How To Care For A Red-eared Turtle At Home + Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Tips for newbies to have a red-eared turtle at home

Red eared turtles are becoming more and more popular for home keeping. They are easy to care for and unpretentious, moreover, they take root well in our latitudes. But, unfortunately, often these creatures are doomed to death: there are many features of their content that people do not take into account due to ignorance. We will tell you about them to keep your pet healthy for many years.

Content

• 1 What you need to know first
• 2 Distinctive features of the red-eared turtle
• 3 Features of handling a pet
• 4 Items and tools required for maintenance
• 5 What and how to feed
• 6 Video about keeping a red-eared turtle at home

What you need to know first

Due to its endurance, the red-eared turtle is great for beginners. Do not forget that her life span is up to 40 years, so buying this pet is serious and for a long time, almost for a lifetime. Be sure to consider the basic rules for keeping such a turtle.

1. The red-eared turtle needs water and land at the same time. It should be warm on the shore, so you need to provide regular access to UV rays.
2. Turtles spend most of their time in the water. Therefore, the water should be changed frequently to avoid contamination and to maintain the correct temperature.
3. Not only dirty water causes infectious diseases in turtle. The pet simply needs calcium, otherwise the shell will become crooked. Calcium cannot be absorbed by the body without heat and access to UV rays!
4. Red-eared turtles are aggressive and very strong. If you keep several turtles, conflicts can arise among them, fraught with injury. This is especially true for representatives of different generations.

Red-eared turtles can be aggressive, so try not to handle them unnecessarily

Another nice feature of red-eared turtles is their hypoallergenicity. Such a pet will be a good gift for a child, unlike cats, dogs or birds if you are afraid of allergies. But all responsibility for the maintenance of the animal will fall on you: children will not be able to provide proper care.

Distinctive features of the red-eared turtle

The red-eared turtle is distinguished by a red stripe running from the eyes along the neck (for this it got its name). The upper part of the carapace is smooth, rounded, olive green with black and yellow lines. Underneath, the carapace is also smooth, yellow with dark spots.

In young turtles, the shell is very brightly colored; it darkens with age. In this case, the red stripe on the head turns pale.

The size of a red-eared turtle is determined by measuring the length of the shell from edge to edge with a ruler. At the same time, they do not pay attention to the curvature of the shell, so it is best to measure with a ruler, not a tape measure.

Clean water is a must for turtles

Only hatched turtles are about 2.5 cm long, after a year of life they grow to 5–7 cm. Males become sexually mature at about 10 cm, and females 12.5 cm. The average size of a red-eared turtle is from 25 to 30 cm, depending on the conditions of detention and the species. Males are smaller in size than females.

Meanwhile, size is not a sign of age. At home, turtles grow faster than in nature, which is ensured by good nutrition and proper maintenance.

To determine the age of your pet, use these data:

• 1 year: 6 cm;
• 2 years: female - 9 cm, male - 8 cm;
• 3 years: female - 14 cm, male 10 cm;
• 4 years: female - 16 cm, male - 12 cm;
• 5 years: female - 18 cm, male - 14 cm;
• 6 years old: female - 20 cm, male - 17 cm.

Do not forget that these calculations are approximate, since everything depends on the conditions of detention and health.

It is also important to determine what gender your turtle is. Since this animal grows faster at home than in the wild, they also reach sexual maturity faster. It is more or less easy to determine the sex when the pet has reached the age of at least 2 years and the size of 10 cm.

The main differences between a male and a female are that the females are larger and have a shorter tail. In addition, in the female, the cloaca is located closer to the base of the tail. An indirect sign can serve as claws on the paws, in males they are longer and curved. Of even more relative traits, in males the plastron (the lower part of the shell) is slightly concave inward, which helps him during mating.

Features of handling a pet

Once you've brought your turtle home from the store, it may take a few days for it to adapt. During this time, the animal may be inhibited or too active. Don't worry, leave him alone for a while, be sure to feed and change the water as needed.

After holding the turtle, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water. This is especially true for children: although the turtle is domestic, it lives in its own environment with other bacteria. Red-eared turtles can carry salmonellosis, so it is important to clean the aquarium in a timely manner and monitor the freshness of the food.

