General Care Discussion :: Turtle Shoes?

[MotherOfTurtles]

Hey guys, I have three RES turtles, each over 3 years old. Recently, I've noticed that their tank is getting a bit tight for them, and I was wondering if I could let them roam around the house. I read a lot of the other posts here about letting your turtles roam, but I'm worried about how insanitary it is, even though turtles seem to like it. I was thinking that maybe I could wrap some plastic wrap around their feet, so they can roam around without getting any unknown objects on their feet, and anything on the floor. Is that okay?

[steve]

They can be out of the tank, but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort. They might pick up something (plastic wrap won't help since they drag their shells and they are a hair/dust magnet), they might poop/pee somewhere (it will happen and be real messy if they walk over it). If I have the turtles out (inside or outside), they get a soak and rinse before going back into the tank.

[MotherOfTurtles]

Okay, makes sense. What about the issue of the cold floor?

[steve]

I would keep them off if it's cold, especially 65F or lower.