Tired of owning furry animals? Well, all of you aquatic pet lovers might want to try turtle for a change. A turtle is a very easy animal to take care because it does not need much care as well as attention. A turtle is well capable of managing on its own. They are considered as one of the slowest animals on Earth.
On top of that, a turtle can even live up to so many years if you give the right care as well as nutrition. In today’s article, we will be showcasing to you some of the best popular turtles breeds that you can actually keep as pets. Because there are so many types and different breeds of this animal. Hence you might be confused if you are a first timer.
Things to Consider Before Getting a Turtle:
Both tortoise and water tortoise are easily available. However, tortoises and water turtles have a slightly different diet. Tortoises often eats vegetables and fruits. You can buy these vegetables or fruits at the nearest traditional market, or maybe at the supermarket.
When talking about water turtles, of course the food is very easy to get. You must choose the right kinds of diet. You can even feed your turtle any food waste as long as it is still fresh and edible for your turtle.
For your turtle to live well, the watery area must have quality water. The water should not be too cloudy, especially if it contains high ammonia. To make the water clear, you are advised to install a filter or water filter commonly used in aquariums.
That way, water clarity can be maintained. However, don’t forget to replace the water filter regularly. This can be a hassle if you do not like to always care specifically for your turtles.
For tortoises, the water area is very important for you to have. The important thing is that you have to make sure you have enough for the turtle to swim.
Because, occasionally tortoises also need to bathe or swim. For turtles that usually live on land and water, make sure the cage area has a watery area that is large enough for its body size. So, the turtle can freely swim or move on land.
On top of that, your turtles also need to have sunbathing or just to get a little bit of sun everyday. This is so that its shell would not just rot and be broken away.
- Red Ear Slider Turtle
The first type of pet turtle is the red ear slider, aka the brazilian tortoise. This is considered as a mini turtle species due to its size. You might check this other mini turtle species in Russia.
This species is probably the most widely kept in Indonesia, because of its unique body color, a striking combination of green and red on the ears. This is a good pet to consider because it is not hard to manage for the red ear slider.
This animal, called Latin trachemys scripta elegans, is among the easiest in terms of care. You only need to prepare a pond or aquarium that is suitable for the size of the turtle, and with a water temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius.
Then place the aquarium in a place exposed to sunlight. If not possible, you can replace it with a reflector lamp. Then, for the type of food itself, you can provide the type of food that is rich in nutrients. Starting from chicken, eggs, carrots, bananas, papaya, to pellets.
- Aldabra Turtle
If you are interested in keeping a turtle with a large body weight, then this type of aldabra is the right choice. These turtles come from the Aldabra Atoll Island, Seychelles, where in their natural habitat the aldabra tortoise is very happy to be in grass and shrubs.
This type of pet tortoise has a general body weight of up to 25 kg with a length of up to 1.2 meters. The body weight of male aldabra turtles can even reach 100 kg more than female types.
Both males and females have characteristics that tend to be the same, namely, their shells are gray with stout legs and a short tail. Their main diet is to eat grass and plants.
Its long neck allows aldabra tortoises to reach plants on trees that are slightly taller. Even though it is a herbivore, this type of turtle is also used to eating crab carcasses.
- Elongata Turtle
Our next breed of turtle is named the elongata turtle. This turtle is found mostly in Southeast Asia, elongata is a species of tortoise with a body length of up to 30 cm. Uniquely, this type of pet tortoise actually has many females whose body size is larger than the male type.
Elongata is a turtle that can live in tropical environments. Therefore, it is important for you to place this species in an environment that is exposed to sunlight or use an aquarium with a warm lamp. For food, elongata tortoises include animals that eat a variety of vegetables and leaves.
But you can also give them meat, eggs, or snails as a variety to complement their main meal. They are basically omnivores and also divulge in a higher amount of protein for a day to day need.
- Cherry Head Turtle
The last type of pet turtle you can have is the cherry head. It is one of the most sought after species due to its unique body shape and color like a cherry. Not only that, this cherry head is also a turtle that can survive even up to 50 years. This is a very long time just for a pet.
But be sore that you are able to take good care of this pet before just buying it right away. Widespread in Brazil and Paraguay, the cherry head tortoise is an animal that loves to eat.
Especially for adult turtles, you can provide a variety of fruits and vegetables and leaves. In addition, they can also eat insects and earthworms as additional food. You might want to read our article about best nutrition facts that should be contained in pet turtles food for an ultimate guide to turtle food.
Those are some of our recommendations regarding the best breed of pet turtle that you should get. Hope this articles is able to help you and you can learn more about Facts of Turtle in Its Feeding Habit. You might also want to know the differences between water turtle and sea turtle.