Turtle As A Pet

Keeping a turtle as a pet has definitely come a long way now. From the plastic palm tree set-up of old and the common box turtle to the less ordinary ornate wood turtle and the exceptionally rare albino soft shelled variety ñ there is simply a turtle for every personality, lifestyle and budget. A turtle can make an interesting and quite pet although their fondness for longevity can mean that you have to be prepared to dedicate as many as forty years or so of attention and care to your reptile friend.

If you are ready to share and house one of Mother Nature’s earliest and mysterious creatures, then get a turtle as a pet and read on for some useful pet care information. The kind of care your pet turtle needs depends essentially on the type of turtle that you have adopted. Yes, you surely want to learn about specific breed of turtle you have selected, but there are a few basic rules to apply when taking care of turtles.

Having a turtle as a pet can entail different rules when it comes to care. These rules can fall under two basic categories ñ for water turtles and for land turtles. To guarantee your turtle’s long life and happiness, you must be able to provide him a comfy and friendly environment. For water turtles, such as coots, sliders and map turtles, you have to provide a minimum of 20 gallons tank with a small island for basking, a UVB light to aid them in absorbing maximum nutrients from their food and a heat lamp for simulating sunlight.

The water turtle as a pet are usually fast and graceful swimmers so it is important for them to have sufficient swimming space. On the other hand, land turtles, including the box turtle, need much space to walk on with hollowed logs and flowerpots where they can hide, a basking spot with a heat lamp, a natural vegetation and shallow water dish for soaking. Some owners keep land turtles in especially-made pens to enable their pet to enjoy outdoors and to hibernate during the cold weather.

The above-mentioned care tips will help you keep a turtle as a pet and make a place more livable for them. Most of turtles are omnivores. To feed them well, you can buy pre-made turtle foods which are available in pet stores although it is best to use these products in moderation and instead, offer your pet turtle with a wide range of foods. Majority of water and land turtles will gladly consume earthworms, crickets and snails.

Water turtles like chasing goldfish and minnows around the tank and a lot of them can also devour cooked tuna, chicken and shrimp. It can truly become enjoyable to keep a turtle as a pet, especially when it comes to feeding them as they are not that choosy.