Freshwater turtles and tortoises are among the most commonly kept reptile pets, yet high mortality rates indicate widespread failure to meet their complex care requirements.
Freshwater turtles and tortoises have specific environmental needs — UV-B lighting, thermal gradients, proper diet, and appropriate humidity — that are frequently unmet in captivity. Metabolic bone disease causes chronic pain and deformity in thousands of animals. Their long lifespans mean welfare failures play out over decades for individual animals.