A Comparison of the ‘Three Musketeers of Street Stalls’ Turtle Species: Analysis of Price, Temperament, and Interactivity

One of the Three Musketeers of Street Stalls: The Chinese Pond Turtle

As a turtle species I greatly admire, the Chinese Pond Turtle is one of China’s most representative native turtles. The male turtles will become melanistic—turning completely black—upon adulthood, and are also ‘wugui’ (black turtles) in the truest sense.

As the most widely distributed species in China, they have territories in many parts of the country, and Chinese Pond Turtles from different territories have slight variations in appearance. Generally, the adult carapace is around 15~20cm, making them a species with a very high level of interactivity. Along with the Brazilian Turtle and the Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle, they are known as the Three Musketeers of Street Stalls.

Pros: Inexpensive, gentle temperament, can be kept in cold water, high aesthetic value, highly interactive.

Cons: Hatchlings are very difficult to raise, prone to skin rot (turtle skin shedding disease), moderately difficult to keep, and not friendly to novices.

One of the Three Musketeers of Street Stalls: The Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle

The Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle is one of China’s traditional turtle species, also known as the Pearl Turtle. It has three distinct keels on its carapace, and bright yellow stripes extending from the tip of its nose to its sides, which makes them look very attractive when young. The Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle has well-developed webbed feet and is a good swimmer, allowing it to adapt well to deep-water environments. For individuals with a carapace over 5 centimeters, a basking platform can be set up to satisfy the turtle’s need to bask its back, preventing skin rot and shell rot. Additionally, the Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle grows relatively fast, with adult sizes around 25~25cm. For home keeping, storage crates can be used to provide adequate space.

Pros: Inexpensive, gentle temperament, can be kept in cold water.

Cons: Timid, hatchlings are moderately difficult to raise, not friendly to novices, and known as the ‘King of Skin and Shell Rot’.

One of the Three Musketeers of Street Stalls: The Brazilian Turtle – Scientific Name: Mississippi Red-eared Slider

Speaking of the Brazilian Turtle, it’s an incredibly familiar species. Anyone who keeps turtles knows them, and even those who don’t have probably heard of them. For many veteran keepers, the Brazilian Turtle was the first pet turtle they ever raised, the place where it all began. It is also one of the hardiest and easiest turtles to raise, in my opinion. They have a strong reproductive ability, a high survival rate, and a predatory ability that overpowers many native turtle species, leaving them with virtually no natural predators in the wild. They wantonly encroach upon ecological resources, seriously threatening the survival of China’s native wild turtles and other species. In many tourist attractions, it’s common to see the shocking sight of ponds full of Brazilian Turtles, so do not release them into the wild!

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to care for, resilient, good interactivity, very intelligent, and considered one of the more intelligent aquatic turtles.

Cons: An invasive alien species, grows fast, with an adult carapace size of around 20~30cm, requiring constantly larger living spaces.