Land turtles are sometimes considered living toys. They are kept in a room or in the country, allowing children to do whatever they want with them. This approach is wrong. The turtle is a peculiar animal with its own character and interesting group behavior. In order for your pet to feel good and calm, she needs appropriate conditions and good nutrition.
Turtle house
The houses most often keep Central Asian or Mediterranean land turtles. Other species are less common. In any case, it should be remembered that the turtle is a resident of warm countries. Therefore, keeping it constantly on free grazing is not worth it. Even if the apartment is warm, this may not be enough for the turtle. It is best to buy a terrarium for her, and the bigger it is, the better. To determine its parameters, multiply the length of the shell of an adult animal by five. This will be the length of the terrarium. The width can be about half the length. Height is not so important, turtles crawl on the ground.
What to put in the terrarium
It is best to cover the bottom of the terrarium with coarse sand or pebbles. Both must first be thoroughly rinsed and dried. In one corner, you can make a shelter where the turtle will rest at night or during hibernation. Several indoor plants can be placed in pots. The terrarium should also have a small pool. Its depth is such that the turtle could stand at the bottom, and the water would reach its jaw. In this case, the pool should be such that your guest can freely enter it. In one corner of the terrarium, place several "hot stones" - heaters disguised as stones. Make sure that the wire is out of reach of the turtle, otherwise it will gnaw through it perfectly. In the other corner, the sand should always be wet. It needs to be watered periodically.
Lighting
Lighting depends on where the terrarium will be located. If you are placing it in a well-lit room, no additional lamps are required. After placing the turtle house in a dark room, place one or more small fluorescent lamps on top of the lid. In addition, you will need a quartz lamp. Quartzization is necessary for the turtle to produce vitamin D. A deficiency of this vitamin causes the shell to soften.
Food
The diet of the Mediterranean and Central Asian turtles is based on plant foods. As for the rest of the representatives of the turtle world, there are both predators and scavengers among them. The only thing that should not be in the diet of any turtle is dairy products. There are simply no enzymes in the body of turtles that would process milk.
Walking
Sometimes the turtle can be released to wander around the apartment. The place for the walk must be prepared. There shouldn't be any crevices where the turtle can get stuck. Many representatives of the tortoise family die in captivity for this very reason. On a sunny day, it is useful for the turtle to wander through the fresh grass. But keep your eyes on her. It is only in fairy tales that turtles move slowly, in fact, they are extremely mobile.
