If you have an aquatic species, such as a pond terrapin, remember that the water should be at least twice as deep as the turtle's length. If your tap water's chlorine level is above 0, fill the tank with bottled water or purchase a dechlorinating agent at the pet supply store. Use a reptile lamp to heat the basking zone. Creating a temperature gradient with a hot side and cooler side is an important part of raising reptiles.
Purchase a reptile lamp with a reflector at the pet store; make sure it's labeled for reptiles. UV light provides your turtle with vitamin D, which helps it absorb calcium. UV lamps need to be replaced every 6 months to a year.
If the tank's air and water temperatures get too cool at night, place the the tank on a heating pad and purchase a water heater at the pet store. It's wise to set up the tank at least 2 weeks before getting your turtle so you can perfect the temperature and other environmental conditions. Install a filter to help keep the water clean.
Invest in a filter labeled for a volume of water at least twice that of your tank. Suppose you have an aquatic turtle, you house it in a US gal L tank, and half of the tank is filled with water.
Even though you're using a water filter, you'll still need to remove feces and other debris from the tank with a net every day. To keep the water cleaner, feed your turtle in a separate tank.
Invest in a smaller backup tank. A back-up tank will come in handy if you need to transport your turtle. Additionally, you'll have to clean the main tank regularly, and you'll need a place to store your turtle in the meantime. Just make sure your turtle has some room to crawl around. To keep your turtle warm, transfer the heat lamp to the backup tank when it's in use. Part 2. Purchase turtle food labeled for your pet's species.
Purchase pellets or canned turtle food at your pet supply store. Most turtles kept as pets need both animal protein and veggies. Store-bought food will provide most your turtle's nutrition, but you should also supplement its diet to ensure it stays healthy.
Supplement your turtle's diet with fish, invertebrates, and veggies. Buy frozen and live guppies or minnows, worms, grasshoppers, and crickets. Additionally, chop up veggies, such as kale, lettuce, dandelion, and carrots, and add them to your turtle's food. You could feed it store-bought food 1 to 2 times a week and homemade meals another 1 to 2 times per week.
Live fish and insects can provide mental stimulation. To prevent choking, cut up veggies into bite-size pieces smaller than your turtle's beak. Feed your turtle 3 to 4 times per week. Most turtle species commonly kept as pets need to be feed every other day, but check with the breeder or pet store to be sure. Mornings are good feeding times, since turtles are more active earlier in the day. Determining the right amount of food is a little tricky and isn't an exact science.
Observe it when you first feed it to gauge the right amount. Turtles are opportunistic eaters, and they're prone to overeating if they have an unlimited supply of food. Aquatic turtles can't swallow food unless it's in the water. After 5 minutes, scoop out any extra food with a net to help keep the water clean. Add calcium to your turtle's food every other feeding. You can find powdered calcium carbonate online and at pet stores.
Sprinkle a pinch onto your turtle's food 1 to 2 times a week to ensure it meets its calcium requirement. If have an aquatic turtle, you can also keep a block of calcium carbonate in the water for it to chew. Part 3. Check your turtle for signs of illness regularly. Give your turtle a quick inspection every 1 or 2 days, such as when you feed it. Make sure your turtle's skin and shell are smooth and free of any marks, blisters, or blemishes.
Check its eyes, nose, and beak for discharges or discoloration, and notice any unusual changes in behavior. If the turtle is small right now, a smaller tank may be able to hold you over, but you are going to need a large tank in the future. Answer: This can depend on the type of turtle, and is easier to do with adult turtles. Male turtles tend to have longer claws than females, and may also have a V-shaped notch on their shell where their tail is located.
Adult females also tend to have longer shells than adult males. The underside of a male's shell may also curve a bit inwards, while the underside of a female's shell tends to be flat. Answer: They can eat a lot of things! Most pet stores sell pelleted turtle diets. They also eat comet goldfish feeder fish , and can be given dark leafy greens and cut up vegetables. Answer: Fish food does not provide turtles with the nutritional value that they need to grow and thrive.
Most pet stores or online sites sell turtle pellets. You can also feed live feeder fish if the turtle is big enough to eat them. Question: I found a box turtle or a terrapin and don't know if I need a permit to keep it. We've taken care of lot's of turtles before including land turtles and water turtles, and most of the time we only picked them up because they were hurt, but I was younger and didn't know that some times people need permits.
If I need a permit how do I get one? Answer: Check your state's Department of Environmental Conservation website if applicable. There should be some resource pertaining to your location that has information about which animals are exotic or endangered, and how to apply for a license to keep them.
Question: I rescued and kept a wild river turtle for over 7 months. Do you have any tips for setting them free? Is there a better time? Answer: If it's winter where you are, now may not be the best time as many species of turtles hibernate in the winter. Springtime may be a better time to release. It's good that you plan on releasing in the lake the turtle came from. Mireya: I absolutely agree that no one should keep wild caught turtles, or wild animals in general. However, that isn't going to stop everyone.
There are still people that will keep a wild turtle against advice. I've tried to convince people in person against it, and failed. I would rather convey the work and expenses that go into turtle ownership, to prevent them from being stuck in tiny bowls and tanks without the appropriate equipment.
A turtle from a pet store will always be a better pet. This is absolutely horrible advice! No one should be keeping wild turtles period. Wild animals are meant to be wild. The information for the first half of this article is good but then you go on to say "If you do keep a wild turtle here is how to do it! If you find a turtle that's hurt, call animal control because it's their job to help wild animals and then put them back where they belong.
It's in no one's best interest and especially not in the animals best interest to capture and keep it in your home. Go buy one from a pet store, educate yourself!
