Decorative red-eared turtle is one of the most popular types of freshwater reptiles found at home. In this article, you will learn what equipment is needed to keep turtles, how to care for them, how to feed them, and much more.
Are red-eared turtles decorative?
To answer this question, let's look at what the word “decorative” generally means when applied to pets. A decorative animal does not perform any beneficial actions; it is wound up only for the purpose of observation and communication. Decorative animals do not guard the house, do not catch mice.
For example, take a rabbit. There is a wild rabbit, there is a domestic rabbit, which is used for food, and there is a decorative rabbit - for keeping in the apartment as a pet. The word “decorative” is often associated with dwarfism (as many dogs of small breeds are called decorative), but this attribute is not required. Thus, the question of whether it is possible to call the red-eared tortoise, intended for keeping in the apartment, decorative, we will answer in the affirmative.
Are red-eared turtles dwarf?
You can meet questions on the net: “How to distinguish a red-eared turtle from a decorative one?”, “Are red-eared turtles dwarf?” etc. The fact is that some unscrupulous sellers, they can even be called scammers, sell ordinary red-eared turtles, posing as dwarf and calling it decorative. They give recommendations for care - feed once every 4 days with dried hamarhus or feed young animals 1-2 times a week.
Indeed, bugs bought from such sellers and living in the recommended conditions do not grow. How much can not eat red-eared decorative turtle? Up to several weeks, the animal may starve, but the owner will consider that this is normal, because the seller advised to feed less! Turtles live in constant hunger, they do not have enough energy to grow, only to maintain a semblance of life. Animals die a few years from exhaustion.
If you bought a “dwarf decorative” red-eared tortoise, which, according to the seller, will never grow up and remain as small and cute, then you should know that you were deceived. Such turtles do not exist. Now let's talk about what the red-eared turtle is, how to care for it and how to properly feed it.
Description
A decorative red-eared turtle came to us from the north-eastern part of Mexico and the southern states of the USA. Due to its unpretentiousness, the habitat of the red-eared turtles has expanded very significantly. It can be met today in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
The turtle got its name because of two red (sometimes orange or yellow) spots behind the eyes. Turtles grow relatively small - up to 30 cm in diameter, but giants can also meet - up to 60 cm. In the first 2 years of life, the turtle grows intensively - up to 10 cm per year! With age, growth slows down, and the shell of the animal adds 1-2 cm per year.
The lower part of the shell is dark with yellow stripes and a fringing, and the color of the upper part changes with age and can be various shades of green - from dark green to olive and even yellow-brown.
Aquaterrarium
Turtles are often recommended as a simple animal for beginners, and they are inexpensive - 100-150 rubles. But is the red-eared decorative turtle so unpretentious ? Home care will require both labor and material costs, because for the purchase of the necessary equipment will have to pay 10-20 thousand rubles.
Decorative red-eared turtle can be kept both singly and in a group. It should be noted that for the maintenance of one individual, an aquararium of at least 110 liters is needed. If you decide to purchase several turtles, then they should be about the same age and size. In the group consisting of only males, conflicts will constantly arise, so pay attention to the sex of animals in advance.
The water in the aquarium should be warm, 26-28 ° C. The height of the water level must exceed the width of the shell of the animal, otherwise the turtle will not be able to roll over. Water needs to be changed 1-2 times a week, if you buy a filter, you can do this less often - 1-2 times a month. To maintain the temperature you need an aquarium heater.
Land in the aquaterrarium should be at least 25% of the total area. The coast of the island should rise at an angle from the bottom. The land should be located so that even a grown turtle could not get out - at least 25 cm from the top edge of the terrarium.
Lighting in the aquaterrarium
Decorative red-eared turtle in nature spends a lot of time on the shore, under the sun. In captivity, they are replaced by a UV lamp. It is installed at a height of about half a meter above the aquaterium. At first, turn on the lamp 1-2 times a week for several minutes, gradually bringing the time to half an hour daily. UV rays disinfect the tortoise shell; without a special lamp, the animal begins to hurt.
The terrarium should be equipped with a conventional incandescent lamp for lighting and heating. The air temperature on the island should not rise above 30 ° C.
Food
How to feed a decorative red-eared turtle? In order for the turtle to grow actively and be healthy, it needs to eat fully. At a young age, turtles prefer animal food, with age they begin to eat more and more plant foods.
Young animals are fed daily, after two years - 2-3 times a week. You can feed as a special food purchased at a pet store, and natural food. It could be:
- Poultry, beef, horse meat (pork and lamb are not suitable due to fat content).
- Offal (liver, heart, lungs, stomach, etc.).
- Low-fat fish (aged for several minutes in hot water) or small live fish, shrimp, squid.
- The meat of snails.
- Insects. Not poisonous! Grasshoppers, caterpillars, beetles, flour worm, bloodworms, corpetra, large daphnia.
- Live or dried hamarus.
- Aquatic plants - duckweed, hornwort, ceratopteris, ludwig.
- Vegetables and herbs - cucumber, salad, clover, dandelion.
Self-made feed
You can independently make a combined feed. Its composition may vary in different recommendations, but usually it is something like this:
- Edible gelatin (30 g per half a glass of water).
- Fish fillet - 150 g.
- Squid fillet - 100 g.
- Milk - 150 ml.
- Raw chicken egg - 2 pcs.
- Carrots - 70 g.
- Apple - 50 g.
- Cabbage - 50 g.
- Calcium glycerophosphate - 10 tablets.
- “Tetravit” - 20 drops.
The mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for a week. Before use, the cut off piece must be warmed to room temperature. The indicated amount is enough for 7-10 days for an adult turtle. As a source of calcium, bone meal or crushed eggshells should be given daily.
If you choose a ready-made industrial feed for turtles, then carefully read its composition. Do not fit food consisting of only dried hamarus or bloodworms.
Turtles are fed in water. The food remaining 20-30 minutes after the meal should be removed from the terrarium.
The main mistakes of owners of red-eared turtles
So, in your house there appeared a decorative red-eared turtle. Caring for this animal is not as simple as it seems. Very often, newly-minted owners are poorly guided in the characteristics of the animal. Consider their main mistakes.
- "For a little turtle, a small aquarium." This reasoning is fundamentally wrong. The animal must swim freely at any age, and turtles grow very quickly.
- “A water turtle can live in a regular aquarium without land” is another mistake. Trachemys without a sushi island just drown!
- "UV lamp optional." Once again, no, without UV rays, the tortoise will suffer from vitamin D deficiency and begin to hurt.
- You can’t feed the turtle the same thing, for example, only meat or only hamarus. The diet should be varied.
- You can not run water in the aquaterrarium. It should be clean, no dregs or film! In dirty water, young animals may refuse food.
- Do not remove peeling plates from the shell; do not clean it with a stiff brush.
- Do not buy at the same time two males or turtles, significantly different in size, they will fight, conflict. And constant stress will lead to illness.
- Do not put the turtle to sleep on its own. At home, while maintaining the recommended temperature, the turtle will not hibernate.
- All accessories for cleaning the aquarium should be separate, it is unacceptable to use the sponges with which you clean the room or kitchen.
- Do not keep the turtle in the same fish tank unless they are reptile food.
- Do not let the turtle go for a walk on the floor; it can catch a cold quickly.