As pets, turtles are found, much less often than cats, dogs and parrots. But not everyone knows that if they provide proper care and maintenance to these animals, they become loyal and faithful friends of their masters. A turtle can become a full member of any family. These animals are completely unpretentious and do not cause any trouble when properly created conditions of habitation.
Unlike many other domestic animals, turtles have a longer life expectancy. In good conditions, the turtles live for about 30 years. In most cases, the earlier death of an animal is the result of improper care for it. That is why many owners are interested in the question of how to contain a turtle. First of all it is necessary to say that the conditions of keeping land tortoises and water vary considerably. In this article, we will talk about water-red-eared turtles and care for them.
The content of water-red-eared turtles
Red-bellied turtles are popular pets and belong to water turtles. Care and maintenance of the red-bellied tortoise at home is an uncomplicated and extraordinarily fascinating process. And if you follow the recommendations of experts to the conditions of keeping red-bellied turtles, this animal will feel very comfortable in the walls of your house.
The best solution is to keep the red-bellied turtles in a spacious aquarium. Most of the time these animals spend in the water, but periodically they need land and fresh air. To do this, it is necessary to organize a special island in the aquarium, and above it to install a bright lamp. Water in the aquarium should be changed once a month. To keep the water turtle it is better to use standing water.
An important role in the health condition of the red-bellied turtle is played by proper feeding. These animals need protein and calcium daily. In pet stores, you can purchase a special mixture for feeding a turtle, but experts recommend giving the pet in addition to feed a variety of food. In order to approximate the conditions of keeping red-eared turtles at home to the natural conditions, they should be regularly fed with fish. A small, lean fish is suitable for feeding turtles, it can be fed to pets along with bones. A large fish should be previously separated hard bones. Fatty fish, too, can be given turtles, boiling it until half cooked. As a food supplement, red-bellied turtles are recommended to give squid meat, raw liver, aquarium snails. Young red-bellied turtles need to be fed every day, individuals over 2 years old enough to feed 2-3 times a week.
The rules that should be followed in the care and maintenance of red-bellied turtles:
- The turtle should not be allowed to walk on the floor. She can easily catch a cold in a draft, eat small things lying on the floor, get hurt by any sharp object;
- The turtle should not give too often meat - this product is difficult for her and bad for her health;
- The turtle can not be brushed, even if it is overgrown with small algae. The brush can damage the skin and damage the carapace of the animal;
- Red-eared turtle needs air. In an aquarium without land, it can die;
- in the care of the red-bellied tortoise, one should not abuse various vitamin supplements. They should never be given to an animal "by sight".
Care and maintenance of red-bellied turtles is not only to create favorable conditions for them. For these animals, contact with the host is extremely important. Only a caring attitude turns a pet into a faithful friend for many years.