How would I be able to help the painted turtle that I found? It has a hurt foot, it also isn't eating anything. Can you please help! Michelle Normally for pet turtles an exotic vet will repair the shell with turtle-safe epoxy and a special type of fiberglass cloth. I am unsure if the crack will heal on its own. It may depend on the severity of the crack. But I do not know enough to say for certain. We rescued a red eared slider from certain doom on a very busy highway 2 weeks ago.
Tried to get her to a turtle rescue, but that turned out not to be possible. She has a cracked shell but it is aligned, and not exposing her too horrible bad. We had to clean it for a couple of days, but once the site remained clean and dry, have basically left her alone. I'd like to release her in a body of water I am assuming she was coming from or going to.
My question is, do I have to wait for the cracks to seal completely to do this? It is my observation she is doing well in this captivity habitat. Can she do as well on her own and heal the rest of the way? Thanks for your help. I am from Korea and I found a baby Chinese softshell turtle.
I found him under a bridge, where there are no lights, nor oxygenated water. I didn't provide him with basking spots and filters because he lived in such dirty environment. I also provided sand at the bottom, because I know that these species like to hide under sand.
However, he won't eat anything. Is he not eating because of the size of the tank and the lack of materials? How do I get him to eat I do provide UV light? Kenneth Hey, it's good to hear from you!
Turtles are really cool creatures, and deserve the best care they can receive. I plan on increasing my activity here again, so I'll definitely check in more often. Thanks for the comment and for loving turtles!
Jessica: long time since talking to you. You are one of my treasured-followers and I just want to say thank you for that. I loved this hub about turtles. My gandkids love turtles as their mom did when she was living. She loved ALL animals and lots of reptiles. Just wanted to share my love for my grandkids and daughter with you and to read your exceptional hub about one of my favorite life forms.
Hey, write me anytime. Can i keep a box turtle in a small pool with a small amount of water grass leaves so that it can think of it as a swampy area? Am I allowed to take a wild red ear slider turtle from a local public pond to my 1,gallon backyard pond? I have a baby red eared slider in a 5 gallon bucket with some water and rocks should I release it or should I keep it.
There are 7 of them about the size of a quarter and seemed to be hibernating there. Well the nest is now exposed and they are awake and crawling around. Its November 11th here in Buffalo NY and the temp is 33 degrees now. I am afraid to just set them free this late in the season as I fear they are too 'young' prepare for winter, especially since not properly nourished and winter just about already here.
Just let them go and figure it out, or re-bury them in a safe place how deep and any special instructions or take them in for the winter and care for them and set them free in the spring? Cat Why catch food? If you can, getting food from a pet store would be much easier.
Depending on the size of the turtle, they have feeder fish and even small turtle pellets. It varies between different types of turtles, and won't be obvious until it is adult size. Male turtles tend to have longer claws than females, and can also have a V-shaped notch on their shell where their tail is. There are other methods, but with such a young turtle you may not know for a while.
Try researching online to figure out what species of turtle you have, and see what they eat specifically. Some stores have very small pellets designed for baby turtles. You can also try leafy vegetables lettuce, cabbage but it will have to be cut up very small.
How do you find out if a turtle is a male or female??? How do I get it to eat? Sharon Etienne Maybe she is gravid egg-bound? Apparently, females can carry eggs whether there is a male around or not. The symptoms included a change in eating habits and basking habits. If you look it up and it sounds familiar, I know you can try to get her to lay the eggs, or take her to a vet if that fails.
I'll look for some links to send if you can't find anything - email me via my profile if you like. However after 15 years together, she seems to be changing her behavior. Climbing on her log, when she only ever has dwelt inside of it, eating less or waiting for food, which has never been her norm etc..
Think about where you will leave extra food like plants for him to nibble on during the day, and keep those away from the water. Turtles need to stay warm, and you will need to install a heating lamp in the enclosure to keep the temperature around 85 degrees.
Lastly, keep the tank clean with a filtration system and poop scoop but still change the water every couple of days. Feeding your turtle can be one of the most fun parts of interacting with him on a daily basis. In the wild, turtles eat a diet of worms, snails, and plants along with a few other things you might find around their waterholes.
Food from the pet store will keep his diet balanced and is designed to mimic the vitamins and nutrients he would seek out if he were free to roam. Keep in mind that aquatic turtles need to be given their food in the water, and plan accordingly. Many pet owners choose to feed their turtles in a separate tank if mealtimes get particularly messy to avoid daily cleaning. Baby turtles need a feeding every day, but you may taper that as he gets older.
The sunlight, she says, helps their shells develop property; without it, they can get metabolic bone disease. It depends on the type of turtle you have, of course, but turtles will generally eat insects, fish like comet goldfish, which are smaller than the common goldfish and dark, leafy greens.
You can also buy your pet canned or pelleted turtle food and freeze-dried mealworms. Tortoises, on the other hand, are herbivores and will require a mix of fresh vegetables about 80 percent of the diet and fruit 20 percent. As a general rule of thumb, feeding your turtle four to five times a week will be fine, unless you have a young water turtle, in which case they should be fed every day.
Providing good, consistent care for your turtle or tortoise will keep it healthy and happy. All of these conditions require veterinary care. The most common disease turtles carry is salmonella, which is significant as it can be transmitted to humans and cause serious disease, especially in the immunocompromised. Keeping a clean terrarium, enforcing good hygiene with pet owners and buying an inexpensive conditioner to add to the water — Reptoguard makes some — helps keep organisms like salmonella at bay and hopefully prevent turtle diseases from ever happening.
If you purchase your turtle as a baby, expect to offer it plenty of TLC and keep the following tips in mind:. Many pet turtles can easily live about 20 years, which can be another reason not to rush into the buying process. You need to have the desire and a love for animals.
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