Basic Guidelines to Pet Turtle Care

Turtle keeping can be one of the most enchanting experiences, but many people keep them as pets not knowing how to show them proper care. They cannot survive unless you provide them with the correct amount of space, light and shade, and enough moisture. So, you ought to know exactly what they need to live before you own one. The best place to keep a turtle is outside because they hibernate in the winter. If you keep them inside, they won’t hibernate and this can lead them to develop liver diseases. Never meddle with their regular habits. Setting up a pen outdoors will help you create a habitat with natural surroundings for them.

Some individuals who keep turtles indoors use refrigerators to make them hibernate. This is not a good idea because if the icebox suddenly rises in temperature or if the power goes off, it will interrupt their hibernation. This could prove disastrous for the pet. Therefore, if you make up your mind to keep them inside, don’t let them hibernate.

Also, if you keep your turtle inside, you must have a tank that is at least forty gallons. There has to be enough room to have a land area and a water area. Make the aquarium in such a way that there is water occupying two-thirds of the capacity. The balance is land, where they can just lie down under the heat of the lamp. The ideal temperature of the aquarium should be roughly eighty degrees during daylight and 70 degrees during nighttime. These creatures are cold blooded so they take a longtime to adjust to temperature changes. This is why never try to bring it out of the tank for playing as the temperature drop or rise adversely impacts their immune system. It is essential that you wash your hands thoroughly after handling turtles as some of them carry salmonella. Plus it is important to keep the environment where they live clean too. You might have to think about a water purification system to clean the water and keep it clean. You should not put faucet water in the tank, because this water contains chlorine and fluoride which can mess up the pH balance. Use dechlorinated water for their swimming area and filtered out water for them to drink. There are several types of diets available commercially for your pet turtle, but the dietary demands depend fundamentally on the species. You must remember never to feed them more than two to three times a week. Do not put any wood chips or tree bark in your tank because if a turtle consumes this, it can cause problems. Plus, it will pollute the water quickly and cause molds or fungus to grow.

Turtles need twelve hours of sunshine. If you keep them inside, it’s a good idea to get an Ultra Violet lamp for your tank to provide vitamin D3, like found in sunshine. Sunbathing is one way turtles stay healthy. This is why we see them out in the sun for hours on end. When kept inside, ensure the tank is located in a place that do not have too many variations in light. You also need to provide them with a shady place. They need that sometimes. You could either make them with wood and stones or buy them from pet stores. If you want to keep aquatic plants in the tank, make sure they are safe for the animals. To know your turtle better, watch his behavior closely. They are extremely entertaining and can provide pleasure for the whole family.