Pet Turtle Care - 3 Things You Must Do When Setting Up a Pet Turtle's Home
Posted: Sunday, August 30, 2009
by Greg Benjamin
If you plan to acquire a turtle as a pet you are sure to be pleased with this new addition to your household. Just remember turtles are the kind of pets you spend most of your time watching and not handling. Turtles need some special attention and you should learn the basics about pet turtle care before you bring one home. Here are 3 tips that will help you establish the perfect environment for a turtle.
You should be certain you prepare the right type of home for your new turtle. This depends a lot on the species that you select as well as the size and habits of the turtle.
Turtles are fairly adaptable but they still are happiest in a setting that suits them. You can set up a glass terrarium by using any aquarium. Some turtle owners will even use a box or a goldfish bowl to house their new pet. One of the best homes for turtles is created outdoors with a wire pen.
If you choose an aquarium/terrarium for your turtle's new home it will give him room to move around and protect him from any predators. You can also watch your pet and observe his unique habits. This is a good home for all types of turtles.
A heavy box is an inexpensive choice and when the box becomes soiled you can always discard it and get a new one. However, it will not provide a great deal of protection if you have a dog or cat that wants to pay a call on the turtle. A goldfish bowl is also inexpensive, and easy to clean. However, a goldfish bowl is not a good choice for most turtles because there is not enough room for them to move around. Some people have even tried to put turtles in a fishbowl that is filled with water. Listen closely, turtles are not fish and they cannot swim 24 hours a day. You will drown your turtle if they do not have rocks or wood to climb on so they can come out of the water and rest.
An outdoor pen is an excellent home for turtles if you remember to follow a few simple rules. The pen must have wire in the bottom as well as along the sides so that the turtle can not burrow his way free and become exposed to predators and other dangers. You will have to clean this outdoor home on a regular basis to keep your turtle safe and healthy. The wire you use must be strong enough to provide protection for your turtle and the holes should be spaced closely together.
2. Basic Necessities
Turtles need fresh water daily. They should have water for both drinking and swimming. Flat bottomed containers that are weighted are good to use for a turtle. This will help prevent any accidental spills as the turtle climbs and crawls about in his home. Water should be changed every day and any container that you are using needs to be thoroughly cleaned. For proper pet turtle care you must have separate feeding and watering containers. Turtles can be given earthworms, lettuce, chopped carrots and commercial food preparations, but you need to make sure that they get enough calcium in their diet.
3. Extras
Turtles like to hide. By placing a piece of hollow wood into their home you are providing them something they can crawl into giving them a nice, private cave that they can call home within their house. These hollow logs can be purchased at most pet stores. Clean straw is another nice touch that makes the turtle's environment more welcoming. Check at the pet store and see what they have in stock. If you want to make sure that you are giving your turtle good care you should also include proper lighting and temperature. These cold blooded animals will benefit from having consistency in their environment.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Great tips Greg! Are people still allowed to have pet turtles. I was recently told that in Texas, it is illegal to have a pet turtle because of the germs they carry! I hope that was not true because I think that is probably the easiest pet my family could handle. Thanks for sharing your tips!Thanks Laura. I'm glad you liked the tips.The Texas law you are referring to, as far as I know, is primarily for people selling turtles.It does place limits on how many turtles you can have as pets but the numbers are high enough that I don't think this will really be a problem for anyone.You can learn more about this law at the Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society website. This comment posting system will not let me make that a clickable link for you, sorry about that. You can Google "Pet Turtle Owner - New Texas Law Clarification" and the first result should be the page where you can get the details.The summary of the law: As long as a person is NOT involved in selling turtles, they may legally possess 6 of 1 species PER PERSON IN THE HOUSEHOLD. So, if there are TWO people living in your household, you can have 12 of 1 species of turtle in your possession.This may have been amended but I don't really see them removing the ability for a person to have a pet turtle. It's not germs that caused the law to be passed. They are trying to control the population of critters in general within the state. At least that is my understanding.I hope this information is helpful.
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