Turtles As Pets

Turtles as pets are simply fascinating not only for children but for adults too. Keeping turtles are not as time consuming and as expensive as keeping dogs or cats but turtles do need certain degree of care to keep them from dying and to be cared for. You definitely need to care for them and see to their proper diet and living conditions.

Turtle is an animal which if cared properly will live for a couple of decade. The main problems which generally come up is that when you buy a baby turtle is, it is very small but as it grows it becomes bigger in size around, 10 to 12 inches. Thus for keeping turtles you need a fairly big area if it is to be kept comfortably. Though turtles are loved by children and make lovely pets you must give a thought to the available area you have before keeping turtles as a pet.

To keep turtles for pets it is advisable to create a natural surrounding for them. They should be given a fairly large area as they move around a lot. There should be a water tank and dry land both as turtle stay in both places. The water temperature should be maintained along with the temperature of the surroundings. You should put bulbs especially made for reptiles which produce UVA and UVB lights. These lights are required for their good health. The water tank needs to be filled to at least 40 gallon water and space for the turtle to swim about.

Having turtles as pets certainly does not mean that it can be taken out of its pen to play with by your children. The sudden difference in temperature can harm turtle. Also they hibernate in winters and to extend the longevity of your pet it should be allowed to do so without botheration.

To keep turtles for pets you must take care of its special food habits. They are generally given fish, crickets, snails or bananas but the turtle food may vary from one variety to another. It has been seen that turtles are messy eaters. There is lot of uneaten food after the turtle feeds itself. These food articles may catch mold and contaminate the area if not removed regularly. Thus it is advised to remove uneaten food from the water and surrounding areas. A filtration unit will be useful when you will need to cleanup the water.

Keeping turtles though not a difficult job, one has to take certain care. You should always wash your hand before and after handling the turtle as the turtle can catch infection from humans and in the same way children may catch salmonella disease if care is not taken. Moreover turtles are intelligent creature so when you have turtles for pets you have to see that your turtle is kept happy so that you can enjoy looking after it.

To keep turtles as pets one should provide them with proper environment with correct diet. Give your pet lot of attention because turtles love it and it will be a lovely friend for you and your family.

Paul Bryan operates Turtles as Pets - A site providing the best guide on caring for a pet turtle to help your pet live a longer, healthier life.