How to Look After a Turtle
Although water turtles are not animals that you can interact with very much - unlike dogs or cats - they're still a great choice when it comes to children learning the importance of caring for a pet and becoming responsible. That's why it is so important to be aware of the care and attention they need to stay healthy. In this OneHowTo.com article we'll give you the basic points so that you'll know how to look after a turtle correctly.
Choose a tank that's large enough for your turtle or turtles (it's better if you have two of them) to be comfortable, bearing in mind the fact that they will grow. There should be an area of land where the turtle can come out of the water to rest or sunbathe.
The water must be deep enough for the animal to be able to swim comfortably, something that turtles love to do. This is why you should not be mean when choosing a tank that has plenty of water space or you may have to change it.
Try to place your turtle in an area of the home that receives natural sunlight throughout the day, as they need exposure to the sun to help keep their bones and shell healthy. If it's not possible to get enough natural sunlight, then you can buy lamps that mimic this type of light. It is important to ensure your turtle has enough light so that it can grow and develop healthily.
Just like with fish, turtles also require a regulated water temperature of between 26 and 28 degrees but you must make sure that the temperature of the environment does not drop below 25 degrees (you can use an ambient light to achieve this). Otherwise, when it leaves the water to rest on land, the change in temperature will be too abrupt and could impact the health of your turtle.
As you can see it's important to carefully prepare your turtle's habitat to guarantee its growth.
The water must also be kept clean in order to prevent disease. A good way to ensure this is to install a filter and then change the water regularly, depending on the needs of your turtle and the speed at which the tank becomes dirty.
In pet shops you will find food specifically for water turtles. However you can vary its diet and add other types of food. Remember that turtles are omnivorous, that is to say that they eat everything, but you should never give them any food prepared for human consumption (e.g. salted or spiced, food that's been cooked etc.).
They are also quite greedy animals so you must be careful because they will eat whatever you put in front of them. You must also make sure that the food meets their nutritional requirements. When they are small they should eat three times a day; when fully grown they should eat three or four times a week.
The health of a turtle largely depends on three factors: that they receive adequate sunlight, that they eat well and that their tank is always clean. It is common for fungi to grow on the shell. To prevent this, add 1/4 cup of salt for every 19 liters of water in the tank.
Remember that although these animals don't need you to take them for a walk and can't be played with like other pets, they still require a lot of care and attention to make sure that they develop healthily.
Make sure you clean your turtle frequently or it may develop fungus in some parts of its body. Take a look at how to clean a pet turtle for more information on the subject.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Look After a Turtle, we recommend you visit our Pets category.