In terms of content, the turtle is one of the most unpretentious pets. With the proper knowledge, even a child can quite cope with the content of this reptile.
Despite their exotic appearance, turtles have long been among the most "comfortable" pets for humans. These creatures are slow, do not require much attention to themselves, do not bark or meow, take up little space and are in a state of sleep for half of their lives. However, there are still certain nuances that everyone who decides to have a turtle as their pet should have an idea about.
The place where the turtle lives
The best place for a turtle to live in a city apartment is, of course, a glass terrarium. The size of the dwelling is directly proportional to the size of its inhabitant - the larger the animal, the more the terrarium should be purchased. Ideally, this is when the walls of the enclosure are about five times the length of the turtle's shell.
When keeping a turtle, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime, especially during the period when it is awake - from spring to autumn. If there is not enough heat in the house to heat the terrarium, you can use an electric lamp, fixing it over the turtle's "house". If finances do not allow purchasing a good and spacious terrarium, then it is quite possible to get by with a plastic box.
Important: turtles, although they lead a sedentary way of life, still have a fairly large amount of dirt on their paws and on the lower part of the shell over time. These areas should be brushed with a soft bristled toothbrush.
The diet
Turtles love to eat well and prefer mostly fresh plant foods: cabbage, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes. They are also not indifferent to the menu of various herbaceous plants: plantain, dandelion, coltsfoot, quinoa and others.
From time to time, you can give your turtle a hard-boiled egg, some fish and dried seaweed. The type of turtles that are usually kept as pets is completely indifferent to meat.
Sleeping mode
Towards the middle of autumn, in the behavior of your beloved reptile, you can notice some changes, namely, a decrease in activity and appetite. This indicates that the turtle is about to hibernate. In order to create comfortable conditions for hibernation, it is necessary to move the terrarium to a cooler place. The ideal temperature for a turtle hibernation is from 0 to 12 degrees.
In mid-April, the turtle can be woken up. To do this, you need to put the terrarium back in place and turn on the lamp again to warm up. Soon the pet will wake up and remember that it has not eaten anything for a long time.
