Turtle is famous for being a slow animal, as it is listed in the slowest animals in the world. Having a turtle as a pet at home might be hilarious for you and your kids. You may think having a turtle as a pet is an easy job.
You may also think that a turtle is more exotic than any other pet, such as goldfish. In fact, keeping a turtle as a pet at home needs a lot of things to consider. It is not an easy task at all.
Keeping a turtle as a pet require good amount of responsibility. You know that a turtle has a long lifespan. So, you may feel that the turtle is not only a pet, but it is a long-term investment. Before you have one at home, then you should think it thoroughly. Let us give you the 3 things you need to consider before having a turtle as a pet.
- Choose the Best Breed
There are different species of turtles out there, but not all types can be brought home and kept as a pet. The most common species of turtle you can bring home as a pet is the box turtle or the red-eared slider turtle.
Each of them has different characteristics. Box turtles have dark skin and yellow markings and tall, dome-shaped shells. That’s how they get their names. The adult of this species can grow up to 6 inches in length.
Beside box turtle, there is also another species of turtles you can keep at home. That’s the red-eared slider turtle. There are some reasons why red eared slider turtle is not a good pet, read it carefully and have a careful thought before you choose this species.
This species of turtle is commonly found swimming around tanks at your local pet store. The baby turtle is 4 inches in size or even smaller, while the adults can grow up to 11 inches long. That means you might need to upgrade the size of your tank in the future.
Aside from those 2 species of turtles, consider these popular turtle breeds -to pet, too!
- Preparing the Comfortable House for Your Turtle
Comfortable house is also essential for a turtle to live well. Turtles are divided into two categories based on their habitat: terrestrial and aquatic. Let’s see the reasons that makes turtle habitat divides into some categories. Box turtles are classified as terrestrial turtles
They are mostly found in damp areas, such as the mossy parts of the forests. If you stay at the temperate area, an ideal habitat for a box turtle will be an outdoor pen with high walls.
Box turtles also like to dig, so you have to provide a lot of dirt, potting soil, or shredded newspaper to satisfy them. Box turtles also need to have certain amount of moisture to survive, so make sure to provide plenty of dry leaves and moist soil in the turtles’ pen. Never place box turtles outdoor in a glass tank as the glass will heat up and end up cooking your turtles inside!
For red-eared turtles, as they are aquatic turtles, then they need to live in a house with plenty of clean water for swimming and also the dry land where they can rest, hide and bask in the sun. Make sure to prepare an adequate amount of room for them to move around inside.
- Give the Best Food for Your Turtle
Regarding to food for your turtles, you also need to refer that turtles are mostly omnivores. They eat both plants and meat. Box turtles eat various types of food, such as worms, crickets, apples, tomatoes, and some leafy green vegetables.
Dandelion leaves can be good choice for a pet turtle’s diet. They are high in vitamin A and calcium. You can also feed your turtles some snails, but make sure the snails are free of pesticide. Baby turtles tend to eat meat when they are young while the adults will have more vegetarian diet as they grow older.
Different with box turtles, red-eared slide turtles must be fed in water. They mostly eat crayfish, snails and salamanders. You can also feed them some bits of meat, fruits and vegetables (except iceberg spinach and lettuce. You can also feed your turtles with some food sticks sold in the pet stores. They contain all the nutrients needed by your pet turtles.
If you want to feed your turtles, you also need to consider these best nutrition facts that should be contained in pet turtles food. Make sure you can give the best food for your pet!