Getting Pet Turtle Care Right

Turtles are fascinating pets to own, but many people get them not knowing how to look after them. They need to have the right amount of space, light, shade, and moisture to live so you need to learn what they require before you get one. The best place to keep a turtle is outside because they hibernate in the winter and if they are kept inside they won’t hibernate which can cause them to develop liver diseases. It is unwise to muddle up their natural way of doing things so when you create a pen out-of-doors, you are letting them live in the kind of environment they are used to.

Some people use refrigerators to keep their indoor turtles during their dormancy period. This is not justified as the refrigerator might go through power fluctuations and their dormant period gets upset. This could prove disastrous for the pet so if you decide to keep them indoors, at lest do not let them to go into the hide-and-sleep phase. In case you are very particular about holding the turtle indoors, make sure that you build a tank with 40 gallon capability where there are sufficient areas for land and water. Sixty six percent of the aquarium should be water and one-third should be land because you need a place where they can lay in the heat of a lamp. The most ideal temperature of the aquarium are close to 80 degrees and 70 degrees during daytime and night respectively. Being cold blooded, these pets usually take long to get used to changing temperatures. This is why never endeavor to bring it out of the tank for playing as the temperature drop or rise adversely impacts on their immune system. It is essential that you wash and clean your hands thoroughly after handling turtles as some of them carry salmonella and it is very essential to keep the environment where they live clean too. You might have to think about a water purification system to clean the water and keep it clean. You should not use water from the faucet for the tank, because it contains chlorine and fluoride which can really spoil the ph balance. The water in which they swim ought to be de-chlorinated and filtered out water must be provide to them for drinking. There are several types of diets available commercially for your pet turtle, but the dietary demands depend essentially on the species, however they must never be fed more than 2 to 3 times a week. All care must be taken to avoid wood chips or bark falling in the water as consuming these things can make a turtle ill and moreover, these also pollute the water promoting the growth of fungus and molds. It is a fact that turtles need twelve hours of sunshine to remain healthy, so in case you are thinking of holding the creature inside, make sure that you have a Ultra Violet lamp for the tank, which provides the required vitamin D3. This is why we see them sunbathing for endless hours and when kept inside ensure that the tank is situated at a place which does not see too many variations in light and also provide them with a shady place for spending time when they need to. Though available at most pet stores, you could also make them at home with wood and stones but if you keep plants in the tank, make sure that they are not harmful to the creatures. To know your turtle better, watch his conduct closely as they are extremely interesting and can provide pleasure for the whole family.