Questions about Turtles?

"If I put a turtle in a tank with axolotls and will they fight?." - It does seem dangerous, Your Axolotls is very vulnerable and it's really unpredictable to tell if the Turtle you're going to get has an aggressive personality or not.

"Should I put it in a tank or in a pond I provided it?..." - The pond is good as the Turtles can get their daily sunlight for Calcium absorbent and they can sleep properly because of the regular sunrise/sunset, But without a water filter you needed to manually change the water frequently, And in meal times you need to put the Turtles in a plastic box of water and feed them there if you don't want their pond to get so dirty also you needed to bring them inside during the winter.

"What is a good type of turtle and what is a good size?..." - Tiny Turtles such as the Musk Turtle stays very small, Their maximum size can get from Three inches to a little over four inches, But if they're too small for you, The Reeves Turtle grows much bigger but not very fast plus they're good for beginners.

"What do they eat? Apart from leaves and stuff." - Oh of coarse not, All freshwater Turtles would most likely prefer meat over vegetables especially at a young age, But if they do enjoy eating vegetables, It can be added to their diet, Commonly their diet has to include:

Protein - Can be consumed from small fish such as sardines, Shrimp, And fish heads.. - Beans, Asparagus, Cauliflower or sun dried tomatoes. - For the skin and regular shedding.

Calcium - Can be consumed from Lance fish, Larger fish heads, Calcium blocks, Or calcium pills sprinkled on food.. - Black eyed peas, Collard greens, Or Kale. - For shell strength and bones.

Vitamin A - Can be consumed from chicken liver. - Boiled carrots or Iceberg lettuce. - Immune system (Very important, Without it they can get ill easily especially during the flu season.).

"Are they good, interesting pets?." - Yes they are very interesting, But tough to take care of at times..

"If they bite, does it hurt?." - When they're just around four months old it only hurts a little bit and their jaw isn't strong enough to draw any blood, But when they're over three years old they can peel the skin and even bleed which can hurt a lot.

"What is a good name?." - I like to name the Turtles I know after food, Such as Pistachio, Peanut, Cherry, Raisin, Crackers, Cookie, And Kibbles.. ^^

First answer: Turtles love being lonely as it provides them peace. Though I do not have experience with Axolotls I guess you shouldn't put them together.

Second answer: Bigger - the better. Turtles enjoy swimming and the more space they have the better their body development goes.

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Third answer: Red eared slider, Pond slider ...?

Forth answer: Depends on the specie. Species mentioned above in their early life eat meat after they get older they prefer vegetables and stuff.

5th answer: Turtles? Not in a way you maybe thought of. They just swim, eat and sleep. If that's interesting to you then hell yeah!

Sixth answer: Depends on the specie again. Older samples' bites are known to be very strong and hurtful. Watch the way you grab them, never from the front side as they are able to bite you if they feel fear or become self-defensive.

Final answer: That's the decision you have to make. If you can't make up a name, leave it. Week or two and the name will pop up in your head.

First Question: Yes, as Axolotls are an amphibian, which are a common diet of many species of turtles around the world. While the Axolotl might be alright for the first year, if the turtle decides its hungry it might take a bite out of the poor creature, or vice versa (although the Axolotl has a higher chance of just drowning the turtle). I wouldn't take the chance.

Second Question: I wouldn't put a hatchling or even a yearling in a pond, just yet, a turtle needs to be able to have water that is shallow enough for it to stand on its hind legs and reach the surface of the water for the first few years (safety purposes mostly) after the second or third year I'd say it's okay to have a water depth that is up to four times the length of the turtle's carapace. Although some people do put young turtles in deeper water it's safer and healthier for the turtle to be able to sit and breath for the first few years. Although if you are using a pond make sure their are "docks" for the turtle to pull itself out of the water and relax and bask.

Third Question: I wouldn't go with the common turtles, such as Red-Eared Sliders (RES) and Painted Turtles, unless you are adopting a rescue; common turtles can be monstrously messy and HUGE. A female RES can be 12+ inches long and will need 150 gallons of water. I recommend sexing your turtle and getting males if you are buying (although I personally suggest adoption first). A rule of thumb is ten gallons per inch of turtle, with 10-20 gallons of filtration per inch of turtle (I suggest in-tank filters).

Fourth Question: For the first two years I would feed most turtles a 75-80% diet of earthworms, crickets and cockroaches, a 10-20% mid-high quality pellet food, and a 10% vegetable diet. After those first few years I'd recommend a 55-65% diet of earthworms, crickets, and cockroaches, less than 10% diet of HEALTHY feeder fish (I recommend breeding your own) and other aquatic items (such as dried shrimp), a 15-20% diet of vegetables, and a 10-15% diet of mid-high quality pellet food.

Fifth Question: Yes, each turtle has it's own personality and they will even recognize you and react to you, if they know you as a food bringer they'll want food.

Sixth Question: Yes, one time when I was a little kid my cousin put his finger in front of an RES I had and he was bitten, it bled; if you're not teasing them you probably won't have a problem, I've never been bitten and again it depends on the personality of the turtle and what type of turtle it is: a Pink Side-Necked Turtle WILL try and bite however other species may just hide or want you to rub their necks, it just depends.

Seventh Question: I've used names like Arnold, Sheba, and Franklin (yes I know). It just depends on what you like.

Input: I would recommend a species of Painted Turtle (although they are "common" they are not as messy and big of eaters as RES) or a Map Turtle of some sort - sexed to be male if you are buying (males tend to be half the size of females in MOST turtle species). Make sure they have plenty of UV light (either a 5.0-7.0 UV light) or pure sunlight. Calcium is important; most high quality pellet and dusted crickets without D3 will have ample Calcium in most cases. Clean water and basking spots are important as well, if a turtle cannot drink clean water or has large amounts of algae in the tank it can affect its health, and a turtle MUST be able to dry its body off completely, this is just a hygiene necessity. Remember 10 G per inch and don't use gravel that is bite sized ( I would recommend not using any substrate if it'll be in a tank). I'd also use a 40-100 gallon livestock tank, cheaper per gallon in most places and easy cleanup.

Turtles and axolotls can not be together. Aquatic turtles need warm temps, axolotls can't have a water temp above 70 for a long period of time. Also, the turtle will try to eat the axie. So please don't.