific figure varies depending on factors such as species and management techniques. For example, the Galapagos tortoise is the longest-lived turtle in the world and can generally live 200-300 years, while the diamondback terrapin has a relatively short lifespan of about 10-15 years.

3. Which species of turtle is good to keep in 2020?

1. Chinese pond turtle

The Chinese pond turtle is also called the golden turtle, golden-line turtle, ink turtle, mud turtle, water turtle, mountain turtle and so on. It is aquatic and can also crawl on land. It is the most widely distributed of China's turtle species and also sells well on the international market. It is highly interactive with people and has strong disease resistance, making it the perfect choice as a pet.

2. Yellow-headed turtle

The yellow-headed turtle is also called the temple turtle or yellow-headed temple turtle. It is a typical large semi-aquatic turtle with a certain terrestrial habit. Unlike other aquatic turtles, it prefers plant-based food. In normal times, simply feeding it green leafy vegetables as the staple food, together with fruits as supplementary food, is enough.

3. Burmese mountain tortoise

The Burmese mountain tortoise is also called the yellow elephant tortoise, pillow tortoise, dry tortoise, Burmese tortoise and so on. It is one of the most common tortoises on the market. Under domestic conditions it is gentler than other turtles, and it has strong adaptability. It likes to eat plants such as melons, fruits and vegetables, but these cannot be fed as the staple food; animal-based food can be fed regularly.

4. Red-eared slider

The red-eared slider is also called the Brazilian red-eared turtle, red-eared turtle, little painted turtle, elegant painted turtle, emerald turtle, mahjong turtle and so on. It belongs to the aquatic turtles. This species is brightly coloured, low in price, strongly adaptable to the environment, and able to endure hunger, making it extremely easy to keep.

5. Chinese striped-neck turtle

The Chinese striped-neck turtle is also called the striped turtle, spotted turtle, long-tailed turtle, Taiwan, China pond turtle, six-line pond turtle, pearl turtle and so on. It belongs to the aquatic turtles. This species is relatively large in size and rather brightly coloured. Its diet is herbivorous, and it can be fed cucumber, tomato, pear, apple and so on, and it also eats lean meat.

6. Painted turtle

The painted turtle is a small freshwater turtle with bright markings on its body. It very much likes to bask its back and is quite cold-tolerant, and its diet is rather omnivorous: it likes to eat all kinds of animals and plants, whether alive or dead.

7. Yellow-headed side-necked turtle

The yellow-headed side-necked turtle is also called the yellow-spotted side-necked turtle, yellow-striped side-necked turtle and so on. It belongs to the tropical turtles and cannot hibernate. Its temperament is relatively gentle, its body has strong adaptability, and its diet is mainly plant-based food; in normal times, feeding it fruits and vegetables is enough.

Overall, the lifespan of turtles varies depending on factors such as species and management techniques. At the long end they can live 200-300 years, and at the short end they can live to 10-15 years. So before keeping one, you can first ask about the turtle's lifespan and then decide whether to keep it. When keeping turtles, you can generally keep species such as the Chinese pond turtle, red-eared slider, yellow-headed turtle and Chinese striped-neck turtle; they are very easy to keep and also very nice to look at.