Contents
Turtle care tips
| Turtle species | 365 |
| Where? | All over the planet |
Of them, all people like to keep The Murray short-necked turtles as a pet. Turtles aren’t suitable for children as they need more attention. Keeping turtles as a pet is so costly.
| Desire | Steps to take |
| Keep turtle happy and healthy | · Proper housing
· Balanced diet · Safe environment |
Before buying a turtle, you must have proper knowledge of caring for a turtle. If you want to take a turtle to your house, our turtle care tips are just for you.
In this article, you will get a proper guideline on caring for a pet turtle.
Manage a large enclosure
Keeping turtles in a large glass aquarium is a good idea. There must be a cover on it so that no one can escape it from the aquarium. Turtles like to live alone. If you house more than one turtle in a single enclosure, one may try to dominate on another. Eventually, they will be aggressive. For the first 12-18 months, you should house them in a 60X45X45 centimeters size aquarium.
| Turtle | Tank size |
| Long-necked | 120x60x60 centimeters |
| Short-necked | 80x60x60 centimeters |
Turtle tank requirements
Cover the tank bottom
Use peat moss or soil to cover the bottom of the aquarium. Mix wood chips, peat moss, sand, and soil equally and place this mix at the bottom of the tank.
| Mixer thickenss | |
| 5.1-7.6 cm | 2-3 inches |
Don’t line the tank’s bottom with stones. Because turtles may eat small-sized rocks or blocks.
Make a basking area
On one side of the aquarium, make a layer of soil or peat moss, sand, and wood chips higher than the bottom layer. This side should be enough high so that it doesn’t become wet. There should be a slope so that your turtle can easily climb on it. You can also place a hiding box so that your turtle can use this cozy spot for hiding.
Add water to the tank
| Fill the tank | Tap water |
| Chlorine level | Low |
| Water level | Twice as deep as the turtle’s length |
| Can go to deep water | Box turtle |
If you buy a box turtle, don’t pour much water. The water level should be shallow enough so that your turtle can raise its chin above the water’s surface. Buy a chlorine test kit from a pet store or from an online store. If the water’s chlorine level exceeds 0, you must fill the aquarium with bottled water. You can also buy a DE chlorinating agent from a pet store.
Temperature for a turtle tank
There should be both hot and cool sides in an aquarium.
| Reptile lamp should be placed | At the basking zone |
| Reason of placing Reptile lamp | Heating the basking zone |
Buy a lamp from a pet store labeled for reptiles. Putting a thermometer there is a smart idea. It is good to keep the turtle tank temperature between 85⁰to 90⁰ Fahrenheit. Use UV lights that provide vitamin D and also help to absorb calcium. Change the lamp twice per year.
Install a filter
| Wise decision | Placing a filter. |
| Reason | Clean and clear water |
Before buying a filter, you can discuss it with the owner or employee of the pet store. Although your tank has a filter, you must remove excrement and waste from the tank every day with a clean net. In order to keep your tank’s water clean, you can feed your turtle in another tank.
Pet turtle diet
Buy commercial foods for your turtle labeled for your turtle’s species. Pellets or canned food are ideal for turtles. Most of the turtles require small animals or vegetables.
Buy frozen and live small animals like:
- Guppies or minnows
- Worms
- Grasshoppers
- Crickets etc.
They also need vegetables like:
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Carrots
- Dandelion etc.
You must feed your turtle 3 or 4 times per week. You can also discuss with the breeder or pet store on this matter.
| Feeding time | Morning is the best. |
Don’t keep the food in the tank for more than five minutes.
Vet for reptile
Regular checkups are so important for keeping your pet turtle healthy and fit. Your turtle may suffer from some health disease like:
- Shell rot
- Metabolic Bone Disease
- Fungus
- Respiratory infection
Most diseases result from poor maintenance.
For regular check-ups, you can contact a local veterinarian or get suggestions from the turtle breeder.
Remove droppings
Remove droppings from the water. You should do it every day with a net. In order to keep tanks water, you must remove droppings, extra food, and other unused items daily.
Check the water every day
Buy an aquarium water test kit from the pet store.
| pH level of water | 6.0 to 8.0 |
Ammonia levels shouldn’t be above 0. Nitrite levels should be less than 0.5 parts per million. Although your turtle will drink this tank’s water, you must keep its water clean and pollution-free. If you notice that nitrate or ammonia levels are high, change the water or filter immediately.
Clean the tank
Clean the tank after every three weeks.
| Where to move turtle | Another tank |
| When | Before cleaning current tank |
Wash out the tank and all accessories slowly with bleaching powder. After washing all the accessories, set everything and refill the tank with water.
Before buying a turtle, follow our guidelines on caring for a pet turtle.