Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The Healthy Turtle

Over the past couple of years, turtles have gained a lot of popularity as pets. Turtles can make long lived, interesting and unique household pets. There are four species of turtles that are quite popular in this country as pets; mud turtles, sliders, painted turtles and box turtles. These types of turtles are much smaller than other species of turtles such as the Alligator snapper or the Red Eared snapper, and are much easier to feed and care for. However, there are a number of things you need to know and understand about your turtle so you are able to care for it properly and keep it healthy and content. Keep in mind, the care and feeding requirements will vary somewhat across the different species of turtles.
In general, the turtle will need a fairly large enclosure to live in; usually an aquarium of at least a 20 gallon capacity. If you are keeping more than one turtle or are keeping one of the larger species of turtles, you will need a considerably larger aquarium. Regardless, the aquarium must have a combination of dry and wet habitat to keep the turtle healthy. The turtle must have an area in which he or she can completely submerge in and swim. The turtle must also have a dry sandy area in which to sun, burrow and dig.
Turtles also need some secluded spots in the aquarium in which to hide. In all, the aquarium must consist of a pool of water, a sandy beach, rocks or sticks for the turtle to crawl out on and secluded areas for the turtle to hide in. Plants are not required, but many pet turtle owners put plants in the turtle's aquariums. When placing a plant in the aquarium, make sure you have researched and found out what plants can be poisonous to the specific type of turtle you have. The goal with the aquarium is to come as close as possible to re-creating the turtle's natural environment.
In the wild, turtles are omnivores, eating anything they can catch. Despite the fact that they eat almost anything, your pet turtle should not be fed with random table scraps. The turtle needs a balanced diet. Some pet turtle owners feed a combination of vegetables and live fish. This works, but can quickly become expensive. Most pet stores that sell turtles also sell food sticks that are specifically for turtle nutrition. These food sticks provide a balanced diet, but it is still a good idea to feed the turtle fish on occasion to provide exercise through hunting.
The turtle should be kept in a room with a relative humidity around 80% and a temperature range between 70F and 85F. Many turtle owners use a heat lamp to regulate the temperature in the aquarium. If the turtle gets too cold, he or she will burrow into the sand and hibernate.
These are just a few of the main tips to having a healthy turtle. Make sure to fully understand the specific requirements of the particular breed of pet turtle you have.

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