Turtles

Turtles are often a popular pet with children as well as with adults who do not have sufficient space for a larger pet. The most popular type of turtle to be kept as a pet is known as the box turtle. This type of turtle has an extremely long life span, average up to 40 years, so it is important to understand you are making a long term commitment when you choose a turtle as a pet. Turtles do have very specific care requirements; however, so if you do plan to keep a turtle as a pet you will need to understand how to care for him properly.

Your turtle will need an aquarium that is at least 20 gallons in size. To keep your turtle happy and healthy it is important to provide a bedding material on the bottom of the tank. This could be wood chips that have been mixed with peat moss or a mixture of soil and sand. To maintain proper hygiene, this will need to be changed on a weekly basis. Your turtle will also require a box in which he can hid. This is extremely important for your turtle’s well-being.

The tank should be kept at an average temperature of 60 degrees at night and 75 degrees during the day. An incandescent 100 watt bulb can provide basking warmth for your turtle during the day and can be turned off at night.

In addition, you will need to provide a shallow water dish for your turtle. It should be big enough for your turtle to fit in because they do like to be in water at times. Because this is usually where your turtle will defecate, it should be cleaned daily.

Plan to provide a proper diet for your turtle with a mixture of animal or high-protein foods and fruits and vegetables. Examples of each include earthworms, slugs, crickets, grasshoppers and tomatoes, raspberries, grapes, strawberries, mushrooms and dandelions for the fruit/vegetable mixture. Be sure to wash and chop the vegetables and fruits into small pieces for your turtle. Young turtles will need to be fed every day while mature turtles should be fed three or more times per week.

Remember that your pet turtle will usually be more active either in the late afternoon or early morning because it is usually not too hot during these times of the day. This is often the best time to feed your turtle.

 
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