Turtles As Pets For Beginners

Turtles As Pets For Beginners

Turtle Care

Turtles As Pets For Beginners

Caring for turtles is a very important part of owning a turtle.

As a pet owner, you will no doubt want to give your little turtle all the “turtle care” in the world.

This will make sure he/she grows to be strong and healthy.

What do turtles eat? Of course giving your turtles the right types of food is a very important part of turtle care.

There are many things to know about turtle food to make sure your turtle stays alive and well.

In general, it’s important that a turtle has a varied diet. A general rule of thumb for turtle diets is to feed them 50% protein (meat-based) foods and 50% plant-based, vitamin-rich foods.

Turtles As Pets For Beginners

Depending where you live depends on what turtle is best for your pet. In  America the painted turtle is a common and one of the easier turtles to take care of. You can find more information about keeping a painted turtle as a pet here.

You have to be prepared for the long haul before you decide on getting a turtle as a pet. Painted turtles have been known to live up to 50 years in captivity. Whilst their average age is normally around 30 years.

The box turtle is another common turtle through America and can be easily found to purchase.

In Australia the long neck turtle is a common pet but they cannot be taken from the wild. You have to purchase one from a licenced reptile breeder or owner.

The turtles as pets for beginners are quite strong and hearty turtles. I understand that being new to having a pet turtle is exciting but it is extremely important that you do not over feed your new friend.

Old and uneaten food needs to be removed from the tank so it does not turn the water rancid.

Equipment Needed For Turtle Care

Turtles As Pets For Beginners

Baby turtles up to 6”/15cm in shell-length are normally kept indoors in glass tanks or enclosures that include ponds.

The smallest tank for the tiniest turtles should be at least 4’/120cm long, 18”/45cm wide, and 18”/45cm tall.

Part of good turtle care is making sure your turtle has a safe place to swim from which they can climb in and out.

They also need to be able to bask in warm sunlight or appropriate artificial lights.

In setting up a habitat for your pet turtle you can use gravel, objects for your turtle to lie on such as logs and islands, a water filter and also a submersible water heater.

You should check on the requirements of your turtle species as it’s often a good idea to add a little bit of aquarium salt to the water. You should consult a pet expert before doing so.

What you will need in order to take proper care of your turtle will also depend on whether they will live indoors or outdoors.

Exercise For Pet Turtles

Turtles need a lot of exercise – which surprises many people. You should make sure your turtle has plenty of room to swim around and also access to “land” structures.

Some turtles love to climb around out of the water as well as swim. Exercise is an essential part of turtle care and should never be ignored.

Keeping Turtles As Pets

Keeping Turtles As Pets

Keeping Turtles As PetsPet Turtles

Keeping turtles as pets requires a lot of care and know-how. You may need special equipment to maintain your pet turtle’s habitat.

You’ll need to know the answer to “what do turtles eat?” and of course you’ll need to learn about turtles and what it takes to keep them as pets.

It also depends which type of turtle you have as to how you’ll need to care for them.

Pet Turtle Habitat

In order to keep a turtle as a pet, you’ll need to have a good habitat for him/her. A turtle habitat needs to have a variety of things.

First of all, you need some type of enclosure made for holding water. Next you’ll need a gravel susbtrate, some logs/rocks and interesting things for your turtle.

You should always make sure your turtle can access “land” and can bask in sunlight or else specially designed UV lamps. If your turtle lives outdoors, you’ll need a different setup altogether but the concepts are the same.

Turtles love lots of space to swim, roam and climb. They love getting around and this is good since it counts as exercise.

 

What Do Pet Turtles Eat?

One of the first questions you’ll need to find the answer to is “what do turtles eat?“. Of course you want your pet turtle to be 100% happy & healthy.

So you need to make sure his/her dietary needs are taken care of. There are some important things to think about when looking at turtle food.

First of all, you don’t want to give them anything that is poisonous to them! There are certain flowers & vegetables that turtles just shouldn’t have.

Likewise, not all turtles should eat meat! You should check on your specific type of turtle before deciding on what to feed him/her.

Keeping Turtles As Pets

Any pet turtle owner wants their pet to be happy & healthy. This includes making sure they are mentally stimulated in a positive way as much as possible.

You can of coarse choose how far you want to go with this. Some people cuddle their turtles, let them explore their house and even talk to them.

Anything which is not dangerous to your turtle, but is interesting for him/her to do is probably a good thing!