You should not bathe your turtle and wash its aquarium in the kitchen sink.

Baby red-eared turtle

Most often, people buy baby turtles for home keeping. Since they are very susceptible to disease (they can even die for no apparent reason), babies especially need comfort and proper care.

On the bed of the little turtle, you may notice something unusual. Most often this is the yolk sac. It cannot be removed: it contains the nutrients that newly hatched turtles eat. Over time, the bag will dissolve, and the turtle will no longer refuse the food that you feed it.

Try not to pick up small turtles. They are very shy, anything unusual can lead them to stress and illness. Give your baby the first time to get used to the new environment: do not stand over the aquarium and do not knock on its walls.

Items and tools required for maintenance

Prices for everything that is required to keep a turtle can vary greatly depending on the manufacturer, type of materials, store. Therefore, we present you with a list of the things you need:

• aquarium for 200 liters;
• water heater for 100W;
• filter (internal is possible, but external is better);
• ultraviolet lamp for aquatic turtles with UVB 5%;
• heating lamp;
• lamp;
• thermometer;
• land / shore / island.

The list is long, but each of the items in it is necessary to create good conditions.

In no case should the aquarium be placed in a draft or in direct sunlight. The turtle must have free access to land; this place must be heated with a special lamp. Cubs need a little more heating than adult turtles: 26-27 degrees for water and up to 32 for land. If you don't have a good filter, change the water every 2-3 days. You can feed the turtles with branded special feeds with calcium content. Adults and cubs should not be kept together: this will lead to numerous injuries.

Provide a stable, sturdy surface for your terrarium. The aquarium for the red-eared turtle is very voluminous, plus the weight of all equipment, water and land - as a result, the total weight reaches more than 300 kilograms. Not every table is suitable for such a device.

Equipped turtle aquaterrarium

Do not buy a small aquaterrarium in the hope that the turtle is still small, and over time, when it grows up, you will acquire a large capacity. These animals grow quite quickly, and from the very childhood they need space. The turtle will not remain small in insufficient space, but its shell will be bent, and it will often hurt.

There should be enough water in the aquarium so that the turtle can freely turn over in it, that is, more than the width of the shell. Artificial land or an island is best purchased in a store. If you decide to do it yourself, please note that such land must meet the requirements:

• sustainability;
• non-toxicity;
• textured surface;
• no burrs and sharp corners.

In total, the island should occupy about 25% of the surface of the aquaterrarium. The temperature on it should be 10 degrees higher than that of the water, but no more, in order to prevent the turtle from overheating.

What and how to feed

This type of turtles belongs to omnivores, that is, they eat almost any food. The main thing for a pet's health is a variety of feed. Therefore, you can give:

• artificial feed;
• vegetables;
• food for aquarium fish;
• aquarium plants;
• fish;
• insects;
• invertebrates.

Plus, you need a balanced diet high in calcium. Make sure that the turtle does not overeat at the same time: this is a common problem in all pets.

Red-eared turtles are omnivorous, they need vegetables, green plants, insects

Young animals are often omnivorous, but as they grow up, they switch to plant foods. This is due to the fact that an adult turtle no longer needs protein in its diet.

The best, simplest option is to buy ready-made feed in specialized stores. These mixtures contain all the necessary substances.

Red-eared turtles do not produce saliva, so they need water to swallow. They take food on land and drag it into the water to eat. It is better to adapt a separate container for feeding so that the water in the aquarium remains clean.

Feed your turtle fresh vegetables regularly, even if he is not interested in them. You can also give aquarium plants: they are very similar to what turtles eat in nature.

It is better not to keep the turtle in the same container with the aquarium fish: this pet will gladly eat everything that it can reach, and if it doesn’t eat it, it will cripple it. But you can feed it (in small quantities) with insects, snails, worms, bloodworms, crickets and other small animals.

Video about keeping a red-eared turtle at home

Caring for such a pet is quite simple, but it will still require your attention and accuracy. But you will have a funny and nice friend. We hope our recommendations will help you to ensure that your animal is kept healthy and happy for years to come. If you have any questions on the topic of the article, ask them in the comments. Good luck!