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Sunday, April 5, 2009

What You Should know about Pet Turtle Care

By Lucille Green

Turtles are interesting pets to own, but many individuals get them not recognizing how to look after them. They can not live unless you supply them with the correct amount of space, light and shade and sufficient moisture, so you ought to know exactly what they need to exist, before you possess one. Because a turtle hides and remains dormant during winter months, they should be kept outside, as they cannot do this if you keep them inside, which may result in liver complaints. Never tamper with their regular habits, so building a pen outdoors would help you create a perfectly regular environment for them.

During their hide and sleep period, some individuals keep their pet indoor turtles in the icebox. This action is not wise as there could be a power outage and the temperature inside the icebox could rise, this would come in the way of their regular hibernation. This can be fatal for them so if you plan on keeping your pets inside, don't let them hibernate. 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.

Two-thirds 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 about 80 degrees and 70 degrees during daylight and night respectively. Being cold blooded, these pets usually take long to get used to varying temperatures. This is why never attempt to bring it out of the tank for playing as the temperature drop or rise adversely affects their immunity from disease.

Some turtles carry salmonella so be sure to wash your hands after handling them, but, their environment also needs to be kept clean too. Keep the water clean and free from waste matter, so it could be a good idea to invest in a water filtration system to make this happen. You should not use water from the faucet for the tank, because it contains chlorine and fluoride which can really spoil the ph balance. Use filtered out water for drinking purposes and de-chlorinated water for their swimming needs.

There are assorted 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 two or three times a week. Make sure that the water is kept free from wood chips or tree barks as these contaminants can create problems for the turtle, and to top it, these also act as pollutants giving way to the growth of fungus and molds. Remember turtles need 12 hours of sunlight, so if you are holding your pet indoors, you have to put up a UV lamp to supply the Vitamin D3, which one can get from sunshine.

This is why you see these creatures basking in the sunlight for hours, so when inside keep the tank at a place where there is not much temperature variation and some shady area for them to unwind. Although available at most pet stores, you could also make them at home with wood and stones but if you keep aquatic plants in the tank, make sure that they are not harmful to the creatures. The behavioral pattern of a turtle is very absorbing and then can provide good entertainment for the whole family.

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