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Is a 20-gallon tank safe for an adult turtle during boarding?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Reptile | Turtle | Male

Hi, I have a male adult Mississippi Map, whose carapace is around 5 inches. We have a 70-gallon tank at home, but we are going on a vacation for three weeks and will leave him in a local pet shop for boarding. The shop only allows a 20-gallon tank. Would it be okay for my turtle to be in a 20-gallon tank for a few weeks?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on July 7th, 2022

That would ultimately depend on how clean they intend to keep it and if they plan to feed in the same tank. Small tanks especially for turtles that are notoriously filthy animals can become rife with toxins quickly. They'd have to do water changes extremely frequently for it to be guaranteed safe. If they aren't guaranteeing that, I'd make alternate arrangements.

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